BASKETBALL
Big Ten defeat opens season
Minneapolis - The MSU men‘s basketball team extended its road losing streak Saturday after a 70-67 loss to Minnesota at Williams Arena.The loss was No.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans take second at GLI; reap honors over winter break
While you were away from the world of Spartan hockey... • The Spartans (15-4-2 overall, 10-3-1 CCHA) advanced to the title game of the Great Lakes Invitational, but lost the championship 5-4 in overtime to North Dakota on Dec.
SPORTS
Lions fans bid farewell to dome
Pontiac, Mich. - In a game closing out the season between two cellar-dwelling teams, one might expect something other than an enthusiastic crowd. But when the Detroit Lions (2-14) downed the Dallas Cowboys (5-11) 15-10, more than just two disappointing seasons came to an end - a chapter in Detroit Lions football history concluded with the final game at the Silverdome. Lions fans from throughout the country converged on the Silverdome one last time, and for Bill Vanfaasen the move to Ford Field in downtown Detroit couldn‘t come soon enough. Vanfaasen, formerly of Holland, Mich., has been driving from Green Bay, Wisc.
BASKETBALL
Freshman point guard shines in Taylors absence
Minneapolis - MSU freshman guard Chris Hill never imagined he would be starting in the first Big Ten opener of his collegiate career.Neither did sophomore point guard Marcus Taylor, who planned on directing the No.
SPORTS
Spartans make noise on national television
To believe it you had to see it. After 40 minutes of inspired play, the Spartan women’s basketball team made believers of one of the nation’s elite teams and a national television audience. MSU’s (9-3, 0-2 Big Ten) shocking 70-49 win over previously unbeaten No.
FOOTBALL
Offense rolls in 44-35 victory
With an offensive attack never seen before in MSU football history, the Spartans rolled to a 44-35 victory over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. The Spartans set MSU bowl game records with 44 points, 586 total net yards, 376 net yards passing and 210 net yards rushing. “We had a great game plan going into the game,” said sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker, who threw for an MSU bowl record 376 yards.
SPORTS
Sports Briefs
Swimming MSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished competition Saturday in the 26th annual Rainbow Invitational hosted by the University of Hawaii.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers skate to weekend sweep over Quinnipiac
The sixth-ranked Spartans got exactly what they wanted from Quinnipiac this weekend - two hard-fought games and two victories.MSU (15-4-2) overwhelmed its nicknameless foe 4-1 Friday and 3-1 Saturday in the nonconference series at Munn Ice Arena.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers rebound against Quinnipiac in first of series
No. 6 MSU, still reeling from a loss to North Dakota in last week’s Great Lakes Invitational, reinforced its ego at the expense of nonconference foe Quinnipiac on Friday at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans (14-4-2 overall, 10-3-1 CCHA) netted a 42-15 shot advantage and physically manhandled Quinnipiac in securing the 4-1 victory.
BASKETBALL
Mens hoops loses Big Ten opener to Gophers
Minneapolis - The MSU men’s basketball team remains winless on the road as it fell to Minnesota 70-67 Saturday in its Big Ten opener.
ICE HOCKEY
MSU sweeps series with 3-1 victory at Munn
Junior goaltender Ryan Miller missed his first game of the season Saturday night, but the sixth-ranked Spartans didn’t miss a beat. With MSU head coach Ron Mason giving Miller the day off, freshman goaltender Matt Migliaccio earned his first career start and made 11 saves in a 3-1 victory over Quinnipiac (7-10-1) at Munn Ice Arena. Quinnipiac goaltender Jamie Holden was awesome in making 37 saves, but MSU (14-4-2 overall, 10-3-1 CCHA) got goals from junior right wing Steve Jackson, junior left wing Brian Maloney and junior defenseman John-Michael Liles to complete the weekend sweep. The Spartans beat Quinnipiac 4-1 Friday. Saturday’s win was Migliaccio’s first decision of the season, although he had played in two previous games - both times in relief of Miller. And he looked understandably shaky on Quinnipiac’s first goal - 4:49 into the game.
SPORTS
Poor shooting leads to loss in Ann Arbor for womens hoops
Ann Arbor - One of two things needed to happen Wednesday night if the Spartan women’s basketball team was going to leave Crisler Arena with a win against Michigan - they’d have to either hit their shots from the inside or the outside. But neither happened on a consistent basis as the MSU (9-3, 0-2 Big Ten), dropped its second-straight Big Ten contest 58-45 to the Wolverines (10-3, 1-2). Wolverine center LeAnn Bies led all scorers with 17 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, and forward Jennifer Smith added 14 points to go along with her 11 boards for U-M. Junior forward Syreeta Bromfield led the Spartan offense with 14 points on 6-of-22 shooting from the floor. MSU’s shooting woes continued throughout the contest, as the team managed to hit only 19 of 63 shots, including a 2-of-19 night from behind the three-point arch. “We shot a horrible percentage,” Spartan head coach Joanne P.
FOOTBALL
MSU beats Fresno State in record-setting Silicon Valley Football Classic
San Jose, Calif. - An old-fashioned Western shootout was expected and that’s just what MSU got in a 44-35 victory Monday over No.
ICE HOCKEY
Hockey continues losing streak against North Dakota, falls in GLI championship game
Detroit - MSU’s oldest player, junior left wing Brian Maloney, was not quite 14 months old the last time the Spartans beat North Dakota.Things didn’t change in the 37th annual Great Lakes Invitational championship game Saturday night.The underdog Sioux (9-9-1) raced to a three-goal first-period lead and then held on to beat No.
BASKETBALL
Mens basketball falls to Stanford, 75-64
Oakland, Calif. - An undersized MSU squad took a noticeable step backward in a 75-64 loss to No.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans advance to GLI championship game to face North Dakota
Detroit - The drive for five is on track.Fourth-ranked MSU, fresh off a 20-day break, looked rusty early on but stormed back to beat Michigan Tech, 4-1, Friday in the second semifinal of the 37th annual Great Lakes Invitational.The Spartans (13-3-2 overall, 10-3-1 CCHA) rode 22 saves by junior goaltender Ryan Miller to victory over the Huskies in front of 18,071 at Joe Louis Arena.The MSU win means the Spartans will play North Dakota in the championship game at about 7:30 p.m.
BASKETBALL
W-hoops improve record to 9-1 with win over Providence
Behind a career night from freshman center Kelli Roehrig, the Spartan women’s basketball team extended its winning streak Friday to five games with a 64-47 victory over the Providence Friars. Roehrig finished the evening with career highs in points, rebounds and minutes - leading all scorers with 22 points and adding 7 rebounds in her 35 minutes of floor time. “Tonight, I just felt very confident,” she said.
BASKETBALL
Streak stays alive at 53 with win over Seton Hall
The men’s basketball team added game No. 53 to its home winning streak Saturday, toppling Seton Hall, 68-64, at the Breslin Center. But the win didn’t come without its difficulties. The No.
FOOTBALL
Official says coachs new contract should lead to improved football team
MSU’s top athletics official said Friday that a raise and contract extension given to head football coach Bobby Williams this week should help lead to a better Spartan season next fall.Athletics director Clarence Underwood said the deal, which includes a $50,000 raise and “roll-over” clause, should help Williams recruit top-notch players for his team.
BASKETBALL
Spartans advance to 52 home wins with 78-50 defeat of Oakland
The No. 17 MSU men’s basketball team completed game two of its three-game weeklong homestand defeating Oakland, 78-50.The win extends the Spartans’ Big Ten history-making home winning streak to 52 games.MSU took over the game as soon as the ball was tipped.