EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) 鈥 Michigan State women's basketball players wiped away tears as they stood shoulder to shoulder during a moment of silence before losing to No. 8 Maryland 66-61 on Saturday, less than a week after three students were killed in a shooting on campus.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of us for just showing up," said Julia Ayrault, who led the Spartans with 15 points. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to come back and play a game that seems so small."
Diamond Miller scored 29 points and helped the Terrapins (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) hold on for the win after leading by 16 points in the second half.
鈥淲e knew today would be extremely emotional,鈥 Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. 鈥淢ichigan State was one possession away from taking this game from us.鈥
The Spartans (13-13, 5-10) rallied to have a chance at pulling off an upset, coming up short after DeeDee Hagerman missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e strong,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e resilient. They did not stop.鈥
Michigan State players wore white shirts with 鈥淪partan Strong" and the school's logo in green during warmups while coaches, support staff, administrators, cheerleaders and mascot sported the tops all afternoon.
鈥淲e all need healing and sports can do that,鈥 said Michigan State acting coach Dean Lockwood, who has filled in for Suzy Merchant since she was in a car crash last month. 鈥淲e wanted this to be a healing event for our community.鈥
The victims, and survivors, were honored with pregame remarks as athletic events resumed on a campus and community reeling from the tragedy. On Saturday, four of the wounded students remained in critical condition at a Lansing hospital and one was still hospitalized in stable condition.
for Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner while Arielle Anderson's funeral is scheduled for next week. They were among eight students shot two buildings that are one-third of a mile apart on winding sidewalks on campus.
Police say , a 43-year-old man with no connection to the school, went into Berkey Hall where evening classes were being held and opened fire in a classroom then walked about 5 minutes away to the MSU Student Union and fired more shots before fleeing and dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.
The union, which would normally be open on a Saturday afternoon, had signs in door windows that informed visitors it was .
Red and yellow flowers were placed in door handles at the the northern entrance and on the other side, a slew of flower bouquets were strewn on steps on a sun-splashed, relatively warm afternoon. Near the Berkey Hall sign, flowers and candles were placed in a tree bed where Michigan State graduate Pedro Kuyenga bowed his head for a few minutes.
鈥淚 prayed for the souls of the students who departed unexpectedly and sadly,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 prayed to give the families affected comfort, and the knowledge and wisdom to the hospital staff helping the students recover.鈥
Streams of people also visited 鈥淭he Rock,鈥 a community gathering place that has become a makeshift memorial in the days since the attack, and the Spartan Statue, where a sea of flowers have been placed this week.
The Michigan State men鈥檚 basketball team, which like the women had a game postponed earlier in the week, traveled to play rival Michigan on the road Saturday night.
in Ann Arbor, were a long moment of silence was broken by the Michigan band playing 鈥淢SU Shadows,鈥 while Crisler Arena was dimly lit with green and white lights from LED wristbands that were given to fans.
鈥淚 thought it was a very classy move on their part," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after losing to Michigan 84-72.
The Wolverines, and their student section, wore maize shirts with across the chest.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: Miller, the Big Ten player of the week, needs more teammates to make shots than they did Saturday to make a deep runs in the conference and NCAA Tournaments.
Michigan State: Athletic director Alan Haller said he hoped the game that drew about 3,439 fans gave the grieving community a place to gather after athletic events were cancelled earlier in the week.
UP NEXT
Maryland: Host No. 7 Iowa on Tuesday. The two weeks ago.
Michigan State: Host Minnesota on Wednesday, the last home game for the Spartans
___
AP women’s college basketball: and and
