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.
Friday’s bus ride home from Big Rapids wasn’t fun for the No. 12 MSU hockey team. The Spartans had just played one of their worst games of the season, losing 4-1 to No. 14 Ferris State. MSU looked completely out of sync, and after the game, head coach Rick Comley called out his team’s work ethic.
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.
In the final home match of his career, Franklin Gomez wasted no time in securing an advantage and pinning Indiana’s Matt Ortega for a six-point fall.
Needing a victory to once again pull even with Ferris State in the CCHA standings, junior forward Dustin Gazley scored the game-winning goal in the middle of the third period to push MSU past the Bulldogs, 3-2. Saturday’s crucial victory made up for the Spartans’ sluggish 4-1 loss Friday to Ferris State. The Spartans close the regular season with a home-and-home series next week against CCHA bottom dweller Bowling Green.
Following a nail-biting loss against No. 20 Illinois last weekend, the No. 22 MSU gymnastics team returned home Saturday and earned a 194.175-192.400 victory against New Hampshire at Jenison Field House.
MSU’s bye-weekend caused the No. 12 Spartans to come out of the gates flat and out of sync, eventually leading to a 4-1 loss to No. 14 Ferris State at Ewigleben Ice Arena.
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.
After years of juggling hockey and baseball, Jeff Petry was worn out and finally decided one sport had to go. Baseball was it, and he didn’t know how to tell his dad. Imagine breaking that news to the 13-year Major League Baseball veteran, who helped pitch the Detroit Tigers to the 1984 World Series title and wanted to lend his expertise to the team Jeff was about to quit.
The last time the MSU hockey team earned a clean conference sweep was on Dec. 12, 2009, against Bowling Green. Since then, the No. 12 Spartans (17-10-5 overall, 12-7-5 CCHA) haven’t been able to put together a complete weekend.
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.
It’s been almost nine months since the MSU baseball team last took the field, but the Spartans still are trying to keep their momentum rolling.
MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant was not happy with her team’s post defense in Sunday’s 68-55 win against Northwestern.
It should come as no surprise that the MSU softball team was excited to finally kick off its season last weekend at the Lead-Off Classic in DeLand, Fla.
Coming off a season-best performance against No. 20 Illinois on Sunday, the No. 22 MSU gymnastics team is hoping for an encore showing Saturday against New Hampshire.
It still is uncertain how many wins would lock up a top-four finish in the CCHA for the No. 12 MSU hockey team, a valuable position that guarantees a first-round bye and home-ice advantage in the second round of the CCHA Tournament.
Sunday’s match against No. 13 Indiana will be the final home wrestling matches for four MSU seniors, and it will be hard for the Spartans to assess everything the class has added to the team through the years.