EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Division II Grand Valley State
stunned No. 8 Michigan State, the Big Ten favorite, 85-82 in two
overtimes Friday night in an exhibition game.
Jason Jamerson had 19 points for the Lakers, while Justin
Ringler had 16, including a three-point play at the end of
regulation. Callistus Eziukwu of Grand Valley State had eight of
his 15 points in the second overtime.
The Spartans shouldn't have been shocked at the loss since they
trailed the Lakers for more than 38 minutes before escaping with a
win last season. This time, Grand Valley controlled the game for
most of its 50 minutes.
The Lakers, an Elite Eight team last March, rallied from a 65-63
deficit in the final 15 seconds of regulation and were down 75-71
in the last minute of the first overtime. Grand Valley State never
trailed in the second overtime.
Chris Allen led Michigan State with 15 points, while fellow
freshman Kalin Lucas had 12. Drew Neitzel, the preseason Big Ten
Player of the Year, failed to score until a 3-pointer bounced in
with 13:43 left in the second half. Neitzel finished with 12 points
but was just 3-for-15 from the field.
The Lakers finished with a 44-41 rebounding edge and a 27-12
advantage from 3-point range.
The night began with a pep rally for the Michigan State football
team on the eve of its matchup with archrival Michigan. Coach Mark
Dantonio and co-captain Travis Key spoke to the sellout crowd
before the coaches and players formed a tunnel to welcome the
basketball team.