The emphasis has been on MSU’s Big Three all year long, but in the regular season finale at Indiana, it was role players who helped the Spartans to a 74-72 win. Freshman forward Marvin Clark and sophomore guard Alvin Ellis were tested Saturday, and they each answered the call.
Valentine fouled Indiana junior guard Yogi Ferrell with two seconds left as Ferrell raced up the court.
In a first half marked by the play of MSU's role players, the Spartans are tied with Indiana at the break, 34-34. It was a balanced half of scoring for MSU, as eight different Spartans contributed points.
Powers' double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds, including three assists still wasn't enough to knock off the likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament Maryland, losing 70-60.
It was exactly one month ago today when the Spartans were obliterated in East Lansing by the hands of their instate rivals by a 13 point margin, begin swept in the regular-season for the first time in over a decade. It's always a difficult task to beat a team three times in a row, especially when that opponent is riding a three game winning streak at the conclusion of the season. That was seen at the Sears Centre Aren on Wednesday when something finally clicked for MSU, garnering the second round victory in the Big Ten tournament over the Michigan Wolverines in dominating fashion, 69-49. Their run towards total annihilation in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, began as early as the 16:37 mark in the first half, by jumping out to an early 12-4 advantage, thanks to an uncontested layup by freshman guard Lexi Gussert underneath the basket. Things got worse from there, as the Spartans went on a 10-2 run that concluded with Gussert's one of one-of-four three-pointers from beyond the arc. The freshman tied with Aerial Powers for a team-high 16 points on the afternoon.
A spark that wasn't seen in the regular-season was finally discovered in the second round of the Big Ten tournament by the Spartans, who go into the locker room with a commanding 46-22 advantage over Michigan. MSU's dominating performance began right from the start, jumping out to an early 12-4 run at the 16:37 mark, thanks to an uncontested layup by freshman Lexi Gussert underneath the basket. Gussert, the guard, leads the team with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.
On senior night, Travis Trice sent quite the farewell to Spartan fans, leading MSU to a 72-66 victory over Purdue. Trice was electric for MSU (20-10 overall, 11-6 Big Ten), tying his career-high of 27 points. He and fellow senior Branden Dawson returned to the starting lineup but only Trice was able to finish the game. After hitting his head and leaving the game with about eight minutes left in the first half, Dawson went to the locker room and did not return to the contest.
On senior night, Travis Trice sent quite the farewell to Spartan fans, leading MSU to a 72-66 victory over Purdue. Trice was electric, tying his season-high of 27 points. He and fellow Branden Dawson returned to the starting lineup but only Trice was able to finish the game.
It wasn't the prettiest half of basketball, but a late burst helped keep the deficit close entering halftime.
With the Big Ten tournament just a week away, the seeding of teams is still completely up in the air. Just four teams in the league – Wisconsin, Maryland, Penn State, and Rutgers – know when they will be playing.
Whenever the Spartan and Wolverine basketball teams clash there's always a lot on the line.
The good news for MSU women’s basketball is that they’re riding an undefeated streak (4-0) against Michigan in the Big Ten tournament since its creation back in 1995.
Senior forward Branden Dawson and senior guard Travis Trice will play their final home game against Purdue. The whole team looks forward to the Big Ten tourney.
When the question pops up of what else can Aerial Powers accomplish in one season, the sophomore comes through to impress college basketball supporters a like. It was just this Sunday when Powers sent the Breslin Center into a frenzy when she and the rest of the Spartans knocked off then No.
The men's basketball team lost by seven points, but the game was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated.
Tori Jankoska has once again proven to be the much needed catalyst for a team looking for a confidence boost late in the season. In a game that saw constant lead changes and momentum swings, the sophomore forward would send the dagger through the hearts of the Boilermakers with 14 seconds left on the clock. Up by three, a steal by the 5-foot-8 guard followed by an uncontested layup was the bitter end to Purdue's resurgent run to a close upset, finishing the season on a three-game wins streak thanks to a 61-56 final score. Jankoska, the Freeland native, capped off the regular-season by recording her tenth 20+ points game of the season to make her the MSU leader in points down in West Lafayette, giving the Spartans an undefeated record whenever she sits on top of the leaderboard. The offensive firepower of Jankoska and Aerial Powers combined for 43-points, the only two players that recorded more than five points before the final buzzer.
Tori Jankoska has picked off where she left off this past Wednesday against the Purdue Boilermakers, garnering 14-points before heading back into the locker room to give MSU a 29-28 lead before halftime. With the ninth seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament on the line Saturday afternoon, the Spartans came out of the gates early with a head of steam, quickly going on a 15-6 advantage at the 10:24 mark. But the Boilermakers, who are sitting dead last in the conference standings with Penn State, went on a 22-14 run to make it a one possession game. Andreona Keys would end the first 20-minutes of play by hitting an uncontested layup right before the buzzer to cut the deficit to one, following a turnover by freshman Kennedy Johnson with two seconds remaining. Jankoska is shooting 75 percent (3-of-4) from beyond the arc and 57 percent (4-of-7). She has also posted two rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Aerial Powers has broken the MSU single-season rebounding record after grabbing her 337th of the season.
Senior forward Branden Dawson came into MSU with all the hype in the world and, as a result, has had blessings and curses during his career in East Lansing.
In another disappointing home performance for the Spartans, Minnesota stormed into Breslin Center and strolled away with a 96-90 victory. With his team leading by three points, sophomore forward Gavin Schilling fouled Minnesota junior guard Carlos Morris on a three-point heave with just over two seconds left.
C. Vivian Stringer, the head coach of No. 20 ranked Rutgers, closed the locker room for media members following their defeat at the hands of MSU this past Sunday in East Lansing. When the 2009 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee had her run-in with reporters inside the tunnel, the conversation quickly focused on the performance of Aerial Powers. Stringer said that if she could go back and change her preparations for last season's Big Ten regular-season champions, she would have shown less film on the conference's leading scorer, knowing that her players would be less intimated and less fearful at the Breslin Center. Barely being edged out by No.