• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Michigan State not playing like a top team

Nov 28, 2008 - 11:19 AM No. 6 Michigan State (2-1) vs. Oklahoma State (4-1) 5:30 p.m. EST

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (Ticker) -- Michigan State certainly did not look like a national contender during its last game.

The sixth-ranked Spartans aim to bounce back from their first loss when they face Oklahoma State in the Old Spice Classic on Friday.

Senior guard Travis Walton finished with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting Thursday, but was the only player that made much of an impact for the Spartans, who suffered an 80-62 loss to Maryland during the opening round of the tournament.

The game was a tight battle for more than a full half - but the Terrapins found an extra gear early in the second half. After blowing a slim halftime lead to fall behind, 43-39, Maryland staged a 16-2 run to take control.

Michigan State could not recover from the surge and an eight-point deficit was as close as it got the rest of the way.

It was the second straight disappointing effort for the high-powered Spartans, who faced a stiff test one night earlier

against little-known IPFW. They finally outlasted the Mastodons, 70-59, but could not duplicate that effort on Thanksgiving.

Michigan State went 12-for-27 from the foul line and could not stop anything from the perimeter. Maryland went 9-for-20 from the arc and hit 51 percent (27-of-53) from the field overall.

The Spartans hope for an improved effort against Oklahoma State, which suffered an 83-71 setback to No. 10 Gonzaga during its opening-round contest.

Terrel Harris paced the Cowboys with 17 points while Obi Muonelo finished with 16 and 15 rebounds off the bench. Reserve James Anderson was the only other player in double-figures for Oklahoma State, scoring 14 points during the team's first loss.