Women’s Basketball Falls To Michigan State, 62-50 – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/2/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2000
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%^$%^$Box Score%^$%^$%^$
East Lansing, Mich. – Junior Becky Cummings and%^$ senior Kristen Rasmussen combined for 33 points%^$ and 29 rebounds to lead the Michigan State%^$ women’s basketball team to a 62-50 victory over%^$ Ohio State today at the Breslin Center. The win%^$ extends the Spartans’ home winning streak to nine%^$ games and gives MSU a 10-3 overall record and a%^$ 1-1 mark in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes fall to 7-5 on%^$ the year and 0-2 in the league. %^$
%^$ “You have to give Ohio State credit for the way they%^$ played defense in the first half,” MSU coach Karen%^$ Langeland said. “In the second half, we adjusted to%^$ their defense and were able to get some good looks%^$ at the basket. I felt we played defense pretty%^$ consistently for 40 minutes, probably the most%^$ consistent that we have all season.” %^$
%^$ The Spartans went into the intermission with a slim%^$ 27-25 lead, but took advantage of its size and poor%^$ shooting by the Buckeyes in the second half to pull%^$ away. MSU outrebounded the Buckeyes in the final%^$ 20 minutes, 33-14, while OSU shot just 27 percent%^$ from the field. %^$
%^$ Cummings scored 10 points and had 11 of her%^$ career-high 15 rebounds in the second half, while%^$ Rasmussen pulled down 11 boards in the half to%^$ collect her fifth-straight double-double. Cummings%^$ ended the game with 16 points, while Rasmussen had%^$ a game-high 17 points and 14 boards. %^$
%^$ MSU also got improved play from its bench. The%^$ Spartan bench did not score in last Thursday’s loss to%^$ Michigan, but contributed 16 points and six rebounds in today’s win.%^$ Sophomore Abby Salscheider led the way with seven points, while junior%^$ Nikki Davis added five points. %^$
%^$ Lauren Shenk came off the bench to lead OSU with 11 points. Tomeka%^$ Brown was the only other player in double figures for the Buckeyes with 10%^$ points. %^$
%^$ “I think that might have been the poorest we have played beginning to end all%^$ season,” OSU coach Beth Burns said. “Our veteran players really struggled.%^$ I’m the only coach in America trying to get people to shoot. We have great%^$ looks and we’re not taking shots. Georgia and Illinois are the only two teams%^$ to man us this year, all we have seen are zones. To be honest with you, it was%^$ almost irrelevant what Michigan State was doing because we were so bad.” %^$
%^$ Michigan State returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 6 when it travels to%^$ Evanston, Ill., to face the Wildcats in an 8 p.m., EST tipoff. Following the%^$ game with the Wildcats, the Spartans return to the Breslin Center to play two%^$ straight.
