Michigan State topples fifth-ranked Notre Dame
Joshua Langford scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half to help No. 3 Michigan State take a huge early lead on the way to an 81- 63 victory over No. 5 Notre Dame in East Lansing, Michigan.
The Spartans (6-1) have won five straight since losing to top-ranked Duke.
The Fighting Irish (6-1) trailed by 20 at halftime and cut the deficit to seven with 13:09 left but couldn’t get closer against a team with a lot of options on offense that is defending and rebounding as if it is in midseason form under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.
In the marquee match up of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Spartans turned a highly anticipated game into a showcase of their talent and depth.
Michigan State’s Cassius Winston had 17 points and seven assists, Miles Bridges scored 14 points, and Nick Ward added 12.
Notre Dame’s Bonzie Colson had 11 of his 17 points in the second half, and Rex Pflueger scored 15. Matt Farrell was scoreless in the first half and finished with 10 points, and T. J. Gibbs added 11 points for the Irish. SANTA CLARA 89, NORTHERN ARIZONA 57 » KJ Feagin hit four 3-pointers and scored all 16 of his points in the first half, and the Broncos (25) never trailed in the win. Santa Clara made a seasonhigh 17 3-pointers and scored 31 points off of 20 Lumberjacks (0-7) turnovers. Henry Caruso scored 13 and had five of Santa Clara’s 23 assists. SETONHALL89, TEXASTECH79 » Myles Powell scored seven of his 19 points in a span of 45 seconds to lift the Pirates (61) over the No. 22 Red Raiders (6-1) at Madison Square Garden. Keenan Evans led Texas Tech with 21 points. Texas Tech entered the game fourth in the nation allowing 55 points per game. CARTWRIGHT TO BE SPECIAL ASSISTANT AT USF » Former USF and NBA star Bill Cartwright will be a special assistant to coach Kyle Smith. Cartwright, a member of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame, already serves as the school’s Director of University Initiatives. Smith also hired former California Community College coach of the year Mike Legarza as the human development coach. PITINO SUES » Rick Pitino has sued the University of Louisville Athletic Association for $38.7 million, saying it breached his contract by placing him on unpaid administrative leave without notice and firing him last month with no legally justified “cause.”
Women
CAL 87, SEATTLE 67 » Kristine Anigwe scored 25 points to lead the 24th-ranked Bears in a matinee performance at Haas Pavilion as the school hosted more than 4,000 visiting elementary and middle school students in the fourth annual School Haas Rock. Center CJ West chipped in a career-high 18 points, and Jaelyn Brown matched her season-highwith 11 points for Cal (4-2). Cal heads to Santa Clara on Saturday. SAINTMARY’S74, BOISESTATE 72 » Megan McKay scored 27 points, and Jasmine Forcadilla added 14 points and made two free throws with 12 seconds left as the Gaels (5-1) rallied from a 10-point deficit starting the fourth quarter to beat the Broncos on the road. NOTRE DAME PLAYER OUT FOR YEAR » Third-ranked Notre will be without freshman forward Mikayla Vaughn for the rest of the season after she tore the ACL in her left knee during practice Tuesday.