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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Charlie Bell and Magic Johnson have
more in common than just a national championship ring from Michigan
State.
|  | | Charlie Bell (14) is fouled by Oakland's Jason Rozycki (21) while driving the lane. |
They are the only two players in Spartans history to record
triple-doubles.
Bell had 13 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds to lead the Spartans (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 3 AP) to a 97-61 win over Oakland (Mich.) University on Sunday
in their season opener.
Bell said it is an honor to share such a distinction with
Johnson.
"That's the greatest point guard ever at Michigan State and in
the NBA," Bell said. "To have my name mentioned with him is
great. He had (eight) of them, so I have more to get."
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was impressed with Bell's
performance.
"Here's a kid who really wasn't a point guard or even
considered a passing guard," Izzo said. "Everybody knew he could
rebound and score. I would almost call it a quardruple-double
because I really think the defense he played might have been what
won the game.
"I think he's the best rebounding guard in the country and one
of the best defensive guards in the country. You look at all the
preseason hype and he's never in the defensive player of the year
category. If there's a better defensive guard, I want to see him."
Bell wasn't the only Spartan to ensure that Oakland wouldn't
earn a second upset in the state this weekend after it beat
Michigan 97-90 Friday at home.
Jason Richardson scored a career-high 25 points on an array of
dunks, 3-pointers and driving layups. Richardson also had a
career-high eight assists.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore was 9-of-14 overall and 3-of-5 on
3-pointers.
Richardson did little more than dunk last season, but during the
summer he effectively worked on shooting 3-pointers and creating
shots off the dribble.
"I'm happy to show that I can do more than just dunk,"
Richardson said. "I took over 1,000 shots every day during the
offseason."
The only tension for Michigan State came in the few awkward
moments it took to unveil the "NCAA Champions 2000" banner in the
rafters.
A 29-5 run midway through the first half gave the Spartans a
43-13 lead, which it was able to easily maintain. Richardson
ignited the burst with eight straight points and closed it with a
19-footer.
Dan Buddenborg led Oakland (1-1) with 21 points. Kelly Williams
added 10 points.
Oakland coach Greg Kampe said the Spartans will be better than
they were the last two years because they're a better shooting team
with more depth that will continue to concentrate on defense and
rebounding.
That being said, Kampe was still disappointed with how his team
played after beating Michigan.
"I think after Friday night we felt we could do a little better
here," Kampe said. "I don't think we had any thoughts coming in
here and winning, but I thought we would be able compete better."
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Oakland Clubhouse
Michigan State Clubhouse
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