Spartans Stunned By Wildcats Of Villanova

No. 29, 2002

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A summer's worth of hard work enabled Gary Buchanan to bounce back quickly from arthroscopic knee surgery and help Villanova reach the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout.

The senior guard scored 29 points just 12 days after having surgery as the Wildcats upset ninth-ranked Michigan State 81-73 Friday night.

"He stayed at Villanova all summer, worked out every day, lifted weights and put on 15 pounds," Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

Buchanan was 9-for-14 from the field, including 6-for-11 from 3-point range.

"The first night I was worried (about the knee)," Buchanan said. "Tonight I just let all that go out the window."

In Saturday's championship game, Villanova (3-1) will play College of Charleston, which defeated Oklahoma State 66-58 in the other semifinal.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was disgusted with his team's defensive effort but impressed with Buchanan and Villanova's other senior starter, Ricky Wright.

"I love tough guys," Izzo said.

Wright scored 18 points, including six down the stretch to break open a one-point game.

"I think the team that put forth the effort won the game," Izzo said. "They did the job and we didn't."

Down 68-57 with 7:37 remaining, Michigan State fought back to trail 71-70 with 3:09 remaining.

But Wright's six points helped push the lead to 78-73 with 1:10 left and the Spartans did not score again.

Adam Ballinger led Michigan State (2-1) with 19 points and nine rebounds but was limited to two free throws over the final 15 minutes.

"I have to do a better job of getting shots and get to the foul line," Ballinger said.

After Buchanan hit a 3-pointer to give Villanova a 10-8 lead, Michigan State trailed most of the rest of the first half until Paul Davis scored on the baseline. His dunk tied it at 32 with 3:40 remaining in the half, but Buchanan's two free throws with 28 seconds left gave the Wildcats 36-35 lead at the break.

Wright's three-point play with 17:59 left in the second half started a 17-7 run that gave the Wildcats a 57-47 lead. Their biggest lead was 67-55 with 8:47 remaining.

Michigan State outrebounded Villanova 31-27 but the Spartans shot just 4-for-14 from 3-point range.

The Wildcats were 10-for-21 from beyond the arc.