Michigan State University
UNC Asheville
Spartans Roll In Season Opener
11/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov 22, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Earlier in the week, Chris Hill had no idea he'd be playing point guard when No. 9 Michigan State opened its regular season against UNC-Asheville.
It proved to be a good move from his usual shooting guard position, as he scored 18 points Friday night to lead the Spartans to a 66-52 victory in the season opener for both teams.
"Actually, I think I could have done a lot better," said Hill, who also had five assists and two steals. "Offensively, there were lots of shots that I missed and have to make later in the season. And defensively, I made quite a few errors."
Hill is being called on to replace last year's point guard, Marcus Taylor, who opted to leave early for the NBA Draft. Hill got the word that he would get the start at the point from coach Tom Izzo.
"It's a position that I can get comfortable with," Hill said. "As the season goes along, each of us should show improvement. Right now, the key for us is getting everyone healthy for practice and games."
Aloysius Anagonye added 11 points for the Spartans, who have won 26 straight season openers. Michigan State last lost an opener since 1976, when it fell to Central Michigan 81-76.
Andre Smith scored 18 points and Bryan McCullough added 12 for the Bulldogs. Smith raised his career total to 1,004 points, becoming the 22nd player in school history with 1,000 points.
After Michigan State scored the first six points of the second half to open up the largest lead of the game, 44-24, sloppy play by the Spartans allowed the Bulldogs to pull to 58-49 with 3:26 left.
"There was plenty of good and plenty of bad for an opener," said Izzo, who is now 8-0 in openers at MSU. "We had a couple of chances to knock them out a couple of times. But not getting it done is more of a credit to them."
However, Michigan State answered with an 8-2 run, including a 3-pointer by Hill, to seal the win.
"We're disappointed in the game, because we came up here to win the basketball game," said Bulldogs coach Eddie Biedenbach. "I told our guys that we played them even in the second half. But we're not looking for moral victories."
Hill had a 3-pointer and layup to start off the game as the Spartans opened an 11-0 lead. Asheville didn't score its first basket until Joe Barber hit an 8-foot jumper with 14:59 left in the first half.
Michigan State used its deep bench and tenacious defense to dominate the first half. The Spartans, who used 11 players in first half, built their lead to as many as 17 points.
