March 18, 2005
By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - Tom Izzo leaned back in his chair, his arms spreadout, his lips pursed. The usually volatile Michigan State coach didn't likewhat he was seeing.
The fifth-seeded Spartans couldn't pull away until the final minutes, whenShannon Brown made a spinning layin to start a three-point play that helpedMichigan State beat Old Dominion 89-81 on Friday night in the first round ofthe NCAA tournament.
Michigan State (23-6) managed to avoid a second consecutive first-round exitand instead gave Izzo, whose NCAA record is second only to Mike Krzyzewski's,his 20th tournament win. The Spartans will face 13th-seeded Vermont, which beatSyracuse 60-57 in overtime to advance to the second round of the AustinRegional.
Old Dominion (28-6) dominated the Colonial Athletic Association, butcouldn't add to the upsets in the Worcester pod.
Brown scored 13 points, and Alan Anderson had 15 to lead five Spartans indouble figures. Michigan State shot 57 percent (29-for-51) from the floor inthe game, and that was despite making just three of 14 shots from 3-pointrange.
Alex Loughton had 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Old Dominionafter playing much of the second half in the foul trouble. Drew Williamson, whodid not have a turnover in 91 minutes in the CAA tournament, had three onFriday.
Michigan State took a six-point lead, 74-68, before Valdas Vasylius hit a3-pointer with 4:31 left. Kelvin Torbert made a basket from the lane and IsaiahHunter answered, then Brown missed from the lane.
Hunter hit a pair of free throws to make it a 76-75 with 3:48 remainingbefore the teams traded misses. Brown got the ball under the basket, spunaround and tossed it in, landing in a crouch and pumping his fists while theofficial whistled for a foul.
He hit the free throw to make it 79-75 with 2:50 left.
The Spartans extended it to six points again before Loughton's basket with1:09 left made it 81-77. Then, with 54 seconds left, Paul Davis made a leanerin the lane at the shot-clock buzzer that was ruled good, giving the Spartansan 83-77 lead.
Michigan State went 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch to clinch it.