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Sports | Basketball

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Comeback kid

Madison Williams already has suffered three anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, tears. But something is telling her she isn’t done yet. The redshirt junior center and former McDonald’s All-American only played in three collegiate games prior to this season. On Saturday night, a Breslin Center crowd of nearly 6,000 witnessed her play in her first game since Nov. 15, 2011. To a standing ovation from the crowd, Williams entered the game with about 15 minutes left in the first half. In two stints — one in the first half and one in the second half — Williams played five minutes and showed a glimpse of her potential when she scored six points, and recorded one rebound, one block and one steal. “(It’s) such a huge weight off,” Williams said about playing in her first game in two years. “All I’m thinking right now is I’m so thankful. God is so good to me just that I can get out there and I’m safe. He kept me safe in that game.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Women's basketball recovers from close first half, pulls away from Rice

After leading by only two points at halftime, the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team made a 13-0 run midway through the second half that powered the Spartans through to a win against Rice on Saturday night at Breslin Center. Early in the first half, the Spartans (4-1 overall) got into foul trouble, which saw senior forward Annalise Pickrel head to the bench for most of the first half after picking up two fouls in just two minutes. In the second half, Rice (3-3) tied it right off the bat when forward Megan Palmer hit a layup, but back-to-back 3-pointers by senior guard Klarissa Bell and junior guard Kiana Johnson gave MSU the lead back, and the Spartans wouldn’t lose it again. With less than 10 minutes left, the Owls cut the lead to only four off an Alyssa Lang 3-pointer.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

MSU squares off against Va. Tech matchup in Brooklyn

For the first time ever, No. 1 Michigan State will be tipping off against Virginia Tech tonight at the Coaches vs. Cancer semifinals in Brooklyn, N.Y. (9:30 p.m., TruTV) Head coach Tom Izzo said after practice Wednesday that, even after looking at tape, there still are surprises within the Hokies’ team.

BASKETBALL

Search still on for big man

The No. 1 MSU men’s basketball team still is searching for the big man down low to best replace the force that was Derrick Nix. Redshirt junior forward Alex Gauna, sophomore forward Matt Costello and freshman forward Gavin Schilling are the three candidates that have been rotating in and out from below the basket.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

No. 21 MSU women’s basketball earns 80-41 win over Detroit-Mercy

The No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team had no trouble putting away Detroit-Mercy on Wednesday night as the Spartans rolled to an 80-41 victory. The outstanding play of redshirt freshman Branndais Agee as well as a pair of double-digit runs were key in helping the Spartans (3-1 overall) secure the 39-point victory against the Titans (1-4). After Detroit-Mercy guard Senee Shearer hit a 3-pointer to briefly tie the game at 11, MSU started to pull away with 3-pointers by freshman Tori Jankoska, senior guard Klarissa Bell, Agee and sophomore guard Cara Miller on four of the next six possessions to give MSU a 23-13 point lead.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Women's basketball up on Detroit-Mercy at halftime

It was the half of the jumpshot for both teams, but the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team is leading Detroit-Mercy, 42-22, at Breslin Center. The Spartans started the game off with an opening jumper from the top of the key by redshirt freshman guard Aerial Powers, shortly followed by a corner 3-pointer by senior guard Klarissa Bell.

BASKETBALL

Report: Taco Bell to continue free taco promotion after MSU basketball games

For a brief moment, it looked as though a time-honored tradition at the Breslin Center of giving all fans in attendance a free taco if the basketball team scored more than 70 points was in jeopardy. It appears the worry may be coming to an end. Taco Bell Corp. said in a statement that the company plans to continue the promotion at 10 local Taco Bell stores, the Associated Press reported.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

No. 21 women's basketball welcomes Detroit Mercy tonight

When the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team returns to action Wednesday night, the Spartans will square off against Detroit Mercy at 7 p.m. at Breslin Center. MSU (2-1 overall) is coming off of an overtime victory against then-No. 21 Dayton, and Detroit Mercy (1-3) is off from back-to-back losses against Western Michigan and Michigan.

BASKETBALL

Spartan Kids Ticket Exchange willing to fill empty seats

College sporting events can seem like a whole new world through the eyes of a young child, like something unreachable. An idea struck David Harns, the founder of Spartan Kids Ticket Exchange, when he saw the wonder in his son Elijah’s expression when they attended the 2010 MSU-Notre Dame football game at Spartan Stadium. This happened to be the game of the famous Little Giant play, named for the 1994 movie based around youth football. Harns watched his son, who was only eight years old at the time, as the Spartans worked their magic on the field and said that he felt the impact that seeing it made for his son.