SOFTBALL
Softball starts strong in Big Ten
The MSU softball team kicked off the Big Ten season by taking three of four contests from Illinois and No.
SPORTS
Sports briefs
Sluggers drop 4 conference games The MSU baseball team is off to a slow conference start after falling in four straight games this weekend. Sunday, the Spartans (5-17 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) dropped the first contest of a doubleheader 5-1 at Minnesota.
SPORTS
Corralled
San Antonio - Texas guard T.J. Ford sat at the post-game press conference on Sunday evening with an oversized Final Four cap slung backward on his head to match the oversized grin plastered on his face. He'd earned it. Ford, who scored 19 points and dealt out 10 assists in the Longhorns' 85-76 win over No.
SPORTS
Lorbek, Davis shine in season-ending defeat
San Antonio - There were two reasons MSU stayed neck and neck with Texas for most of the South Regional final - their names are Paul Davis and Erazem Lorbek. The Spartans' two freshmen kept the No.
SPORTS
Beginning of new season brings back great memories
My Old-English "D," dark-blue baseball cap drooped over my eyes and forehead - mainly because I was only knee-high to a grasshopper - as I walked from the parking lot toward the monstrosity that was Tiger Stadium. My parents gave the ushers my ticket and I waddled up the sterile, gray ramps past the yummy smells coming from the pizza stands.
BASKETBALL
Spartans rely on defense to win in Sweet 16
San Antonio - Defense. It's what the recent MSU legacy has been based on and it's what propelled the Spartans into the Elite 8 with a 60-58 slugfest victory over Maryland Friday night.The Spartans' stone cold defense suffocated the sixth-seeded Terrapins all night.
BASKETBALL
MSU beats Maryland, bound for Elite 8
San Antonio - MSU's team effort to make a mark on the 2003 NCAA Tournament is going on to live another day.
BASKETBALL
Program has a chance to join nation's elite
In the second half of No. 7 seed MSU's 68-46 win over No. 2 seed Florida, sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson dropped a pretty dime to freshman forward Erazem Lorbek for an easy deuce. As associate head coach Brian Gregory strolled by head coach Tom Izzo to call plays he asked, "Where did that come from?" Gregory was referring to Anderson's true point guard-type pass, however, he could have been talking about the entire team's performance.
BASKETBALL
Chain reaction
MSU's recent success is no secret. It's chemistry. The Spartans seem visibly more comfortable now than they did all season.
BASKETBALL
Defending champs on deck for Spartans
For a young team looking to make a name for itself, a senior-led, experience-laden opponent is the last team it'd want to face.
SPORTS
Gymnast already a star in freshman campaign
Full of youth and exuberance, freshman gymnast Sarah Alexander came to MSU wanting to compete as hard as she could.
BASKETBALL
Brown scores 23 points in high school all-star game
While most people were likely observing high school basketball phenom LeBron James at the McDonald's All American High School Basketball Game on Wednesday in Cleveland, some others were staring fixedly at two MSU recruits. Guards Brandon Cotton and Shannon Brown showed off their skills at the contest. Troy Jackson, Brown's coach at Proviso East High in Illinois, said Brown was impressive. "Shannon played real well, like I expected him to," Jackson said.
SPORTS
Spartans have wealth of returning talent
Despite losing the team's leading scorer to graduation, the MSU women's basketball team has a bright future. Sunday's 50-47 loss to Texas Christian in the first round of the Women's NCAA Tournament brought the season to an abrupt end.
SPORTS
Sports briefs
Spartans to speak to children on campus About 1,000 Lansing-area elementary students will be on hand for the National Student-Athlete Day Rally today at Jenison Field House. The event recognizes the work of elementary students in the Young Spartan Program.
ICE HOCKEY
Comley expands 'U' offense, expects big season from recruits
For the last several years, the MSU hockey program has been characterized by miserly defense and sturdy goaltending. The Spartans routinely won games by modest scores of 2-0 and 3-1.
SOCCER
Soccer reloads
The men's soccer team replenished its roster by signing six recruits, head coach Joe Baum announced Wednesday.Baum inked two goalkeepers, a midfielder, a defender and two athletes who can play midfield or defense next year.
BASKETBALL
Anderson ignites Spartan offense
A month ago, the Spartans were 14-11 and the NCAA Tournament was seemingly wishful thinking.Since, the Spartans (21-12) have won seven out of eight games propelling them into the Sweet 16.
FOOTBALL
Dortch to battle for top running back spot
Tyrell Dortch has endured much pain and suffering, but the struggles have also simultaneously rekindled his love for football. "I appreciate everything about football now," the junior running back said.
ICE HOCKEY
Comley says Renfrew will fill need for full-time goalie coach
Troy Ferguson's mind-set is shifting from body checks to books. Ferguson played his final hockey game for MSU in a 7-5 loss to Northern Michigan on Thursday.
BASKETBALL
Lorbek leading balanced attack
Freshman forward Erazem Lorbek can now make three additions to his résumé - Buffalo tamer, Gator slayer and blissfully aloof hero of MSU's first two NCAA Tournament games. The soft-spoken Ljubljana, Slovenia, native has quietly helped MSU past No.