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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Adreian Payne returned and Keith Appling sat out. Just another night in this injury-plagued season for Michigan State, which is still right there at the top of the Big Ten standings. "I just feel that were in the hunt right now," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. "After what weve gone through, were in the hunt, and thats what I told our players. Youve got to be in the hunt before you get a chance to win a championship." Payne scored 12 points in his first game back from a foot injury, and the ninth-ranked Spartans kept pace in the league race with an 82-67 victory over Penn State on Thursday night. Payne hadnt played since Jan. 7 because of a sprained foot, but although he didnt start Thursday, he did play 18 minutes, going 5 of 9 from the field. "It felt good to be back on the court," Payne said. "Overall, Im satisfied." The Spartans (20-3, 9-1 Big Ten) were still nowhere near full strength. Appling, who has been dealing with a wrist problem, sat out, and Branden Dawson is still out with a broken hand. Izzo said he has no idea if Appling will be ready for Sundays game at Wisconsin. "It just has been getting worse and worse," Izzo said. "He falls a lot. I told him hes got to go to gymnastics class -- learn how to fall without landing on your wrist. ... I know this, out of every guy Ive got on my team, hes the toughest. If he can play, hell play." Kenny Kaminski scored a career-high 19 points for the Spartans. Tim Frazier scored 22 points for Penn State (12-11, 3-7), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Despite all of its injury woes, Michigan State is tied for first with rival Michigan atop the Big Ten. Everyone else in the conference is at least three games back. Payne missed Michigan States loss to Michigan late last month, and the crowd gave him a nice ovation when he reported to the scorers table to check in for the first time Thursday. Payne entered with 16:21 left in the first half and made his first shot, from just inside the three-point line. "It was like Willis Reed coming off the bench," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said referring to the New York Knicks captains dramatic playoff appearance in 1970. "The crowd was going crazy -- standing ovation." Payne was active throughout the first half but also seemed tired at times. Perhaps that was to be expected after he was out for about a month. The Spartans went on an 11-0 run to take a 22-8 lead. A three-pointer by Kaminski made it 35-16, and the Nittany Lions never threatened. Matt Costello capped the first half with a dunk while being fouled with 12 seconds left. His three-point play gave Michigan State a 46-30 lead. It was 61-44 after Kaminskis 3-pointer from near the top of the key banked in off the glass, and a 3-pointer by Gary Harris pushed the lead to 20. Kaminski went 7 of 9 from the field, 5 of 6 from three-point range. That enabled the Spartans to withstand Applings absence and 5-for-16 shooting by Harris. Denzel Valentine had a big game for Michigan State with 11 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals. "Early in the game he was, I guess Id say out of control there," Izzo said. "We took him out and settled him down a little bit, and then I thought he played phenomenal." Michigan State has won 20 games for the 14th time in the last 17 seasons. Frazier needed two assists to set Penn States career record, but he only managed one, tying the mark of 600 by Freddie Barnes. Frazier went 9 of 14 from the field and 3 for 4 from three-point range. The rest of the team was 2 for 18 from beyond the arc. Penn States D.J. Newbill scored 17 points but missed all seven of his attempts from 3-point range. LOS ANGELES -- Garrett Richards claims he gave little thought to his first career shutout until the final out settled into Albert Pujols glove at first base. He figures he will have the whole rest of his life to savour his milestone accomplishment at Dodger Stadium. Richards pitched a five-hitter, Mike Trout and Pujols had RBI doubles in a four-run first inning, and the Los Angeles Angels opened the Freeway Series with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night. Richards (12-4) was dominant in his first nine-inning complete game, striking out nine and retiring 15 of 16 in the middle innings with a fastball regularly hitting 98 mph. He finished his first victory in four starts by getting pinch-hitter Andre Ethier on a groundout with his 122nd pitch. "Thats faith in me, and thats important to me," Richards said. "Going back out (for the ninth), I was just worried about winning the ballgame." Richards even outpitched Zack Greinke (12-7), who yielded six hits and three earned runs in seven innings despite giving up just two hits after that messy first inning. A day after scoring five runs in the first inning at Tampa Bay, the Angels had another quick start on the road. They led 4-0 after four hits, two unearned runs, two wild pitches by Greinke and two horrible fielding misplays from Carl Crawford and Hanley Ramirez. "(Greinke) just made two mistakes to two really amazing hitters, and they made him pay for those mistakes," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. "After that, he was lights out." Richards took control from there, allowing just one runner to reach third base. "He is driven," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Garrett wants to be good. He has a lot of confidence in what he can do." Josh Hamilton homered in the sixth for the Angels, who improved the majors second-best record to 67-44 with their seventh win in 10 games. Los Angeles two teams both appear headed for the playoffs in the same season for the first time since 2009, with the Dodgers sitting atop the NL standings and the Angels chasing down the Oakland Athletics.dddddddddddd. TAGGING UP: Pujols had a little fun with Yasiel Puig, tagging up from first base when the Dodgers centre fielder was slow to return a long fly ball to the infield in the eighth inning. "Thats how you play the game," Pujols said. "He can have fun, too. Im having fun. He can do whatever he wants." Two innings earlier, Puig playfully wagged his finger from centre field when Erick Aybar thought about making the same tag-up move from first base. When he got lazy in the eighth, even the slow-footed Pujols could run on him. Between innings, Pujols appeared to mock Puig for his lackadaisical catch on the fly, but Pujols bristled when asked about it after the game. "He just got a lesson, and hopefully he learns it," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Puig. "Albert basically embarrassed him right there." HEARING BOOS: Trout was heartily booed when he stepped to the plate or appeared on the Dodgers video boards, an unusual sound for the popular All-Star outfielder. "Its how baseball should be," Trout said. "Its rivalries, crosstown. Its fun for me with the fans involved. It pumps me up when you hear them." TRAINERS ROOM: Angels: Reliever Mike Morin said he cut his foot while walking on a Florida beach with friends last weekend, sending him to the disabled list for two weeks. Dodgers: Reliever Chris Perez went on the disabled list with bone spurs in his right ankle. ON DECK: Angels: Hector Santiago (3-7, 3.76 ERA) looks to build on his summer surge after his 0-7 start. With Tyler Skaggs on the disabled list, the Angels are counting on him. Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (13-2, 1.71) claimed the NLs previous two pitcher-of-the-month awards and hasnt lost since May 28, but the vaunted left-hander hasnt faced the Angels since 2011. ' ' '