MSU finishes Classic with comeback win

ORLANDO, Fla. - Just as it's too early to foretell major problems for a Michigan State team that has been hard to figure through five games, it's too early to declare permanent breakthroughs for any of its players.

But senior forward Marquise Gray is playing pretty darn well for the Spartans.

On a weird day for a shorthanded and erratic team, Gray was a steady presence, leading the way in a 65-57 comeback victory over Wichita State on the final day of the Old Spice Classic at Disney World's Milk House.

"He's always played with passion, but he's playing a lot smarter," senior guard Travis Walton said of Gray, who started again for Goran Suton (knee) and had a team-high 12 points.

"I've been around a long time and I'm just playing with a free spirit and a free mind," said Gray, who also aided a dominating rebounding effort with eight boards. "It's allowing me to not panic in pressure situations, not making mistakes like I did before."

No. 5 MSU (4-1) overcame an eight-point deficit, poor outside shooting, more awful free throw shooting and a 44-minute rain delay - thanks to a ventilation leak - to get past the Shockers (3-3).

Freshman forward Delvon Roe came off the bench for his best game, collecting nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds in a season-high 19 minutes. Durrell Summers had 11 points and six rebounds, Kalin Lucas had 10 points and five assists, and Raymar Morgan scored seven of his nine points in the second half.

MSU's 80-62 loss to Maryland in the opening round of the tournament routed the Spartans away from the other ranked teams in the field - No. 9 Gonzaga, No. 12 Tennessee and No. 21 Georgetown.

But coach Tom Izzo said he "learned a lot" about his team all the same, and the ultimate chance to measure up is next on the schedule. MSU will take on No. 1 North Carolina at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday at Detroit's Ford Field, likely without Suton again.

Izzo said he and his team are excited for the opportunity, even though "I don't think four or five teams in the country are ready for (UNC)." The Spartans don't appear to be brimming with confidence at this point.

"I don't think they're feeling great about themselves," Izzo said of his players, "and I don't think that's all bad."

Guards Lucas and Chris Allen continued to struggle from outside, combining to hit 5 of 18 shots. Allen came off the bench for the second straight game, with Summers starting, and made 2 of 6 shots for seven points.

Both were important, coming midway through the second half to help stem a Wichita State rally, but Allen finished 5 of 19 on the weekend. The big issue, Izzo said, is that he's passing up too many quality looks.

"He has to shoot the ball," senior guard Travis Walton said of Allen. "He is the best shooter on the team."

Lucas was 11 of 34 in the tournament, but he also had 19 assists to five turnovers and made some major-league plays in the second half Sunday.

Walton, who had 32 points in the first two games on 15-of-20 shooting, took just five shots Sunday, hitting two, but played excellent defense for 32 minutes.

As a team, MSU was better in that category, communicating and switching better and holding the Shockers to 38 percent shooting.

Clevin Hannah scored 19 for Wichita State, which lost 58-50 to Georgetown in the first round, then beat Siena 72-70.

MSU hasn't been great on the boards so far, but Izzo called this effort "incredible." The Spartans had a 42-24 edge, getting 19 offensive rebounds. Roe had five, Gray four and Morgan three.

So while some areas improve, others decline. MSU reverted to foul shooting that Izzo called "mind-boggling," making just 18 of 31 (58.1 percent).

"We'll shoot 700 million free throws some time tomorrow," Izzo said.

With water on the floor and a storm raging outside, both teams retreated to their locker rooms at 1:26 p.m., with 12:47 left in the first half and MSU up 9-7.

About 25 minutes later, it was announced that wind was blowing water into the ventilation system.

The problem was fixed and the game finally got going again at 2:10 p.m. Wichita State took its first lead 21 seconds after action resumed.

The Shockers led for most of the rest of the half, pushing the advantage to 26-18 before a Gray jumper made it 26-22 at the half.

Gray started the second half with an inside basket, plus the foul and free throw, starting a takeover surge. He hit 4 of 5 shots on the night and even went 4 of 6 from the line.

For the tournament, Gray made 12 of 15 shots, scoring 31 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. The loss of Suton has helped him make gains.

"He's improved a lot," Izzo said of Gray.

MSU (65)

Player M FG FT R A F Pt

Morgan 35 3-6 3-5 5 1 1 9

Gray 19 4-5 4-6 8 0 2 12

Lucas 34 3-12 4-5 1 5 3 10

Walton 32 2-5 1-2 3 2 2 5

Summers 26 4-6 1-1 6 2 2 11

Allen 17 2-6 2-2 2 0 2 7

Roe 19 3-5 3-8 11 1 2 9

Thornton 7 0-2 0-0 1 0 1 0

Green 7 1-4 0-2 2 1 1 2

Lucious 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0

TEAM 3

Totals 200 22-51 18-31 42 13 17 65

WICHITA STATE (57)

Player M FG FT R A F Pt

Ellis 25 1-5 0-0 3 0 5 2

Clemente 25 1-1 0-0 3 0 3 2

Stutz 22 2-6 3-3 2 0 4 7

Hannah 34 6-12 4-4 3 2 3 19

Murry 33 2-11 0-0 5 3 2 5

Hatch 13 1-2 2-2 2 1 4 5

Chmbrlain 6 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0

Hawkins 22 3-4 2-2 0 1 1 8

Durley 20 3-8 1-2 4 1 3 9

TEAM 2

Totals 200 19-50 12-13 24 8 25 57

3-points goals-MSU 3-12 (Lucas 0-4, Summers 2-3, Thornton 0-1, Allen 1-4), Witchita State 7-23 (Ellis 0-2, Stutz 0-1, Hannah 3-9, Murry 1-6, Hatch 1-1, Durley 2-4). Turnovers-MSU 16, Witchita State 15 Fouled out-Ellis. Halftime score-MSU 22, Witchita State 26. A-3768.