The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Foreign Tour Team easily won its opening game against Germany’s Tus Treis-Karden on Saturday, 108-52.
MSU sophomore guard Chris Hill scored 10 points and was one of six Big Ten players scoring in double digits. Iowa center Jared Reiner led all scorers with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Wisconsin forward Dave Mader contributed six points and 11 rebounds.
“I thought we played hard, and pretty well considering all the traveling we did (Friday),” team coach Bill Self, of Illinois, said in a written statement. “From the second quarter on, we played pretty well.
“We were a balanced team and played unselfishly, for the most part, making the extra pass to get an open shot. We could have five different guys lead us in scoring on this trip.”
The Big Ten All-stars led by only six points after the first quarter, 24-18. But they were dominant in the second and third quarters, outscoring the German team 60-25.
The All-stars’ height advantage played a significant role in their scoring runs. The Big Ten team boasts four players at least 6-foot-10, while the tallest player on the German team was 6-8.
Each Big Ten school has at least one representative in the European tournament. Illinois has two players, guard Sean Harrington and forward Roger Powell.
The Big Ten team played its second game Sunday against the Telekom Basketball Club of Bonn, Germany. The All-stars will play a total of seven games against teams from three countries - Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The tour ends Saturday.
Summer brings more success for ‘U’ golfers
Strong individual performances from MSU golfers highlighted the 2002 Golf Association of Michigan Championship - held at Oakhurst Golf and Country Club in Clarkston last week.
Sophomore Andrew Ruthkoski finished in a tie for second by shooting a final-round 73. He ended the tournament with an overall, four-round score of 286.
Ruthkoski also was the runner-up at the Michigan Amateur Golf Tournament in late June.
Ruthkoski’s teammate and captain of the golf team, senior Eric Jorgensen, finished tied for fifth with an overall score of 289 at the Golf Association of Michigan event. He also shot 73 on the final day.
Jorgensen is having an impressive summer as well, winning the North and South Amateur Championship, as well as qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Open, which will be held at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills later this month.
