Spartans Win With Defense

Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo wasn’t even born the last time the Spartans allowed fewer than 33 points.

“I guess that’s great news,” Izzo, 43, said with a smile after the 14th-ranked Spartans cruised to a 77-33 victory over Illinois-Chicago on Sunday at East Lansing, Mich. “One of the things we wanted to improve on was our defense.”

The last time the Spartans were that stingy on defense was Feb. 17, 1951, in a 43-32 victory over Michigan.

Morris Peterson, making his first start of the season, scored a game-high 18 points. Peterson, starting in place of Jason Klein (sprained foot), also tied career-highs with nine rebounds and five assists as the Spartans (6-3) won by their second-largest margin since moving to the Breslin Center in 1989.

WOMEN

No. 1 Connecticut 91, St. John’s 51--Svetlana Abrosimova scored 20 points to lead the Huskies (8-0, 2-0) to a Big East victory over the Red Storm (4-7, 0-1) at Storrs, Conn.

Connecticut took control with an early 18-6 scoring run and shot 57.6% (34 of 59) from the field.

No. 5 Georgia 88, Oklahoma 79--Despite shooting a season-low 42% from the field and committing 18 turnovers, the Lady Bulldogs (8-0) beat the Sooners (4-3) at Athens, Ga.

Reserve Elena Vishniakova came off the bench to provide a double-double for Georgia, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She also had a career-high four blocked shots.

No. 7 North Carolina 95, Tennessee State 63--The Tar Heels (11-1) had five players in double figures, led by Chanel Wright with 19 points, as they showed no mercy on injury-riddled Tennessee State at Chapel Hill, N.C.

No. 9 Alabama 97, Alabama Birmingham 80--Kaunda Williams had 22 points, including six three-point shots, to lead the Crimson Tide (8-2) over the Blazers (3-4) at Birmingham.

No. 14 Rutgers 71, Syracuse 53--The Scarlet Knights (8-2, 2-0) needed an 11-point run at the start of the second half to pull away from the Orangewomen (4-6, 0-2) at Syracuse, N.Y.

Tammy Sutton-Brown, who scored 20 points, keyed the run.

No. 20 Penn State 89, No. 10 Old Dominion 77--Andrea Garner and Helen Darling each scored 21 points, and Garner grabbed 13 rebounds, as the Nittany Lions (7-1) beat the Lady Monarchs (6-2) at State College, Pa. It was their first win over Old Dominion.

No. 25 UC Santa Barbara 84, Vanderbilt 81--Stacy Clinesmith scored 20 points as the Gauchos (5-2) beat the Commodores (3-4) at Nashville.

Clinesmith made a three-point shot and five of six free throws in the final seconds.

Stanford 77, San Francisco 68--Carolyn Moos scored 21 points, all in the first half, and Sarah Dimson scored 18 of her 19 points in the second as the Cardinal (3-5) beat the Dons (2-5) at San Francisco.