State blows lead, falls in tourney

"We didn't have him," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said of his injured star, Mateen Cleaves.

Instead it was No. 20 Texas, which trailed by 15 points a minute before halftime, that made the big shots and the Cleaves-like plays in an 81-74 victory in the Puerto Rico Shootout championship game Saturday night.

''Coach (Rick) Barnes said to put Texas where Texas deserves to be, we have to beat the No. 3 team in the country,'' said Gabe Muoneke, one of five Longhorns in double figures with 16 points.

Chris Mihm, hitting 3-pointers and three-point plays, helped carry the Longhorns back into contention with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. And he did it with several Spartans on his back each time he touched the ball.

''I think they tried to physically wear us out in the first half,'' Mihm said. ''But we knew we could come back if we just stayed with it. Our guards made so many big shots.''

That's usually the area where Cleaves' excels. He dragged Michigan State to a Final Four last spring and the expectations were high for even more this season. Instead, he fractured his right foot and isn't expected back until January.

Those are a lot of clutch situations against upcoming opponents like North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona and Kentucky for Cleaves to miss.

''We are understanding a little bit more that we can't just not do the little things because of our situation,'' said Morris Peterson, Michigan State's other star hampered by three first-half fouls. ''We can hang our heads, but we plan on coming out harder at practice.''

Cleaves, sitting next to the coaches on the bench, popped up on his black cast to guide his team. He waved his hands to call for defense, he yelled advice to Izzo and tried to rally his teammates. But he couldn't get in there and shut down Wagner, who had 17 points, including a long 3-pointer that put Texas ahead 73-68 with 2:02 left.

Peterson, hurt by three first-half fouls, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to draw Michigan State to 76-74 with 49 seconds remaining. But they could get no closer.

''I told the team before we came here that if we keep winning games, that, yeah, maybe we could take the program to another level,'' said Barnes, who three seasons ago had Clemson ranked No. 2 in the country. ''But it's not going to get any easier.''

Peterson ended with 14 points. Hutson led the Spartans with 17. Every Texas starter scored in double figures. William Clay scored 13 and Chris Owens 12.

The Longhorns had little trouble passing through the tournament and making themselves one of the country's power teams. After an easy 88-71 victory over Arizona State, Texas held on to defeat No. 18 DePaul and Quentin Richardson, 68-64.

Cleaves stood and watched Texas celebrate at the buzzer, slowly shaking his head. He's expected to return in January near the start of the Big Ten Conference schedule.

Peterson thinks the Spartans will adjust a lot sooner than that.

''We have to, we have to learn how to improve,'' he said. ''We are doing it.''

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