Cagers 'outplayed' in 71-57 loss to Michigan State

The struggling Michigan State Spartans found Penn State was just what they needed to get back on track.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- There's no better ointment for the pain of losing than playing a game against an even lowlier opponent. Saturday, though, it was hardly obvious which team -- Michigan State or Penn State -- was that lowlier team.

The Spartans, losers of seven of their last eight games, were coming off an embarrassing 70-58 loss to Northwestern on Wednesday.

The Nittany Lions, losers of 12 of 14, were coming off a devastating come-from-ahead loss to Wisconsin, also Wednesday.

Michigan State's 71-57 win here Saturday, though, answered the question, and the Spartans may finally be healed.

"I think since they lost to the last-place team, they wanted revenge," Penn State forward Greg Stevenson said. "They wanted to beat up on the next team they faced -- which they did today."

Now there's little room for argument. In fact, Penn State (9-15, 2-13 Big Ten) may be one of the lowliest teams around.

With less than six minutes to go in the first half against Michigan State (13-10, 6-8), Penn State managed to pull ahead of the Spartans, 20-19. But less than a minute later, everything was back in place. Michigan State guard Mateen Cleaves hit a layup, and the Spartans never trailed again.

The Lions, however, kept things close for more than half the game. After shooting 42.9 percent and being outrebounded 16 to 12 in the first half, Penn State trailed by only seven, 31-24, at halftime.

Then, behind Penn State center Calvin Booth's five points in the first five minutes of the second half, the Lions managed to keep the deficit around 10 early in the final 20 minutes. Michigan State gradually pulled away.

Following Stevenson's 3-pointer with 14:17 to go in the game, which cut the Spartan lead to eight, Michigan State went on a 8-0 run to extend the lead to 16.

With 4:10 left, Spartan guard Ray Weathers put a final exclamation point on the contest with a vicious breakaway dunk to put the Spartans ahead, 67-47. The final minutes served as mere practice for the Michigan State reserves.

"We were never in the game," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said. "Michigan State outplayed us in every category."

A major factor in the second half, and the entire contest, was Michigan State's ability to keep Penn State's leading scorer, guard Pete Lisicky, off the scoreboard.

Lisicky, who went into the game averaging 16.7 points and nearly 14 shot attempts per contest, was held to 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

"Ray Weathers did an unbelievable job on Lisicky," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "He did a good job not just on checking him but on not giving him shots either."

Weathers also had an outstanding offensive game. The senior guard, who entered the game averaging 13 points per contest, scored 16 against the Lions for the second time this season.

Another huge factor was the rebounding of Spartan forward Antonio Smith, who entered the game averaging 9.7 rebounds per game and snared a career-high 17 boards in 28 minutes of play against the Lions. He was a major contributor to Michigan State's 16 second-chance points. Penn State had just five second-chance points.

With the season winding down the Lions are still struggling to find the formula for success.

"It's been the same thing all year," Dunn said. "The same people are making the same mistakes."

Just three games remain to make the necessary changes.