Junior guard named to WNIT All-Tournament Team
Junior guard Vnemina Reese was named to the 2002 Women’s National Invitation Tournament All-Tournament Team on Thursday.
Reese, who graduates in May, will not use her final year of eligibility next season.
“I’m surprised,” she said. “I didn’t expect it. I’m very, very appreciative of this honor.”
Reese averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds in four tournament games.
The Spartans (19-13) lost to eventual WNIT Champion Oregon (22-13) in the semifinals.
Softball opens Big Ten season
The softball team begins its Big Ten season today at 3 p.m. against No. 25 Ohio State.
The game at Old College Field also will be the Spartans’ (11-18) home opener.
The Buckeyes (27-5) had won 14 straight games before losing to Tennessee-Chattanooga (20-8) 2-1 in 10 innings on Monday.
MSU plays Ohio State again at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Junior infielder Robyn Golden leads the team. Golden is batting .345 with an on-base percentage of .410 and leads the team in slugging percentage (.764), home runs (7) and total bases (42).
Sophomore first base Natalie Furrow is also putting up impressive numbers at the plate, batting .341 and leading the team in hits (30) and RBIs (11).
Senior pitcher Becky Gray (6-8) leads the pitching staff. Gray has a team-high 88 strikeouts in 89.2 innings and boasts a team-best 2.89 ERA.
The Spartans conclude their first weekend of Big Ten play with a double-header against Penn State (12-13) on Sunday. The first game starts at noon.
Izzo coaches All-Star team against Globetrotters
Men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo will coach the National Association of Basketball Coaches College All-Star team against the Harlem Globetrotters today at Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta.
Izzo will have the help of mentor Jud Heathcote, the winningest coach in MSU basketball history.
The NABC roster includes NABC National Defensive Player of the Year, Providence guard John Linehan, Cincinnati guard Steve Logan, Oregon forward Frederick Jones, Wake Forest forward Darius Songaila, Illinois forward Robert Archibald, North Carolina forward Jason Capel, Hawaii guard Predrag Savovic, Texas Tech center Andy Ellis and Southern Illinois center Rolan Roberts.
Izzo won his only matchup against the Globetrotters 72-68 in a 2000 exhibition game, snapping the Globetrotters’ 1,270-game winning streak.
Tennis looks to roll on
The men’s tennis team aims for its 5th consecutive victory today at No. 17 Minnesota (9-4 overall, 2-1 Big Ten).
The Spartans (13-5, 1-2) completed their out-of-conference schedule with a 6-1 win over Western Michigan (10-10, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) Wednesday.
Juniors Goran Topalo and Jimmy McGuire, sophomores Eric Simonton and Mike Hodge and freshman Cameron Marshall recorded points for the team with singles match victories.
Golf ranked in top 10
The women’s golf team is ranked No. 9 in Golf World’s Thursday poll.
The Spartans have won titles in two of their last three tournaments this season.
MSU senior Emily Bastel was awarded the National College Player of the Week by Golf World.
Bastel earned medalist honors after shooting a 214 - a school record for a 54-hole tournament - at the University of South Florida Waterlefe Invitational in Bradenton, Fla.
