Sports: MSU wins 77-65 in Nick Ward’s first start

MSU beat Oakland 77-65 last night at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.  Both teams were coming off losses to Northeastern this week.  Freshman Nick Ward scored a season-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his first start.    Eron Harris finished with 15 points. Cassius Winston had nine points and eight assists. The Spartans (8-5) closed their non-conference season and play Minnesota on Monday.

WMU Wins

The WMU Broncos hung tough with UCLA for much of the game, but lost 82-68 in L-A.  After being down by 12 at halftime, the Broncos scored the first eight points of the second half to pull within four.  Western Michigan (3-8) was led by guard Thomas Wilder's 22 points, with forward Tucker Haymond adding 16 points and Reggie Jones 12.  #2 UCLA finishes the pre-season 13-0, and the last time the Bruins started that well, they won the NCAA title (1994-95).

CMU Wins

Marcus Keene scored a career-high 44 points, including 4 of 6 free throws in the final 37 seconds and Central Michigan won a wild 106-103 victory at Montana State, which saw a potential tying 3-pointer clang off the front rim at the buzzer. Keene is the nation's top scorer, averaging 30.8 points per game.

Michigan Tonight

Michigan hosts Furman tonight at Chrysler Center.

High School Boys Basketball

The Battle Creek Central Bearcats beat Otsego 60-50 as the Chuck Turner Classic opened last night at the old Central Fieldhouse.  The Bearcats had a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter, but saw that lead slip to just eight.   Juan Warren had 22 points and 15 rebounds in the game.  Demetrius Craig had 19.   The Bearcats will play Muskegon Heights tonight at the Fieldhouse.

Tekonsha 49, Calhoun Christian 40.  Connor Jenkins had 20.

Tonight, Gull Lake plays at Marshall.  Calhoun Christian is at Barry County Christian.

Pistons

The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Detroit Pistons 98-86 on Wednesday night in a matchup of slumping teams. The Grizzlies ended their three-game losing streak, while Detroit dropped its fourth straight.  Andre Drummond had 19 rebounds for Detroit. Reggie Jackson and John Leuer each had 18 to lead the Pistons in scoring.  Marc Gasol matched a career high with 38 points on 14-of-17 shooting. The Pistons have lost five out of their last six. The Pistons host Golden State on Friday night.

Red Wings

The Red Wings, who have lost five of their last six games, play at Florida on Friday night.   Detroit has put goaltender Jimmy Howard on seven-day injured reserve.  He left the game in the second period, unable to put weight on his right leg. They’ve called up Jared Coreau who is having a great season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Thursday Night Football

The New York Giants play at Philadelphia.

Lions

Next for the Lions is a game next Monday night in Dallas against the 12-2 Cowboys, who beat Tampa Bay last night.