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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Charlie Bell had a hard time
explaining his performance in Saturday's Spartan Classic
championship game.
"It was just one of those nights," said the senior guard who
hit 12-of-13 field goals attempts and matched his career high with
31 points to lead Michigan State (No. 3 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) to an 83-61 victory over Eastern Washington. "It seemed like every shot I threw up went in.
Hopefully, I'll have a couple more nights like that."
Bell said that he worked on his shot during the summer.
"Last year I was very inconsistent," he said. "There were
nights I'd score four or five points and then the next game I'd
score 20."
Spartans coach Tom Izzo was impressed with Bell's offensive
work, but he was just as happy with his defense.
"He does things on both ends of the court," Izzo said.
Izzo said he was glad to get the tournament out of the way so
that the team could give its full concentration to No. 7 North
Carolina, which visits Michigan State on Wednesday.
"I'm kind of glad these games are over because of the hype for
North Carolina," Izzo said. "We had to play through these games.
"I'm anxious to play (North Carolina) because it's great for a
team of that caliber to come here, and this is a great time of the
year for us to find out where we are."
Bell, named most valuable player in the tournament, scored 19
points in the first half to help the Spartans (3-0) open a 45-31
lead.
After the Eagles (2-2) scored the first two points of the second
half, Bell triggered an 8-0 spurt with a jumper. He then fed Jason
Richardson for a 3-pointer and hit another jump shot before Andre
Hutson capped the run with 16:08 left to give Michigan State a
53-33 lead.
The Spartans were never threatened again as their lead
eventually reached 28 points.
It was the 15th time in the 19-year history of the tournament
that the host Spartans have won. Michigan State also has won its
last 31 home games, second in the nation to Utah's 53-game home
winning streak.
Eastern Washington hung with the Spartans for the first 10
minutes, trailing 19-16 midway through the first half.
"We found out what it's like to play a top three team,"
Eastern Washington coach Ray Giacoletti said. "It's going to help
us. We won't play anybody any better than this.
"What amazes me about them is their shooting. They keep
bringing in big, physical guys who have the skill to shoot. That's
a potent combination."
Michigan State shot 62.5 percent from the field and made six of
eight 3-pointers, including 3-of-3 by Bell.
Richardson finished with 16 points and Hutson had 11 for
Michigan State. Kareem Hunter led Eastern Washington with 14 points
and Jamal Jones had 13.
Hutson and Richardson joined Bell on the all-tournament team
along with Eastern Washington's Jones and Jerome Robinson and
Phillip Gilbert of Bradley.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Eastern Washington Clubhouse
Michigan State Clubhouse
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