The MSU's women's basketball team's offense stalled toward the end of Saturday's match, resulting in a 59-56 loss to tournament-host Memphis in the championship game of the Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic. The Spartans broke the game open four minutes into the contest by going on a 19-3 run to take a 25-11 lead.
Maybe Alaska was the wrong place to heat up the MSU men's basketball season. The No. 9 Spartans (2-2) sparked the Great Alaska Shootout tournament with a 80-60 Thanksgiving Day defeat of Montana, but fell in subsequent games to unranked opponents Villanova, 81-73, and Oklahoma State, 64-61. Following Saturday's early exit from Anchorage, Ala., at the hands of the Cowboys, basketball head coach Tom Izzo labeled the weekend as an exercise in poor play from MSU guards and lagging defense. "We don't have very good guard play right now," Izzo said, "and we're not very good defensively.
The Spartans hold their destiny in the palm of their hands. After picking up two emphatic victories last weekend, the MSU volleyball team has two games left on its schedule.
The MSU hockey team has some things to be thankful for this weekend - a healthy roster, a slew of home games next semester and the fact that the NCAA Tournament will expand to 16 teams this year. But the Spartans are not at all pleased at this point in late November.
The MSU men's basketball team will be heading into some unusual territory Thursday. The No.
Despite the fact that MSU won't be playing in a bowl game, senior quarterback Cedric Henry will strap on his Spartan helmet one more time."Cedric Henry has accepted an invitation to play," East-West Shrine Game spokesman William Homer said.
After a 20th place finish in the NCAA Championships on Monday in Terre Haute, Ind., junior Michelle Carson earned All-American status.All-American status is granted to the top 30 American finishers and the top 30 finishers overall.Carson was named Women's Big Ten Cross-Country Athlete of the Year earlier this season and was also named Big Ten Athlete of the Week twice this season.She led MSU to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championship, losing to Michigan 73-70, marking the closest margin of victory in the history of the women's Big Ten Championships.Two other cross-country athletes - juniors Jamie Krzyminski and Andrew Marsh - barely missed getting All-American status.
The MSU men's basketball team is undefeated in its regular season and still ranked No. 9 in the country. But what MSU's 1-0 record doesn't show is its win over UNC Asheville was by only 14 points - not quite the blowout victory expected. Friday's performance followed two sketchy exhibition games.
After its best season in club history, the MSU field hockey team had two players named Division I all-Americans.
The MSU men's and women's cross country teams closed their seasons at the NCAA Championships on Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. The women's team placed 12th, falling one spot from last year.
After a two-game stint in the NHL, former MSU goaltender Ryan Miller was sent back to the minor-league Rochester Americans on Sunday. Miller went 1-0-0-1 in his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres, but he allowed eight total goals to the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Bowling Green, Ohio - The MSU hockey team traveled south Friday, hoping to get an easy win over a conference doormat before starting a tough stretch of games next weekend.Instead, the Spartans' surprisingly difficult season took another downturn.At MSU's expense, the lowly Bowling Green Falcons notched their first league win - by an overtime score of 3-2 at the BGSU Ice Arena.The Spartans (5-6-0 overall, 3-4-0 CCHA) grabbed a 2-1 lead with less than four minutes to go, but once again, they couldn't hold a late-game advantage.Falcon right wing Tyler Knight scored with 1:54 left in regulation and then center D'Arcy McConvey tallied a controversial goal with 1:50 left in overtime to seal the upset for Bowling Green (3-8-1, 1-7-1).MSU had blown similar late leads to Lake Superior State and Niagara earlier this season, but the Spartans came back to win both of those games.
A hot Miami (Ohio) squad drained 13 three-point shots en route to an 86-84 win over the MSU women's basketball team in Sunday's championship game of the Spartan Chevrolet Classic. After a short-lived 6-3 lead, MSU found itself trailing for the remainder of the game.
Bowling Green, Ohio - The MSU hockey team traveled south Friday, hoping to get an easy win over a conference doormat before starting a tough stretch of games next weekend.Instead, the Spartans' surprisingly difficult season took another downturn.At MSU's expense, the lowly Bowling Green Falcons notched their first league win - by an overtime score of 3-2 at the BGSU Ice Arena.The Spartans (5-6-0 overall, 3-4-0 CCHA) grabbed a 2-1 lead with less than four minutes to go, but once again, they couldn't hold a late-game advantage.Falcon right wing Tyler Knight scored with 1:54 left in regulation and then center D'Arcy McConvey tallied a controversial goal with 1:50 left in overtime to seal the upset for Bowling Green (3-8-1, 1-7-1).MSU had blown similar late leads to Lake Superior State and Niagara earlier this season, but the Spartans came back to win both of those games.
Despite pulling out a 66-52 win over North Carolina Asheville on Friday night, the MSU men's basketball team still showed its need for a true point guard. The No.
State College, Pa. - Not only did Penn State's Larry Johnson single-handedly embarrass the Spartans on Saturday, he solidified his place among the NCAA's best all-time tailbacks. With 279 rushing yards on 19 carries (14.7 per carry), Johnson became just the ninth running back - and the first in Big Ten history - to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in a single season.
Had Kim Schram not been in MSU's lineup this weekend, the Spartans might have not picked up two victories.But the sophomore outside hitter was on the floor - and she delivered.
Tom Izzo has a problem. Tom Izzo has a good problem. Tom Izzo has a problem that would make most college hoops coaches salivate, dribbling up and down courtside. Izzo is taking auditions for leader of the 2002-03 MSU men's basketball team. And his players are standing in line to sign up, 6 and 7 feet tall. "I don't think our effort from our leaders is what it should be," Izzo says following the Spartans' first season win Friday as they beat North Carolina Asheville, 66-52. "We're still a leaderless
State College, Pa. - Not only did Penn State's Larry Johnson single-handedly embarrass the Spartans on Saturday, he solidified his place among the NCAA's best all-time tailbacks.With 279 rushing yards on 19 carries (14.7 per carry), Johnson became just the ninth running back - and the first in Big Ten history - to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in a single season.
It's a strange race for the Heisman Trophy this year. The nation's best athletes - Marshall's Byron Leftwich, Ohio State's Maurice Clarett and MSU's Charles Rogers - have been eliminated by injuries or a terrible surrounding cast.