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Sports

SPORTS

Women's track finishes in 3rd place in meet

Yvette Lanier The State News The women's track team placed third at the Michigan Intercollegiate. Junior Taren James placed first in the triple jump, which was the fifth-best indoor distance in MSU history.

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.

SPORTS

Q&A Player of the week: Bryan Lerg

Freshman Bryan Lerg recorded his first career hat trick last week against Lake Superior. He tallied four points in the win and tie. The State News: What has been the big difference in your recent play from your play earlier in the season? Lerg: I think I'm getting used to the environment around here.

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.

BASEBALL

Student receives share of $15 million after internship with Boston Red Sox

Ben Dunn is thankful the Boston Red Sox shared. Dunn, who was an intern on the grounds crew at Boston's Fenway Park last summer, received a nice chunk of change after the team won the World Series championship last fall. Although Dunn, a 26-year-old sophomore in the two-year Sports and Commercial Turf Management program at MSU, wouldn't let on to how much money he received from the team, he did reveal that they "treated (me) well." In Major League Baseball, the teams that make the playoffs receive part of the money brought in from ticket receipts.

SPORTS

No. 8 Spartans sputter on the road

The No. 8 MSU women's basketball team continued its troubles on the road at Penn State on Sunday, losing to the Nittany Lions, 73-56. The Spartans (16-3 overall, 5-2 Big Ten) have now lost nine of their last 10 games against the Nittany Lions (12-6, 7-0), and this game got out of hand early in the second half. The loss also snapped the Spartans four-game winning streak and pushed them down a little farther in the Big Ten standings.

SPORTS

Unbeaten tennis team gets weekend sweep

Improving its record to 4-0, the men's tennis team swept its second doubleheader of the season, defeating Marquette (6-1) and Cleveland State (7-0). The Spartans won all but one of their singles matches on the day, with crucial wins from the doubles team of seniors Cameron Marshall and Andrew Formanczyk, as well as a strong singles performance by Marshall. Next week, the Spartans travel to Seattle, where they will face No.

FOOTBALL

Stanley named MVP in football all-star game

MSU linebacker Ronald Stanley played impressively in the Hula Bowl on Saturday for the East Team, scoring two defensive touchdowns and taking MVP honors. The East rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win, 20-13. The Hula Bowl is the senior college football all-star game. Stanley returned a fumble 38 yards for a score and an interception 50 yards to lead the East in the third quarter in the comeback. Stanley was joined at the bowl by three other teammates - senior running back DeAndra Cobb, senior tight end Jason Randall and senior place-kicker Dave Rayner.

SPORTS

Grapplers take down Buckeyes

The No. 20 MSU wrestling team won 14 of its 20 matches en route to two dominating victories this past weekend at Jenison Field House. Led by pins from sophomore Andy Simmons and redshirt freshman Joe Williams and a technical fall from junior Darren McKnight, MSU overpowered an injury-depleted Kent State on Friday, 36-7.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans settle for tie after 8 goals on Friday

At a time of year when the MSU hockey team is in dire need of a sweep, the Spartans were only able to take three of the available four points their home weekend series had to offer against Lake Superior State. In a season where goal scoring has been hard to come by for the Spartans, they were able to score a total of 10 goals in the series.