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Sports | Basketball Men's 1027

BASKETBALL

Shorthanded Spartans defeat Indiana behind play of Jankoska and Powers

Zach Libby
January 28, 2015

The dark cloud hanging over the head of the MSU women's basketball team this season is clearly the amount of injuries that have taken a tole of the program.  Dressing only eight players for Wednesday night's matchup against Indiana at the Breslin Center, a couple players were asked to go further than what they're bodies are used too.  Having almost played the entire 40-minutes, Tori Jankoska and Aerial Powers found ways to carry the load in the points column as only five players scored at least one point for the Spartans.  Jankoska, the sophomore guard from Freeland, Michigan, scored a career-high 28-points while also adding 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals to lead MSU to a 72-57 victory, their third Big Ten conference win of the season.  "Sometime she's taken on a tougher defensive assignment which has caused to not be as effective on offense," Merchant said.

FOOTBALL

New club football team gives athletes a chance to continue gridiron dream

Zach Libby
January 28, 2015

This past fall brought a different experience for Chris Wesolowski.  As a freshman, from strapping on the helmet and shoulder pads at Cardinal Mooney Catholic every Friday night under the lights, to standing on the medal bleachers at Spartan Stadium on the weekends brought a sense of frustration and curiosity.  Faced with the reality that he was too small or not nice enough to play Division 1 football at MSU, Wesolowski wanted a way to continue playing the sport he loved without going through the roadblocks of what it takes to play in the Big Ten.  So when the idea of joining a club team with other students who had the same passion for the sport as him came along, Wesolowski was excited. Excited in the fact that his career wasn't over last year.  However, the university at the time didn't carry a club football program, giving Wesolowksi the vision of starting up a team next fall, paving the way of other students who are hoping to make one more tackle or one more touchdown.  How did this dream come to a reality?

BASKETBALL

Women's basketball tops Indiana 72-57

Zach Libby
January 28, 2015

EAST LANSING - Team and individual achievements were made on Wednesday for the Spartans.  Tori Jankoska, who came into her tenth Big Ten matchup of the season against Indiana, recorded a career-high 28-points en route to a 72-57 victory at the Breslin Center.  The senior guard hit 56-percent of her shots from beyond the arc, finishing the game as one-of-two Spartans (11-10, 3-7 B1G) who found themselves with over 20-points scored.  Aerial Powers, the Detroit product from Country Day, led the team in field-goal (22) and three-point attempts (10). Her aggressiveness on the offensive side of the floor matched Jankoska's point total with 28.  Both players' shot making abilities helped garner MSU's largest conference victory this season.

BASKETBALL

Halftime: Women's basketball leads Indiana 39-25

Zach Libby
January 28, 2015

Down by three-points with seven minutes into the first half following a jumper from the key by Indiana Hoosiers guard Karlee McBride, the shots were immediately converting for the Spartans.  MSU went on a 12-0 run to record their second largest lead of the evening before going into halftime with a 39-25 lead at the Breslin Center.  Tori Jankoska, the senior guard, was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc to lead the Spartans with 19-points. She was responsible for the final four-points of the half after being fouled after converting a three-pointer.  Aerial Powers, the Detroit product, has added 16-points and Becca Mills has recorded four-points, the only three players who have garnered any points in the first 20-minutes.  The Spartans are currently shooting 37 percent from the floor (13-of-35), compared to Indiana, who has converted just 32 percent of their shots (9-of-28).  Six players have garnered stats in the points column for the Hoosiers, with Karlee McBride leading the team with six-points.

BASKETBALL

Izzo adjusting to hand-checking rules

Omari Sankofa II
January 26, 2015

Foul trouble crippled the men's basketball team early against No. 16 Maryland on Saturday. Senior forward Branden Dawson, sophomore forward Gavin Schilling, junior forward Branden Dawson and junior guard Denzel Valentine each picked up two in the first half, and head coach Tom Izzo was forced to turn to his bench sooner than he would have preferred.  It wasn't the first time Valentine got himself into early foul trouble this season.

SPORTS

BREAKING: MSU vs. Rutgers postponed due to potential northeastern blizzard

Omari Sankofa II
January 26, 2015

With a potentially historic snowstorm looming, the men's basketball team's Tuesday 9 p.m. game against Rutgers has been postponed indefinitely, Rutgers men's basketball announced through its Twitter handle.  To avoid the storm, head coach Tom Izzo said the men's basketball team moved its flight up to 3 p.m. Rutgers announced the game had been cancelled about an hour before MSU was scheduled to leave East Lansing. 

FOOTBALL

Trae Waynes to participate in all-star game challenge Friday

Zach Libby
January 26, 2015

Trae Waynes, the former MSU standout, will get another opportunity to further showcase his skills as a defensive back before the NFL Draft in the 2015 Quicken Loans All-Star Football Challenge.  Scheduled to participate in the Hands Competition, Waynes is set to take on Landon Collins (Alabama) and Quinten Rollins (Miami OH.) on Friday, Jan.