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Sports | Basketball

BASKETBALL

Defense key to shutting down Hagen, Grier

Defense will be the name of the game Wednesday for the No. 11 MSU men's basketball team as the Spartans look to shut down Minnesota's dynamic duo of center Jeff Hagen and guard Vincent Grier. Grier has been hurting teams with his penetration into the lane, which the Spartans were able to stop in the teams' Jan.

BASKETBALL

U-M unable to slow down MSU's game

Ann Arbor - A shorthanded Michigan basketball team felt the best way to beat No. 13 MSU was to slow down the pace, hold the ball and hope that the Spartans were thrown off their game. After all, the strategy worked against No.

BASKETBALL

Spartans hold off Hawkeyes from late rally, win 75-64

Iowa City, Iowa - MSU had been in this situation before, letting a lead slip away in the second half on the road. But this time, senior guard Tim Bograkos stepped to the free-throw line with a three-point lead over Iowa with more than a minute left. With 15,500 Iowa fans screaming and Iowa on a 13-4 scoring run to control the momentum, Bograkos didn't worry about the pressure.

BASKETBALL

Falling short

An unruly Izzone student section and several late runs by MSU weren't enough to stop No. 1 Illinois and its talented trio of guards. Fighting Illini guards Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown combined for 54 points, each finding ways to dash any hopes of an MSU comeback.

BASKETBALL

Final tuneup

In a warm-up match before Tuesday's tilt with No. 1 Illinois, the No. 15 MSU men's basketball team cruised to a 92-75 win over Oakland on Saturday night at Breslin Center. It was the calm before the storm. "On a one-day prep, we tried to pick a couple things we wanted to accomplish," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.

BASKETBALL

2nd-half surge

Down 7-0 within the first few minutes of the game, the No. 15 MSU men's basketball team quickly fought back and never let Michigan regain the lead in a sloppy 64-53 win Thursday night at a packed and boisterous Breslin Center. The Spartans committed 17 turnovers in the game, a figure that had head coach Tom Izzo scratching his head. "We're getting down to crunch time here," Izzo said.

BASKETBALL

Spartans seniors see 4th win against U-M

Senior guard Chris Hill held his hands high in the air a little past midcourt - the same spot he threw a lob pass that sailed over several Michigan defenders and into junior guard Maurice Ager's hands for a high flying dunk with more than six minutes left. It was another moment on the highlight reel for MSU's senior class, winning 64-53 against the Wolverines.

BASKETBALL

Team to utilize Ibok's wingspan

Redshirt freshman center Idong Ibok will get his chance to contribute this week. MSU head coach Tom Izzo is calling on the 6-foot-10 Lagos, Nigeria native to use his 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-3 reach to challenge every shot in practice. "We're giving him a chance to swat everything he can swat this week," Izzo said of Ibok, who hurt his hand before the season and has redshirted, but still practices with the team.

BASKETBALL

Sigh of relief

For the first 19:56 of the game, MSU junior guard Maurice Ager looked to be repeating his performance from Sunday's game in which he finished 1-of-8.