Friday, December 26, 2025

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FOOTBALL

Women's basketball drops game to in-state rival Michigan 72-59

An instate rivalry that has been historically commanded by MSU saw a different chance in scenery on Thursday night when a prolonged streak was shattered. Michigan, who haven't swept the Spartans in the regular-season since the 1999-00 season, squandered the historic run thanks in part to four of their starters finishing in the double-digit mark in scoring, silencing MSU on the road, 72-59. Despite being loaded with two of the top five leading scorers in the Big Ten in Aerial Powers (No. 2) and Tori Jankoska (No. 5), the duo was held to a combined 31-points, 25 of those recorded by Powers. Jankoska, who is the reigning Big Ten player of the week after scoring a career-high 28-points last week against Indiana, shot a mere 2-of-8 from the floor, failing to sink her first field-goal until the 10-minute mark in the second half. Coming into their 11th conference game of the season, Michigan's last win outside of Ann Arbor was back in January, 17 against Northwestern. On Thursday, a 20-2 run in the first half was enough to hold MSU's comeback late in the second, led by Powers. The Detroit native, who played the entirely of the game due to a lack of numbers on the bench for head coach Suzy Merchant, was able to keep the motor running, cutting the deficit to as low as nine with more than four minutes remaining. Anna Morrissey, the 5-foot-10 senior guard, followed suit by pulling up for a wide opened three-pointer to decrease the Wolverines' lead to six two minutes later, her only bucket of the evening. Powers also led the Spartans in rebounds (15) and finishing second behind Jankoska in assists (four). Katelynn Flaherty and Cyesha Goree were the leading scorers for the Wolverines, finishing with 19 and 17-points each. Goree also led the maize-and-blue with 10-rebounds. MSU's Becca Mills contributed 10-points, seven of which came in the first half. The frustrating loss at the Breslin Center for the Spartans ends their two-game home win streak, which began with a victory over Wisconsin on the 25th of January. They'll have a couple days off before hitting the road to face Minnesota, who have lost just twice this season in front of the home crowd.

MSU

Spartans Fighting Cancer release balloons for Relay For Life

By Rachel Fradette rfradette@statenews.com Spartan's Fighting Cancer continued to Paint the Campus Purple on Thursday when they released purple and white balloons into the sky for their annual event.  They held their balloon release at the rock on Farm Lane due to weather conditions on Monday the event was pushed to Thursday.  The organization is especially active on campus this week in order to spread awareness about cancer and its research, for the Relay for Life.

BASKETBALL

Michigan leads women's basketball 37-21

Michigan hasn't swept the Spartans in regular-season play since the 1999-00 season. But after the first half of play, the Wolverines will have an easy road to squander the 14-year streak.  Both Katelynn Flaherty and Siera Thompson lead the maize and blue with 12-point to give the team a 35-18 lead heading into the locker room.  Michigan has managed to have a field day on the offensive side of the glass, converting 60-percent of their shots from beyond the arc while shooting 50-percent from the floor.

NEWS

MSU transitioning to a smoke-free campus

MSU has announced that it has plans to make campus tobacco-free, according to the website MSU Today. MSU is going to create a task force, led by the Office of the University Physician, which will create a policy making MSU a tobacco-free environment, according to the website.

NEWS

Student suspected in beating of second student found not guilty

Shan Gao, one of the defendants of assault charges for an attack on Yan Li last January has been found not guilty, his attorney Patrick Crowley said. The jury is still deliberating on the fate of the other defendant, Meng Long Li.  During witness testimonies, none of the witnesses could remember if Gao was present that night.

SPORTS

Motor no longer an issue for Branden Dawson

Tom Izzo has had a lot to be concerned about this season. But senior forward Branden Dawson's motor, a concern in previous seasons, has perhaps been the least of MSU's problems.  Dawson has been stellar in Big Ten play, averaging 12 points and a league-leading 10.1 rebounds per game.

MICHIGAN

East Lansing renters: Keep those sidewalks clear to avoid a fine

“Enforcement officers will take a look at the condition of the sidewalk and, if it’s readily apparent that a homeowner or a resident has been trying to keep up with the shoveling, they’ll usually issue a warning,” Gonzalez said. js“They generally will issue citations when it’s just clear that... no effort has been made whatsoever to clear the sidewalks."