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Sports

BASKETBALL

Anagonye's sudden leadership helps team to blow-out victory

Chris Mackinder
January 23, 2003

With his team stuck in a whirlwind of losses and inconsistency, Aloysius Anagonye decided it was time to assert himself as a leader.The senior forward paced the Spartans, as MSU (10-7 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) massacred Penn State 70-36 Wednesday night.After recording his first double-double this season on Saturday with a 12-point, 11-rebound performance against Minnesota, Anagonye dropped in 11 points while adding five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in 24 minutes of work.

BASKETBALL

Spartans in need of a victory

Patrick Walters
January 22, 2003

Following three straight road losses, the MSU men's basketball team is limping back to Breslin Center with a do-or-die attitude for tonight's contest against Penn State at 6 p.m. The Spartans (9-7 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) are losers of five of their last six games and on the brink of starting the Big Ten season 1-4. Don't think it hasn't gotten to head coach Tom Izzo. Izzo again cited MSU's costly turnovers, spotty free-throw shooting and inconsistent field-goal percentage as thorns in the Spartans' side Monday.

SPORTS

Florida recruit sticks with Smith

Kristofer Karol
January 22, 2003

MSU added some beef to its recruiting class Saturday, when offensive lineman Joe Toth from Florida's Port Charlotte High verbally committed to the Spartans during his visit to campus.Port Charlotte head football coach Ray Hixson confirmed Toth's commitment and said the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder chose MSU from a list that included Eastern Kentucky, Central Florida, Florida, Florida Atlantic and the U.

ICE HOCKEY

Slater becomes violent when 'ticked' off

James Jahnke
January 22, 2003

MSU's most important players were dropping like flies against Nebraska-Omaha this weekend. But fortunately for MSU head coach Rick Comley and the vitality of Spartan hockey, no one was hurt too seriously. In Friday's first period, freshman left wing David Booth, senior defenseman John-Michael Liles and freshman defenseman Corey Potter all had to be helped into the locker room after incurring various injuries within a 73-second span.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans make it five in a row

James Jahnke
January 21, 2003

There's no "I" in "team," but superb performances by individual players were the driving forces behind MSU's commanding sweep of Nebraska-Omaha this weekend at Munn Ice Arena.Senior left wing Brian Maloney, who had two goals in 21 games before the series, scored three goals and added an assist this weekend.

SPORTS

Sports briefs

Benita Mehta
January 21, 2003

Spartans slide past Butler, spank RaidersThe MSU men's tennis team opened the season with a sweep in a home doubleheader. After falling behind to Butler in the first match, the Spartans (2-0) were able to sneak out a 4-3 victory over the Bulldogs. Against Wright State, MSU didn't drop a single set, routing the Raiders 7-0.

SPORTS

Winning on road still a problem for young squad

Dawn Klemish
January 21, 2003

University Park, Pa. - The Spartans' youthful roster has overcome many obstacles this season, yet the MSU women's basketball team is still in search of success on the road, which has eluded it from the beginning of the season.The Spartans (9-7 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) have gone 6-2 defending their home court, but dropped five of eight when playing away from the friendly confines of Breslin Center.Junior forward Julie Pagel said failure on the road is not from lack of talent, but the inability to hold down the fort under pressure."We know that we have to play all 40 minutes of defense to win games," she said.

BASKETBALL

Lorbek adjusts to college basketball

Patrick Walters
January 21, 2003

On the court, in the classroom and in the locker room, MSU freshman forward Erazem Lorbek is making the adjustment from life and basketball in Europe to the spotlight of the Big Ten. The gangly 6-foot-10 native of Ljubljana, Slovenia, has worked himself into head coach Tom Izzo's rotation since coming to America in August, combining the finesse game he honed playing for Slovenian junior national teams with crashing Big Ten style. While Lorbek is soft-spoken because of the language barrier - sometimes he swears in what looks and sounds like equal parts of English and Slovenian after making the occasional mistake - he said that his adjustment to MSU basketball has been trial by fire. "It's a higher level," Lorbek said of the conference.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers complete sweep of Nebraska-Omaha

James Jahnke
January 19, 2003

The MSU hockey team was firing on all pistons Saturday night - and Nebraska-Omaha was left looking like it was hit by a Mack truck.The Spartans finished off their second straight series sweep by demolishing the visiting Mavericks 7-0 in front of 6,652 fans at Munn Ice Arena.The Spartans won the series-opener 5-2 on Friday.

SPORTS

The Vet is a beast but won't get Eagles a ring

In 1971, a monster was born in the heart of Philadelphia.And this weekend will be the last time for anyone to see the monster in action.All you have to do is tune your TV to the NFC Championship game at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 3:00 p.m.

BASKETBALL

New Year's resolution: start winning

Chris Mackinder
January 17, 2003

So far 2003 has been an awful year for the MSU men's basketball team. But luckily for the Spartans (9-6 overall, 1-2 Big Ten), it is only 17 days into the new year and there is plenty of time to turn things around. Since the beginning of the year, MSU is 1-3.

ICE HOCKEY

Surging Spartans

James Jahnke
January 17, 2003

With three straight wins under its belt, the MSU hockey team seems to be heating up after a stormy first half of the season. And senior left wing Brian Maloney hopes his scoring touch is next in line to be rekindled. Maloney has been one of the Spartans' biggest disappointments in a disappointing season.

BASKETBALL

Spartans need to prove themselves on road

Chris Mackinder
January 16, 2003

West Lafayette, Ind. - Plain and simple, the Spartans eagerly anticipate a return to Breslin Center for a basketball game. But MSU (9-6 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) still has a road contest with Minnesota on Saturday before that happens Wednesday against Penn State (5-8, 0-2). And if this year is any clue, the Spartans could be near the cellar of the conference if they lose to the Golden Gophers. With its loss to Purdue on Tuesday night, the MSU men's basketball team not only lost its fourth game in five contests, but it fell to 2-5 this year when playing on the road or at a neutral site. "The times we've played on the road, things haven't gone our way," senior forward Aloysius Anagonye said.