Freshman forward Cam Ward put on a clinic, letting everyone in the Big Ten and across the country know this Spartan roster can be just as deep as last year. His 18 points and 10 rebounds led all scorers, followed by Coen Carr with an emphatic 15 points. 

Ward said after the game that he wants everyone to know he can be one of the best freshmen in the country.

"I don't really pay attention to a lot of the other media stuff, but I definitely see it," Ward said. "I think I proved it tonight that I'm better than a majority of freshmen in the country, and I can make an impact early."

MSU’s three-point shooting left much to be desired, much like a season ago. The team shot 1-for-14 from beyond the arc; the only successful Spartan, Trey Fort, made one three-pointer on his way to five points.

MSU will look to stay strong at home against San José St. on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

Hockey

No. 1 MSU hockey kicked off Big Ten play, hosting the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions last Friday and Saturday. 

On Friday night, the Spartans pulled off an overtime victory after junior winger Tommi Männistö connected with senior center Tiernan Shoudy to bury the game-winner. 

On Saturday, the team got to their game even quicker, with senior center Charlie Stramel scoring within the first three minutes. MSU never trailed and went on to earn a 5-0 shutout with junior netminder Trey Augustine between the pipes— the ninth of his career. Augustine only gave up one goal on 61 shots during the entire series, and MSU’s penalty kill shut down Penn State’s offense, stopping four power plays in Game 1 and five in Game 2.

Next up, the Spartans will travel to South Bend, taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. EST and Saturday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. EST. 

Football

MSU football is coming off its second bye week of the season, sitting at 3-6 and looking to win out in hopes of salvaging a bowl game appearance.

"I want to see the continued competitive spirit they’ve had. I want to see us being able to finish at the end of the game," MSU head coach Jonathan Smith said at Monday's weekly press conference. "These guys are working so hard, and put a lot into this thing. I want to see the scoreboard on the right side of it so we can go celebrate in the locker room."

The first step comes Saturday at 3:30 p.m., when the Spartans welcome Penn State to Spartan Stadium. The matchup features two teams searching for their first Big Ten win of the season.

Women’s Soccer

No. 9 MSU women’s soccer lost the Big Ten Championship match on Sunday to No. 13 Washington on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw.

Junior midfielder Kayla Briggs scored MSU’s lone goal in regular time, a penalty kick won by junior forward Kennedy Bell.

Although MSU was the stronger of the two teams, recording 16 shots to Washington’s 6, they could not find the finishing touch and ultimately fell 4-1 in the shootout.

Despite the result, the Spartans secured a No. 2 seed – the highest in program history – for the NCAA tournament and will host Milwaukee in the first round at DeMartin Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m.   

Women’s Basketball

No. 24 MSU women’s basketball is off to a dominating start, outscoring its first two opponents 217-99 behind a suffocating defense that constantly hunts for steals. 

The Spartans crushed Mercyhurst 125-39 on Tuesday before taking down Eastern Michigan 92-60 on Sunday, recording at least 15 steals in each game.

The senior duo of forward Grace VanSlooten and guard Theryn Hallock has led the way in scoring, each averaging 16.5 points per game through two contests.

The Spartans will continue their homestand, hosting Youngstown State on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. before facing Western Michigan on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Volleyball

The No. 34 Michigan State women’s volleyball team wrapped up a successful West Coast road trip with two key wins.

On Friday, the Spartans took down Washington in Seattle, 3–1, after dropping the first set 15–25 before rallying to win 30–28, 33–31 and 25–20.

Then on Sunday, MSU edged out Oregon in a five-set thriller, 3–2, with set scores of 23–25, 25–16, 25–21, 21–25 and 16–14.

With these back-to-back victories, Michigan State improves to 18–6 overall and 7–4 on the road in Big Ten play, coming back home this Friday to play No. 12 Wisconsin. 

Men’s Soccer

MSU men’s soccer played its final game of a rollercoaster season on Friday, November 7th, against the No.1 team in the country, Maryland, hanging with them until the final whistle but falling just short in a 4-3 defeat.

"As far as our guys go, I mean, so, so proud," head coach Damon Rensing said. "I mean, the heart and character of this program is alive and well."

Junior midfielder Miles Merritt found the scoresheet first for the Spartans with an absolute screamer from outside the box into the top right corner. He would end the season as the team's joint top scorer.

Senior defender Josh Adam got the final touch on a ball that pinballed around the Maryland box, sending it into the roof of the net off a corner-kick assist from Merritt. It was his first goal of the season — and his first since his freshman year — coming in what would be his final game in Green and White. Forward Oscar Huerta added the Spartans’ final goal with a curling shot into the bottom-left corner, giving Michigan State hope, but the team couldn’t find an equalizer.

MSU ended its season competing with No. 1 Maryland until the very end, but couldn’t contain them enough to get a result, ending their season with a 5-8-3 record.

Men’s Tennis

MSU men’s tennis traveled to Ann Arbor for the ITA Sectionals from Nov. 6-8, with junior Taym Alazmeh competing in singles and sophomore Danial Rakhmatullayev joining him for doubles.

The Spartans struggled to make an impact, as Alazmeh went 1-2 in singles, earning his lone win by default due to an opponent’s injury, while the team went 0-2 in doubles play. 

MSU will now shift its focus to preparing for the NCAA Individual Championships, set for Nov. 18–23 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

Cross Country

Both the men’s and women’s MSU cross country teams are preparing for the Great Lakes Regional on Friday in Evansville, IN. 

Wrestling

The MSU wrestling team will compete in its first dual match of the season Friday at 7 p.m., traveling to face Long Island University in Brookville, N.Y.