The MSU women’s basketball team (4-0) took care of business once again as they downed Albany 67-35 on Wednesday night. Four Spartans were in double figures, but junior guard Klarissa Bell led the way for them by scoring 19 points and dishing out five assists.
The biggest scare the MSU men’s basketball team (3-1) received Tuesday wasn’t from a closer-than-expected game against Boise State (3-1), but from “a shoulder injury to star freshman guard Gary Harris in the game’s opening minute.
Harris’ shoulder was popped out when he was hit hard on a moving screen that MSU head coach Tom Izzo said was illegal and will result in an MRI Wednesday morning. “Harris is not good,” Izzo said. Don’t know what it is yet. He’ll have an MRI (today), but he’ll be out for a while.
With 24 seconds left in Tuesday night’s game against Boise State and clinging to a two-point lead, MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo called timeout. During the break, Izzo turned to Keith Appling, who had spent the previous 39 minutes and 26 seconds running up and down the Breslin Center floor.
The No. 15 MSU men’s basketball team (3-1 overall) barely escaped with a win over Boise State (3-1), 74-70 at Breslin Center Tuesday night.
Suzy Merchant might want to think about a second career in the medical field. On Saturday morning, before the MSU football team took on Northwestern at Spartan Stadium, the MSU women’s basketball head coach got a call that junior forward Annalise Pickrel stepped on a nail in her apartment and needed a tetanus shot — the latest in a series of injuries to strike her roster this season.
It was supposed to be a surprise. But when he was confronted with the question, Denzel Valentine found he couldn’t lie to his father.
Dribbling the ball on the fast break, Gary Harris had one man in front of him and hadn’t decided what he was going to do. He could use his speed to blow by the defender to the rim. He could pull up and drain a 15-foot jump shot. But instead he just decided to soar.
A player has to be able to guard the person in front of her. That is what women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant said after the MSU women’s basketball team defeated Virginia Tech 57-29 on Sunday, allowing the fewest amount of points in a regular-season game since it gave up only 27 against Michigan in 2009.
There was plenty of drama for Derrick Nix in Sunday’s victory over Texas Southern. Unfortunately, most of the drama played out with Nix on the bench, as opposed to anything done on the floor or measured in a stat sheet.
It was the first time Gary Harris walked on the floor before a regular-season crowd at Breslin Center. And even in less playing time than he’s becoming accustomed to, the freshman guard made an impact that won’t soon be forgotten.
There are times Denzel Valentine makes his head coach’s blood boil. The flashy freshman guard loves to make the highlight play in the open floor, but in transitioning to college, Valentine still is learning to adjust to the increased speed of the game, figuring out what plays are truly there to be made.
Stepping into a role vacated because of the injury to sophomore center Madison Williams, Jasmine Hines understands the size of the shoes she has to fill. On Sunday, she proved that she’s more than capable of anchoring the center spot in Williams’ absence. Led by the 12 points from Hines, the MSU women’s basketball team (3-0) cruised to a 57-29 victory over Virginia Tech (1-2) on Sunday at Breslin Center.
Many times, the team that dominates under the basket wins the game, and for the MSU women’s basketball team, that definitely was the case Sunday evening against Virginia Tech. Although the Spartans outrebounded the Hokies, 34-33, MSU grabbed nine offensive rebounds that led to extra points, which helped them roll over VT, 57-29. More than half of the Spartans’ 57 points came from inside the paint as well.
The MSU women’s basketball team (4-0) cruised to a 57-29 victory over Virginia Tech (1-2) on Sunday evening at Breslin Center.
The lead and excitement for Texas Southern fans was short lived. The No. 21 MSU men’s basketball team (2-1) responded with a 17-4 run to gain a double-digit lead and never looked back, rolling Texas Southern (1-3) 69-41 in the Spartans’ home opener.
As the first half against No. 7 Kansas came to a close, junior guard Keith Appling only had three points to his name. One half and 16 points later, Keith Appling was walking into the locker room as the leading scorer of the game. More importantly for Appling, however, was that the scoreboard read “MSU: 67, Kansas: 64.”
As Suzy Merchant walked off the Convocation Center’s basketball court, the difference from the last time she coached a game on that floor was staring up at her.
Led by a career high 20 points from junior guard Klarissa Bell, the MSU women’s basketball team (2-0) defeated Eastern Michigan (1-1), 60-49 on Thursday night.
There’s a lot to like about Gary Harris. A former McDonald’s All-American, the freshman guard was highly touted before he even stepped foot on campus. He’s a highlight reel in the making, possessing the combination of size and speed to be successful in the Big Ten and beyond. On top of that, he has the charisma of a much older athlete, while still carrying the natural whimsy of a first-year college player.