honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, January 28, 2008

Spartans roll by Wolverines

Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Michigan State's Raymar Morgan collides with Michigan's Jevohn Shepherd, left. The Spartans won, 72-62, to improve to 18-2 overall.

AL GOLDIS | Associated Press

spacer spacer

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State matched a school record, getting plenty of help from an experienced star and a promising player just getting started.

Senior Drew Neitzel and freshman Kalin Lucas each scored 18 points to lead the 10th-ranked Spartans to a 77-62 win over Michigan yesterday.

The Spartans (18-2, 6-1 Big Ten) equaled the 20-game mark the 2000-01 team had en route to the program's third straight trip to the Final Four and fourth Big Ten title in a row.

"It's great, but that's not our goal," Neitzel said. "We want to hang a banner and win a couple of championships."

The Wolverines (5-15, 1-7) have their worst 20-game mark since they had the same record in 1981-82.

"It's tough for all of us, there's no denying that," first-year coach John Beilein said.

Michigan didn't have a double-digit scorer until there was 5:15 left and Manny Harris made two free throws and left the game with 11 points. Anthony Wright also scored 11, making a pair of 3-pointers that gave the Wolverines the lead midway through the first half during a brief competitive stretch of the game.

Harris and DeShawn Sims entered the game averaging 30 points together, but combined to shoot just 5 of 21. Sims made only one basket and scored just six points after scoring at least 10 in the previous 14 games.

Florida 86, No. 14 Vanderbilt 64: Walter Hodge scored a career-high 19 points and Nick Calathes added 15 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Gators (18-3, 5-1 SEC) beat the Commodores (17-3, 2-3) in Gainesville, Fla.

No. 23 Xavier 77, Massachusetts 65: Drew Lavender scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures as the Musketeers (17-4 overall, 5-1) knocked off the Minutemen (13-6, 2-3) in Amherst, Mass., to move atop the Atlantic 10.

No. 4 Duke 93, Maryland 84: DeMarcus Nelson scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, Gerald Henderson added 23, and the Blue Devils (17-1, 5-0 ACC) rallied to beat the Terrapins (12-8, 2-3) in College Park, Md.

TOP 25 WOMEN

No. 1 Connecticut 81, No. 16 Notre Dame 64: Tina Charles scored 22 points to lead the Huskies (19-0, 6-0 Big East) over the Irish (15-5, 3-3) in South Bend, Ind.

No. 11 Oklahoma 65, No. 17 Georgia 57: Courtney Paris set the Big 12 rebounding record en route to her 78th consecutive double-double as the Sooners (13-4) beat the Lady Bulldogs (16-4) in Norman, Okla. Paris had 18 points and 14 boards to surpass the previous Big 12 record of 1,316 set by Baylor's Sophia Young.

No. 22 Kansas State 68, No. 14 Oklahoma State 63: Marlies Gipson had a season-high 21 points and 16 rebounds to help the Wildcats (14-5, 6-0 Big 12) beat the Cowgirls (16-3, 4-2) in Stillwater, Okla.

No. 9 LSU 72, Kentucky 46: Sylvia Fowles had 20 points and 10 rebounds for her 72nd career double-double as the Tigers (16-3, 5-0 SEC) beat the Wildcats (10-10, 4-2) in Lexington, Ky.

No. 13 Old Dominion 76, Delaware 37: Jessica Canady had 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the Monarchs (16-3, 7-0 Colonial Athletic Association) over the Blue Hens (4-15, 3-4) in Newark, Del.

No. 19 Pittsburgh 76, Louisville 67: Taneisha Harrison scored 18 points to lead the Panthers (16-3, 6-0 Big East) over the Cardinals (13-7, 2-5) in Pittsburgh.

No. 25 Auburn 62, Alabama 48: DeWanna Bonner had 27 points as the Tigers (14-6, 2-3 SEC) beat the Crimson Tide (8-12, 1-4) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.