EAST LANSING - Why'd you do it Steve Alford?
That's what the Michigan Wolverines might be muttering under their collective breaths after Michigan State junior forward Shannon Brown erupted for 26 points to lead Michigan State to a 91-70 pounding of crosstown rival Michigan.
Brown ignited the sellout crowd at the Breslin Center with a dizzying assortment of dribble drives, slam dunks, three point shots and acrobatic lay-ups.
He also was willing to do the dirty work, setting up screens for Drew Neitzel, diving for loose balls and hitting the boards for the Spartans. Brown might have been responding to the taunting he took from the the Iowa head coach and the crowd at Carver-Hawkeye arena earlier in the week.
As the Hawkeyes walked off the floor a winner, Alford flexed his muscles and glared in the direction of Brown. Brown had flexed his muscles after fending off a near tackle by an Iowa defender in the first meeting and making a layup. He flexed his muscle in an innocent gesture and the crowd at Iowa wouldn't let him forget it in the rematch.
He got plenty of help from his friends, most notably Maurice Ager, who after a rocky start (two quick fouls in the first five minutes) he helped MSU blow open a close game in the second half. With MSU holding an 11 point halftime lead, Ager made four of his first five shots of the second half to help extend the lead to sixteen.
The contest was not without incident.
Michigan forward Brent Petway, who was the target of the MSU Izzone cheering section, tried his tough guy antics when he got tangled up going for a rebound with MSU forward Marquise Gray, but Gray met the challenge head on and challenged Petway for more. The two were separated and assessed technical fouls.
The Spartans got a career-high 12 assists along with 13 points and three rebounds from point guard Drew Neitzel who is coming into his own as the MSU floor leader. Chipping in with a workmanlike 18 points and 12 rebounds was center Paul Davis while Matt Trannon played solid defense while adding eight to the Spartans cause.
The game was marred by an attack on a Michigan State fan by Michigan reserve Amadou Ba. The fan was heckling some Michigan players in the pregame warmup and walked past Ba who appeared to stick his foot out. The fan then walked back and said something to Ba who shoved the fan to the floor.
The fan, apparently a Michigan State student was taken to the hospital and Lansing Police were said to be investigating the incident for possible charges against Ba who returned to Ann Arbor with his teammates. Ba declined comments when approached by reporters.