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Streak snapped Defending champs hold off Globetrotters 72-68
Updated: Tuesday November 14, 2000 8:24 AM
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo didn't sound like a man whose team had just ended its opponent's 1,270-game winning streak. "I was totally, and I mean totally, disappointed in the lack of effort we showed tonight," Izzo said Monday after the third-ranked Spartans held on for a 72-68 exhibition victory against the Harlem Globetrotters. "We got beat time after time in effort-related situations that have been a staple of this program," Izzo said. "That's a direct reflection on me as a coach. I'll take full responsibility for that, and I have to correct it." Izzo did give credit to the Globetrotters, who have three touring teams. When they play a competitive game, rather than one for entertainment, they take the best players from the three teams. "They caused half of our problems," Izzo said. "I was really impressed with how hard they played." The defeat was the first for the famed traveling team since it lost to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar All-Star team in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 12, 1995. "I've been the owner of the Globetrotters since 1993, and this is only the second time we've lost," said Manny Jackson, who also is the general manager of the team. "The other time was in Vienna on a weird officiating call. Getting used to losing is a different feeling for us." This was the second of three exhibition games the Globetrotters will play against college teams. They beat NCAA Division II champion Metro State of Colorado 76-69 last Friday, and play at Purdue on Wednesday. "We wanted to play the Division I, II and III champions," Jackson said. "We feel that our competitive team is very good. I intend to make this organization one of the best in the world, and we're still a couple of years away from that." The Globetrotters, who held a 35-29 halftime lead against the defending NCAA champions, scored the first basket of the second half to take their biggest lead of the game.
Jason Richardson sparked an 8-0 run by Michigan State, including a spectacular dunk off a missed shot with 13:10 remaining that gave the Spartans a 43-39 lead. Michigan State was leading 51-49 when another dunk off a rebound by Richardson triggered a 13-2 run that gave them a 64-51 lead with 3:55 left. The Globetrotters used the 3-point shooting of Tyson Wheeler and some pressure defense to slice away at the Spartans' lead. Alex Sanders' four-point play with 47 seconds left brought the Globetrotters within four points. Donnie Boyce stole the ball and fed Wayne Turner for a layup with 39 seconds left to cut the lead to 68-66. Bell then scored on a layup with 10.8 seconds remaining. After a basket by Wheeler, Bell secured Michigan State's victory with two free throws with 3.7 seconds left. Freshman Zach Randolph scored 17 points for Michigan State, while Richardson, Andre Hutson and Marcus Taylor added 10 each. Sanders led the Globetrotters with 19 points and Jessie Drain had 10. "I think we all respected the Globetrotters," said Richardson, who had 12 rebounds. "We knew they had the long winning streak, and we would have to play hard to beat them." After Izzo's talk to the team, it couldn't even enjoy ending the Globetrotters' winning streak. "We haven't really thought about [ending the streak]," Richardson said. "There were a lot of things in this game that we have to work on."
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