Sports shorts Michigan State wins Big Ten

No. 2 Michigan State arrived at Wisconsin 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 regular-season title and more clarity about the future of star forward Miles Bridges.

Cassius Winston scored 20 points and went 6 for 6 from the 3-point line, and Bridges hit two late foul shots to hold off the Badgers for a 68-63 win on 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 on Friday that identified him as one of many players who may have received improper benefits. Michigan State didn’t get the go-ahead from the NCAA until Saturday, about an hour before the team left for Madison.

“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-of15 shooting, missing all eight 3-point attempts.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 22 points to become the No. 3 scorer in NCAA history and the nation’s leading double-double duo, Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper, did it again as No. 14 Ohio State rolled past Penn State, 89-64, to clinch the outright Big Ten regular-season title and the No. 1 seed to the conference tournament.

Mitchell’s 3,286 career points moved her past former Baylor star Brittney Griner (3,283). Mavunga had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Harper 17 points and 10 boards for Mavunga’s 15th double-double this season and 53rd in her career and Harper’s 12th this season and 22nd overall.

The Buckeyes (24-6, 13-3) led early on and by 15 at halftime. The lead reached 26 points after three quarters to a high of 38 in the fourth. Teniya Page scored 19 points and Jaida Travascio-Green 17 for the Lady Lions (15-14, 6-10), who will be the 11th seed in the conference tournament in Indianapolis and play 14th-seed Illinois in Wednesday’s first round while the Buckeyes get a bye to Friday’s quarterfinals.

The Boston Bruins bolstered their chances of contending for the Stanley Cup with a bold move, acquiring Rick Nash from the New York Rangers a day before the NHL trade deadline.

“Our players have made a push and I wanted to inch that along if we could and reward it in a way,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said.

Boston added the veteran — one of the best available — in a market filled with players in the last season of their contracts and put him in the lineup Sunday night against the Buffalo Sabres.

The 33-year-old Nash had 18 goals and 10 assists this season with the Rangers and his first point with the Bruins will be No. 800 in his career.

Perhaps most importantly for Boston, the 6-foot-4, 211-pound winger adds muchneeded size up front and makes its second line even more formidable.