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Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 3, 2016—21
No. 1 Michigan State bounces back to beat Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Injured
Michigan State star Denzel
Valentine could only watch from
the bench as the top-ranked
Spartans staved off a challenge
from Minnesota.
Valentine still might have
made the most meaningful contribution of the afternoon in the
locker room afterward, giving
beloved coach Tom Izzo the
game ball in honor of his late
father.
Bryn Forbes scored 20 points,
making three 3-pointers in the
second half to help the Spartans
beat the Gophers 69-61 on
Saturday in response to a loss at
Iowa earlier in a week that
began with the death of 90-yearold Carl Izzo.
Matt Costello contributed 17
points and 15 rebounds, both
career highs, for the Spartans
(14-1, 1-1) four days after they
fell 78-63 to the Hawkeyes in
their Big Ten opener to make
their No. 1 billing short-lived.
“We’re still nowhere near the
team that we need to be or I
think we’ll be,” Izzo said.
They showed plenty of
resilience, though, against the
Gophers (6-8, 0-2) while
Valentine, recovering from
minor knee surgery, missed his
third straight game.
Freshman Deyonta Davis
added 10 points and four
rebounds to supplement the
superb low-post effort by
Costello and Gavin Schilling,
who was in the starting lineup
for the first time.
“They basically won the game
for us,” Forbes said.
Then Valentine initiated the
game-ball presentation to Izzo
that would have taken place at
Iowa had the Spartans won
there.
“It was tough to come up with
some words, but I just talked
from my heart,” the preseason
All-Big Ten pick said.
Nate Mason scored 16 points,
Jordan Murphy had 14 points
and nine rebounds and Kevin
Dorsey added 11 points for the
Gophers, who were within 63-60
with 2:14 left and Dorsey at the
foul line. He only made one of
two, though, and Davis made a
soft hook on the other end
before blocking Murphy’s shot.
“Their front line’s still unbelievable without Valentine. I can
only imagine what it’s like with
Valentine,”
Murphy
said,
adding: “That was some of the
best basketball we’ve played yet.
We grew up a lot during that
game.”
AP Photo
MiChiGAn sTATe’s Bryn Forbes, right, drives past Minnesota’s Nate Mason during the first half
Saturday in Minneapolis.
Given the fact the Gophers
have led by more than two
points at halftime just three
times in 15 games, plus the caliber and mindset of this opponent, this was by far their best
game of the season.
Looking a lot more organized
and inspired than the team that
lost at home last month to midmajor foes South Dakota, South
Dakota State and Milwaukee,
Minnesota confidently matched
Michigan State basket for basket for the majority of the game.
Dorsey swished a 3-pointer
from the corner off an inbounds
play with 0.7 seconds left to cut
Michigan State’s lead to 32-29
at halftime. There were pushes
in the second half, too, only to
be thwarted by a clutch 3-pointer by Forbes or a big basket by
Davis.
“We showed some fight, obviously, but a couple looks just
didn’t go our way,” Minnesota
coach Richard Pitino said.
The Spartans took a special
trip to North Texas between
games this week, watching former Michigan State star
Draymond Green play for the
Golden State Warriors against
the Dallas Mavericks before taking in the football team’s lopsided loss to Alabama in the
College Football Playoff semifinal game. They spent the down
time analyzing video and, of
course, practicing.
“It was a great team builder. I
think it was a memory maker for
them,” Izzo said.
Maybe the Spartans will look
back on this week sometime in
March or April, realizing it
helped steer them straight.
“It’s hard to say it’s a big win,
because I shouldn’t be looking
at it that way, but it is right
now. We’re reeling a little bit as
you can tell,” Izzo said. “We’re
just trying to shuffle guys
around, and we’re not very fluid
right now. We are missing a hell
of a player. I don’t care if it’s an
excuse or not. He does so many
things for us.”
ONE-SIDED SERIES
The Spartans have won 20 of
the last 24 games between these
teams. This was the first game
at Minnesota in the series since
Dec. 31, 2012, the only win by
the Gophers at home over
Michigan State in the last 10
years.
TIP-INS
Michigan State: Davis made
all four o b