• Recap
• Bleachers

Michigan State hands South Florida first loss

Dec 3, 2006 - 10:53 PM EAST LANSING, Michigan (Ticker) -- Michigan State's inside-out combination was too much for South Florida.

Victoria Lucas-Perry scored 21 points and Alyssa DeHaan added 20 to lift the 18th-ranked Spartans to a 79-71 victory over the Bulls.

A senior guard, Perry hit 7-of-13 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, to go along with five assists and four steals for Michigan State (6-1).

DeHaan, a 6-9 freshman, made 7-of-12 shots, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked eight shots to send South Florida (7-1) to its first loss.

The Spartans' duo were matched by the Bulls' tandem of Shantia Grace and Jessica Dickson, who also combined to score 41. Grace scored 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting.

They helped rally South Florida from several double-digit deficits in the second half. Grace's 3-pointer with 1:52 to play cut the lead to 75-71.

That would be as close as the Bulls would get as Lucas-Perry hit a pair of free throws and DeHaan blocked two shots to seal the victory.