It’s been a little more than seven months since the No. 15 Spartan men’s basketball team was on the floor.For many of the Spartans, that’s been a long seven months.“We need a game,” sophomore guard Marcus Taylor said.
Weekends generally aren’t very relaxing for the fourth-ranked Spartans, who usually face a challenging two-game weekend series.But MSU (6-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 CCHA) eased to a 6-1 win over UMass-Amherst on Friday at Munn Ice Arena and kept things light for the rest of the weekend.The Spartans held a moderate practice Saturday after defeating their first nonconference foe of the season and then observed their traditional off-day Sunday.“I like it,” senior left wing Joe Goodenow said.
It really wasn’t very surprising, was it? MSU lost as only MSU knows how. One week after an all-important, emotional win over rival Michigan, the Spartans choked.
The MSU men’s soccer (12-5-1) team didn’t have enough over the weekend to knock off two top 25 opponents in the 2001 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Championship in Madison, Wis.
Indiana head football coach Cam Cameron was exhausted just watching his team rush for 489 yards - a season worst for MSU’s defense.“You know what, I’d rather sit down,” Cameron said at his postgame press conference, “I’m worn out, I’m worn out.”Cameron’s weariness came watching quarterback Antwaan Randle El as he tirelessly scrambled up and down the field for 149 yards and one touchdown rushing and set up two other major ground performances.Running back Levron Williams flew 251 yards for three touchdowns and fullback Jeremi Johnson tallied 96 yards and a score of his own.
Ann Arbor - As newcomers to the NCAA Tournament, the MSU field hockey team flirted with the Final Four, but host school Michigan spoiled the team’s hopes. The No.
Hazelwood East High (St. Louis) fullback David Richard planned on continuing his football career at Tennessee.But the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder axed those plans Friday when he decided to commit to MSU football head coach Bobby Williams and make East Lansing his new football home next season.“The reason for the change was because I didn’t know a lot about (Tennessee),” Richard said.
The Spartan volleyball team entered the weekend riding a four-game winning streak, and a 3-1 win Friday at Jenison Field House against Northwestern only added fuel to the flames. But the Spartans (16-7, 9-7 Big Ten) ran into a road-block Saturday as they fell 3-0 to the No.
There are players who lead on the ice - scoring goals, directing players, giving pep talks on the bench - and there are players who lead away from the rink - going to class, getting good grades and being an upstanding member of the community.For his teammates and coaches, MSU senior right wing and team captain Adam Hall fills both roles.Hall was an on-ice leader in MSU’s 6-1 win over UMass-Amherst on Friday at Munn Ice Arena - notching his first career hat trick and recording his 100th career point.But Hall, an assistant captain last season, is also a CCHA All-Academic honoree and is no stranger to team volunteer activities - such as speaking at local schools through the D.A.R.E.
The MSU women’s basketball team overmatched RTU Klondaika from Latvia in Sunday’s 88-51 victory. Four Spartans scored in double digits and junior guard Vnemina Reese notched a double-double to seal MSU’s second exhibition game. MSU head coach Joanne P.
The MSU field hockey team didn’t leave Evanston, Ill., with a championship at last weekend’s Big Ten Tournament, but the team wasn’t overlooked completely. Two Spartans received end-of-the-year honors. Head coach Michele Madison was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and senior forward Bridget Cooper was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Madison received Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 15-5 record, good enough to share the Big Ten regular season championship with Ohio State. No other MSU field hockey coach has ever won the title. “(Madison) truly deserves it, she’s led our team to where we are today,” senior goalkeeper Mara Mabley said.
Head coach Ron Mason and his fourth-ranked Spartans rarely look too far down the road. But for tonight’s nonconference matchup against UMass-Amherst at 7:05 at Munn Ice Arena, MSU admits it’s thinking ahead a little bit.
On the weekend of Sept. 21-22 the Spartan volleyball team suffered two losses on the road to No.
Last year, the MSU field hockey team lost to Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, ending the team’s season. This year, the team lost to Iowa in the second round, the Spartans’ first game of the tournament. But this time the game wasn’t a season-ender. The team received its first invitation to the NCAA Tournament, extending its season at least one more weekend.
Regardless of the outcome in MSU’s football game against Indiana on Saturday, one player with the last name Rasmussen won’t be happy.That’s because sophomore defensive tackle Kyle Rasmussen’s older brother Kemp is the Hoosiers’ starting defensive end.This game will be the only time the brothers will get a chance to stand on opposite sidelines.“This is the last time we’re going to get to play each other so it’s kind of for bragging rights - forever,” Kyle said.That’s why they’ve been looking forward to it for so long, Kemp told The Associated Press.“I’ve had this game circled on my calendar since last year,” Kemp said.
The matchup today between the MSU women’s soccer team and Michigan has more at stake than just state pride.The game comes in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in West Lafayette, Ind.With a record of 10-7-2, the Spartans have only a slight chance of receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament.But with a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament, the team could win an automatic bid or at least increase its chances of receiving an invitation, head coach Tom Saxton said.“The NCAA Tournament is still there for us,” he said.
MSU cross country coach Jim Stintzi was named the women’s Big Ten Cross Country Coach of the Year on Oct.
The eight seniors on MSU men’s soccer team may only have one game left.If they want to continue to play after today, they’ll have to earn the extra games - with wins.The Spartans will have to beat Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament today in Madison, Wis.The team shutout Ohio State in their only contest this season, winning 3-0 but is expecting better competition from the Buckeyes in the tournament.“There’s no doubt we have the talent to beat them, but they’re a very good team and to beat them twice in one year will be very difficult,” head coach Joe Baum said.If MSU bests Ohio State, the second round holds the winner of the Penn State vs.
Nothing can really compare to last weekend’s sporting events, especially MSU’s 26-24 upset over Michigan and ex-Detroit Tiger Luis Gonzalez’s game-winning hit in game seven of the World Series. But with plenty of college football left on the schedule and the Spartans rolling, there should still be plenty of excitement.
The last time Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El visited East Lansing, he lost consciousness and forgot who and where he was.