Led by junior forward Kalisha Keane, the MSU women’s basketball team notched its 20th win of the season with a 79-64 victory over Purdue on Thursday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The Spartans now can clinch the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with a win Sunday on Senior Day or a Wisconsin loss.
Once again, a top-five Big Ten team has lost perhaps its best player leading up to a matchup with the top spot in the conference on the line. This time, it’s not MSU junior guard Kalin Lucas. It’s Purdue forward Robbie Hummel, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in the first half against Minnesota on Wednesday night and will miss the remainder of the season.
Two years ago, I watched from my seat on Mackey Arena’s press row one February evening as a green blur jetted the length of the floor, lofted an orange orb at one end, bouncing it off the glass and through the net in a repetitive fashion.
The No. 3 Boilermakers (24-3 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) came to East Lansing on Feb. 9 to hand the Spartans (21-7, 11-4) their first home loss of the season, part of three consecutive MSU losses that dropped it from standing alone in first place in the Big Ten. Now the Spartans will head to West Lafayette, Ind., for a game that could be decisive for both teams.
Every time sophomore forward Delvon Roe goes up for a rebound, those who know him must hold their collective breath.
Emotions and memories will flood the minds of those four — Lauren Aitch, Allyssa DeHaan, Aisha Jefferson and Mandy Piechowski — when they step on the Breslin Center court for the last time Sunday against Minnesota.
The MSU women’s basketball team’s season was on the brink of collapse courtesy of a three-game losing streak in mid-January. The Spartans were at a crossroads — 11-7 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten. Everybody knew something needed to be done.
The MSU women’s basketball team is hitting its stride and looks primed to make a run in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
No more than a few hours after Kalin Lucas quickly and quietly ducked out of the MSU men’s basketball team’s locker room before talking to media Sunday, he called his head coach.
If ever there was a time for Tom Izzo’s patented big-picture outlook, it’s now. In a season of promise and high expectations recently maligned with disappointment, the MSU men’s basketball team was, for the second time in a row, sitting in its home locker room both mystified and disheartened Sunday.
Columbus, Ohio — After seeing its 13-point lead turn into a three-point deficit, the MSU women’s basketball team was on the verge of a crushing defeat to No. 7 Ohio State. In front of a raucous crowd of 11,827 at Value City Arena, the Spartans turned to junior guard Brittney Thomas.
Columbus, Ohio — This time last year, junior guard Brittney Thomas was on the sidelines after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament.While she was injured, Mia Johnson stepped in and assumed the point guard duties, bringing an aggressive mentality to the position.
Throughout the season, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has talked about the distractions facing his team and how the players had yet to put them behind. Twenty-eight games into the season, Izzo still is talking about distractions.
Trailing No. 9 Ohio State by as many as 14 points in the second half, the No. 11 MSU men’s basketball team scratched back to take a lead with 4 minutes remaining before falling behind once again, ultimately losing, 74-67, Sunday at Breslin Center. The loss was the Spartans’ second straight at home and the fourth in conference, possibly ending their Big Ten title aspirations.
Although not a crucial Big Ten game because of MSU’s early conference struggles and Ohio State’s dominance, Sunday’s 3 p.m. game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio isn’t completely devoid of meaning.
For all 40 minutes of Thursday’s 64-43 win against Illinois, the Spartans hustled to every loose ball, took smart shots, played lockdown defense, battled for every rebound and, most importantly, closed out the game, blowing out the Fighting Illini at Breslin Center. The Spartans improved to 9-6 in the Big Ten with the victory.
One week after tying record and watching St. Mary’s forward Louella Tomlinson break it within hours, MSU senior center Allyssa DeHaan gets record-breaking swat with 45 seconds left in MSU’s 64-43 win over Illinois on Thursday.
Nearly two weeks ago, Breslin Center played host to arguably the most pivotal game of the MSU men’s basketball team’s season.
Ohio State’s loss to Purdue on Wednesday night didn’t change anything for the MSU men’s basketball team. The only thing it determined was who would be tied with the No. 11 Spartans in the Big Ten standings heading into this weekend. MSU (21-6 overall, 11-3 Big Ten) technically is in first place, but the Spartans and Purdue are tied in the loss column.
Coming into the season, the MSU women’s basketball team’s depth was said to be one of its biggest strengths. With only a handful of games left in the regular season, its depth has been as good as advertised. The Spartans’ depth — and more so the team’s bench play — has been a big key to its success.