Men's basketball outlasts Illinois 60-53
The Spartans nearly let another sure win slip away, but an uncharacteristically strong night at the line helped MSU steal a road win from one of the best home teams in the Big Ten. MSU (19-8 overall, 10-4 Big Ten) drained 17 of 20 free throw attempts to defeat Illinois, 60-53.
Women's basketball caps emotional senior day with upset over No. 19 Rutgers
Tears were shed and standing ovations were received before the opening possession occurred on Sunday. Battling with ACL tears on both of her knees, redshirt senior Madison Williams has spent the entirety of this season sitting on the bench, cheering for her teammates day in and day out. But on the final home game of the year for the Spartans, Williams would get the nod from head coach Suzy Merchant to be slotted into the starting lineup. Along with Williams, Kendra Lumpkin, seniors Kendra Lumpkin, Kelsey Kuipers, Anna Morrissey and Becca Mills were honored after the weekend matinee.
Halftime: Men's basketball leads Illinois 26-22
At halftime, MSU leads Illinois, 26-22. Senior forward Branden Dawson started the game off strong, muscling his way to the rim and finishing the lay-in despite a foul.
Women's basketball upsets Rutgers 70-60
Tears were shed and standing ovations were received before the opening possession occurred on Sunday. Battling with an ACL on both of her knees, redshirt senior Madison Williams has spent the entirely of this season sitting on the bench, cheering for her teammates day in and day out. But on the final home game of the year for the Spartans, Williams would get the nod from head coach Suzy Merchant to be slotted into the starting lineup. Having her name called by the public address announcer brought the crowd to their feet in support of Williams, one of five seniors honored at the Breslin Center on Senior Day. Despite losing the opening tip off and being immediately taken out by freshman Lexi Gussert, it was the one shining moment that Williams deserved after not seeing the court all season. Still searching for that first quality win since their Dec.
Halftime: Women's basketball leads Rutgers 27-20
The Spartans supporters rose to their feet on two separate occasions before a single point was even scored. Both times for a player who made her first appearance on the court this season. Madison Williams, the senior who has been battling an ACL tear on both of her knees, got the start at center on Senior Day.
Ice hockey rebounds with 3-0 win over Wisconsin
MSU hockey (13-13-2, 7-5-2-2 Big Ten) rebounded from a 2-1 loss on Friday with a 3-0 shutout over Wisconsin (4-20-4, 2-10-2 Big Ten). Junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand finished with 31 saves and junior forward Ryan Keller notched two goals in the victory. Sophomore forward Thomas Ebbing added his third goal of the season, and junior captain Michael Ferrantino collected two assists.
Tickets go on sale for Big Ten women's basketball tournament
A complete turnaround for the Spartans since the end of last year has finally taken shape with three games remaining of the regular-season. And it's not for the better. Unlike the 2014 program who fought their way to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling short to North Carolina, MSU's long and treacherous journey in hopes of receiving a bid at The Big Dance starts at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill, the site of the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. If the season ended today, Suzy Merchant's squad would face last place Penn State in the first round as an 11th seed.
MSU ice hockey falls to Wisconsin 2-1
MSU hockey (12-13-2, 6-5-2-2 Big Ten) dropped a disappointing contest to a struggling Wisconsin (4-19-4, 2-9-2 Big Ten). The Badgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two second period goals, and only sophomore forward Joe Cox could score in the third period on way to a 2-1 loss. Junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand finished with 16 saves on the night, while UW’s Joel Rumpel notched 33 saves in the Badgers victory.
Men's soccer looks to build upon past progress in 2015
The 2015 season will be a key year for MSU as a program, the team is losing several key pieces but the Spartans still have enough talent coming in and returning to be good again.
Men's basketball ready for rematch with Illinois
Three weeks ago, the men's basketball team hit rock bottom, suffering perhaps its worst loss of Big Ten season against Illinois at Breslin Center.
Men's tennis drops match to Memphis
The No. 60 men's tennis team the No. 22 Memphis Tigers Thursday evening on the Spartans home court. The match started with a very competitive set of doubles matches.
Women's golf begins season in California
Women’s golf shot a 304 in their first round of the season, at the Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Ice hockey takes on Wisconsin this weekend in Madison
It’s been an unpredictable year so far for Big Ten hockey with many over performing teams and players.
Women's basketball ready to welcome No. 19 Rutgers to Breslin Center
To put the Rutgers' season into perspective, read the plot line of the Friday the 13th movie. Rutgers, otherwise known as Jason Voorhees, the hockey mask wearing serial killer who stalks and torments camp counselors, is the metaphor to how well the first-year Big Ten conference participant have performed since joining the conference. Just like Voorhees, the body count is towering this year for the Scarlet Knights, winners of eight of the last 10 games.
Following weekend tournament, MSU softball fourth in the Big Ten
Softball went 3-2 in the Florida Atlantic Tournament over the weekend, bumping their overall to 7-3.
Gymnastics looking to improve on beams
If the gymnastics team wants to build on the momentum of last weekend’s victory over Pittsburgh, they will have to improve in one key event. Beams. The Spartans (6-4 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) defeated Pittsburgh 195.150-194.275 on Sunday but for the third consecutive meet, MSU was outscored on beams. “Beam was again really rough,” head coach Kathie Klages said and even went as far as to call the event MSU’s “nemesis.” In the ten team Big Ten conference, the Spartans are ranked 8th in balance beam event, which is tied for vault as their worst event. “We changed the lineup on beam to try and see if we could get someone to stay on the beam and we definitely had our issues,” Klages said. Senior Alina Cartwright, who was voted a 2015 Big Ten gymnast to watch before the season, has returned to the lineup and could be the answer the MSU is looking for, but she has only competed in the bars event so far. “We’re really excited to have Alina back,” Klages said.
Gavin Schilling resurfacing
MSU needs its top three players to perform well on a nightly basis, but don’t be too quick to overlook sophomore forward Gavin Schilling’s importance. Schilling’s numbers can stem from the play of his guards and the other players feeding him the ball, but when he does get going offensively, he’s proven his value to MSU.
Branden Dawson and Travis Trice triumph over Michigan in Ann Arbor for first time in careers
The senior duo of Travis Trice and Branden Dawson combined for 55 points against Michigan on Tuesday night.
Top offensive line for MSU hockey needs more production
The basic principle of sports is to score more points than the opponent.