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Sports | 1117

SPORTS

Spartans blank Indiana in first round of Big Ten Tournament

Senior forward Emma Harris (7) celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's first goal in its 3-0 victory Thursday at Michigan Soccer Field in Ann Arbor. Harris, who was named second team all-Big Ten this week, had a goal and an assist on the day. Junior forward Shannon Collar fights for possession with Indiana defender Robin Barker on Thursday at Michigan Soccer Field in Ann Arbor during the first round of the Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament. Collar iced the game by scoring the Spartans' third goal in the second half. By winning Thursday, the team earned a spot in today's conference semifinal game at 4:30 p.m.

ICE HOCKEY

Comley looks for success over former team

It's been a long three seasons for Rick Comley since he left Marquette for East Lansing. The MSU head coach is just 3-7 against his former team, Northern Michigan, since becoming the Spartans head coach in 2002. MSU was swept out of the Berry Events Center last season in the only two meetings between the schools and the Wildcats eliminated the Spartans from the CCHA Super-Six in 2003 and 2004. Now, off to its best start under Comley, MSU is looking to end the Wildcats' dominance when they meet for two games on Friday and Saturday, both at 7:05 p.m.

SPORTS

Familiar foe for MSU in 1st round

Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, the MSU field hockey team is hoping to experience déja vu against the Buckeyes. The sixth-seeded Spartans (12-7 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) will face No.

SPORTS

Wrestlers start year at Ypsilanti tourney

The MSU wrestling team will hit the mats for the first time this season at the Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti on Saturday. The Spartans are ranked in the top 20 in most national preseason polls, and are led by All-American brothers Nick and Andy Simmons. Nick Simmons was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at last year's EMU Open.

BASKETBALL

With guard depth gone, Ager and Brown must run a lot

Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager are murderous on the wings. MSU's tandem of athletic guards has shown an ability to finish dunks and alley-oops on the fast break that is nearly unparalleled in the realm of college basketball. But with the departure of Kelvin Torbert, Chris Hill, Alan Anderson and Tim Bograkos, there is a question as to whether or not the duo will be able to get up and down the court at the same break-neck pace as in previous seasons. Depth is now a major concern in the MSU backcourt, with the only feasible substitutes for Ager, Brown and sophomore point guard Drew Neitzel being two unproven freshmen: Maurice Joseph and Travis Walton.

FOOTBALL

Defense finally breaks out

A struggling and inconsistent Spartan defensive unit may have gotten the turnaround it was looking for in Saturday's 46-15 win over Indiana. Using a more aggressive strategy, the defense intercepted three passes for the first time since 2003, recovered a fumble, recorded two sacks, and made six tackles for losses, all while holding the Hoosier offense to 369 total yards.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers still fighting injuries

It has been a season of ups-and-downs for the MSU hockey team and it has only played five games. The ups have been aplenty, with the team starting the season 3-1-1 and getting wins against top teams North Dakota and Cornell. "Our confidence is very good because we are getting such great efforts from all players," MSU assistant coach Tom Newton said.

BASKETBALL

Growing expectations

There's no shortage of big bodies eager to mix it up in the paint on the MSU men's basketball team. Though the inexperienced White squad fell to the Green squad, 84-44, its frontcourt demonstrated the talent and resolve necessary to give MSU a solid bench throughout the upcoming season. Redshirt freshmen Idong Ibok and Goran Suton showed no hesitation in attacking the basket from the low block during Saturday's Green-White scrimmage, despite being matched up against more experienced players.

SPORTS

Cross country teams come in 5th and 7th

The MSU women's cross country team finished fifth in the Big Ten Championship this past weekend in Minneapolis and the men came in seventh. Junior Katie Kelley had the best showing for the Spartans with a time of 21 minutes, 53 seconds.

SPORTS

Volleyball team drops weekend matches

It was a weekend where the MSU women's volleyball team hoped to turn its season around. Instead, the Spartans found themselves back in familiar territory. On the road, the Spartans fell to Illinois and were swept by No.

FOOTBALL

Special teams runs away with game

For the first time all season, MSU's special teams units were just that — special. After being called out Friday night by special teams coach Jim McElwain, the Spartans special teams responded with their best performance of the season.

SPORTS

Men's golf finishes seventh in tourney

The MSU men's golf team carded a 290 in the final round of The Landfall Tradition to finish seventh on Sunday in Wilmington, N.C., to close the fall season. The Spartans, who shot 891 overall, were just two shots away from a third-place tie. Texas A&M (870) captured the tournament —?10 shots over Coastal Carolina (880). Tulsa, Illinois, Minnesota and Virginia Commonwealth all tied for third place (889). Freshman Randy Hutchison came in fourth with a 1-over-par, shooting a 69 in the final round and 217 for the tournament.