After a stunning 19-14 upset loss to Ohio State on Friday, the No. 19 Spartans (3-6 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) bounced back Sunday at Purdue (10-6, 0-6) with a 21-14 victory. Perhaps even more surprising than Friday's defeat was 133-pound No.
MSU head coach Mark Dantonio scored a verbal commitment during the weekend from Cedric Everson, a 6-foot-1 athlete from Detroit Mumford High School. Everson is a four-star recruit, according to Rivals.com, and committed verbally to become a Spartan on Feb.
The No. 21 MSU gymnastics team captured the State of Michigan Classic during the weekend after posting a season-high team score of 196.350.
As soon as the Spartans took the ice Friday in Omaha, it was clear they left their travel legs on the airplane. MSU (17-8-2 overall, 13-6-2 CCHA) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Friday's game against Nebraska-Omaha and ended up winning, 5-1, in a penalty-free game.
Mateen Cleaves walked to the middle of the court in front of a packed house at Breslin Center on Saturday, wiping tears from his eyes.
The MSU's women's basketball team might just be finding an offensive rhythm. The evidence: MSU has recorded two of its highest point totals of the season the last two games, and in Sunday's 80-70 win over Illinois, four Spartans scored in double figures, led by a season-high 22 points from sophomore guard Mia Johnson. Add to that a season-high 19 points from sophomore forward Aisha Jefferson and 14 from freshman center Allyssa DeHaan, and MSU could have the makings of a lethal inside-out combination. DeHaan, for the most part, had her way with the Fighting Illini, shooting 7-of-8 from the field with seven rebounds in a nice bounce-back game. "If (DeHaan's) really focused, you can expect some special things," MSU head coach Joanne P.
Freshman forward Raymar Morgan turned in one of his worst performances of the year on Saturday, finishing with two points on 1-of-8 shooting in 33 minutes of action.
Minnesota high school officials imposed an eight-day suspension of wrestling competitions and practices after 24 cases of herpes were reported by teams statewide.
After games against low-scoring, physical teams in recent weeks, the Spartans may feel like they've been cast into a Monty Python movie this weekend against Nebraska-Omaha.
Senior gymnast Kristen Coleman was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week. It's the first time she has received the award in her career. The honor came on the heels of posting a score of 39.525 in the all-around competition at the "Flip for a Cure" meet, which broke a 10-year-old school record. Coleman also garnered first-place performances on the uneven bars and balance beam, and finished tied for first with fellow Spartan Nicole Curler on the floor exercise.
For nearly 3,000 fans watching Alan O'Donnell's victory on Sunday, it would be hard to believe he started his wrestling career as a freshman in high school. The meet came down to the last match.
Sometimes, just going with the flow can be a good thing. The no-questions-asked mentality of versatile senior Tyler Howells has made MSU head coach Rick Comley's job much easier. When the team was riddled with illness and injury, Comley tried a number of different line combinations. He tried senior forward Brandon Warner — with a career total of nine points — on the top line.
Women's hoops reporter Matt Bishop spent Thursday through Monday in State College, Pa., and Somerset, N.J., covering the women's basketball team's losses to Penn State and Rutgers.
There could be some bad blood brewing between the MSU and Penn State women's basketball teams. When these two teams met at Penn State last Thursday, the Lady Lions upset the Spartans, 69-58 — but that's not all that has MSU upset. With the game in hand, less than five seconds left on the clock and the Spartans no longer defending, Penn State guard Brianne O'Rourke flew in from near half court to try to pad the score. O'Rourke missed the uncontested shot, but it was followed by Kamela Gissendanner as time expired for the make. "That's how they wanted to handle the end of the game," sophomore forward Aisha Jefferson said.
According to television reports, last week's NHL All-Star game, which took place on a Wednesday night in an attempt to boost ratings, experienced a 76 percent drop in viewership compared with the 2004 game. The all-star game and skills competition from Dallas was televised nationally on Versus as opposed to 2004's All-Star game, which was shown on ABC on a Sunday afternoon.
By the numbers of the MSU women's basketball team's two-game losing streak: 35: The total amount that MSU has been outrebounded by.
MSU senior forward Tyler Howells has been named a finalist for the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge.
Saturday's near-win at No. 5 Ohio State showed the MSU men's basketball team's tenacity, but tonight's game against Illinois might be a better indicator of the Spartans' resolve. Less than 72 hours removed from their extremely dramatic and taxing comeback against the Buckeyes, the Spartans (17-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) will need to find a way to rebound quickly against the struggling but dangerous Fighting Illini (15-8, 3-5), who are playing to resuscitate their fading postseason bid. "This is where you really make a statement, or you really grow up, or you really have a turning point," head coach Tom Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference.
The No. 23 MSU wrestling team defeated No. 17 Michigan Sunday at Jenison Field House to win the overall meet, 21-17, and claim its first dual win over U-M since 2003. Senior brothers Nick and Andy Simmons put the Spartans ahead early, 15-0, but five match wins by the Wolverines put the Maize and Blue back in the picture near the end. With the Spartans hanging on to a slim 18-17 lead, the final decision came down to a double-overtime final match when freshman Alan O'Donnell defeated U-M's Omar Maktabi, 2-1, to secure the victory. "That was the biggest win of my career," O'Donnell said in a written statement.
While the bye week was a restful one, the MSU hockey team did more moving than it would have liked. The Spartans, who have 25 points in the CCHA so far this year, dropped from third to fourth in the league standings during their idle weekend, while Michigan surpassed MSU with a pair of conference wins. "It doesn't really matter until all games have been played," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.