Spartans keep heads in the game Team to honor Alyssa Alhadeff
No. 2 Michigan State arrived in Madison, Wis., feeling a little discombobulated with so many off-court issues swirling around the program.
The Spartans are returning to East Lansing with the outright Big Ten regularseason title and more clarity about the future of star forward Miles Bridges.
Cassius Winston scored 20 points and went 6-for-6 from 3-point range, and Bridges hit two late foul shots to hold off the Badgers for a 68-63 win Sunday.
The Spartans (28-3, 16-2) celebrated in the locker room after clinching the top seed in this week’s Big Ten tournament in New York. But coach Tom Izzo could sense the weariness among his players, who had some mental lapses against Wisconsin.
“I just think we’re a little mentally worn down from all the things they’ve been through,” Izzo said. “Handling the adversity that they’ve handled I think is going to make them better men for the next 60 years.”
It appears that Bridges’ short-term future is more secure after he was cleared by the NCAA following a Yahoo! Sports article Friday that identified him as one of many players who may have received improper benefits.
“I didn’t get anything, that’s the truth,” Bridges said. “I just want to thank the (Michigan State) compliance office and the NCAA.”
The star forward had 10 points on 3-for-15 shooting, missing all eight 3-point attempts.
Brad Davison finished with a career-high 30 points for Wisconsin (14-17, 7-11), including a 3-pointer to get the Badgers within three with 4.7 seconds left. Bridges sealed the victory with his two free throws. Bearcats heat up: Gary Clark led a 24-4 run that put Cincinnati ahead to stay early in the second half, and the 11th-ranked Bearcats held on for an 82-74 victory over visiting Tulsa to preserve their one-game lead in the AAC heading into the final week.
Cincinnati (25-4, 14-2) stayed ahead of No. 13 Wichita State (23-5, 13-3) in the race for the regularseason title. Wichita State plays at UCF on Thursday and hosts Cincinnati on Sunday in a potential showdown game.
A soccer enthusiast, Parkland shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff will be honored at the U.S. women’s national team’s match versus England next month in Orlando.
Alhadeff, 14, was a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas soccer team and also played for Parkland Travel Soccer. She was one of the 17 victims from the Parkland shooting. Another 16 were injured in the attack.
On Sunday, Stoneman Douglas soccer captain Jamie Morris posted a tweet, asking if the USWNT could honor Alhadeff at the team’s upcoming match.
Her tweet quickly went viral and the team responded on Twitter saying they had plans to honor Alhadeff.
“Thank you so much to everyone who helped @jamiemorris03’s tweet spread and make its way to us,” said the U.S. team on Twitter. “We got in touch with Alyssa’s family last week and are honored to say they will be at our match in Orlando on March 7, where we will hold a moment of silence to honor her life.”
The USWNT later added that members of the Parkland Travel Soccer team would be attending the match as well. The team also said that “We are connecting with [the Stoneman Douglas soccer team] about going to the game!”
The United States will be competing against England in the SheBelieves Cup. The match will take place at 7 p.m. at Orlando City Stadium.
During a vigil at Parkland’s Pine Trails Park the day following the shooting, Stoneman Douglas senior soccer player Madison Ciccone remembered her former teammate.
“At first she was quiet and then she came out of her shell as the season came long,” Ciccone said. “She was always so sweet and whenever [people] were around her, everyone was laughing. She was such a light to be around.
“She made everyone around her smile and she just had this energy that no one could contain.”