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On an afternoon when it was reported Thursday that UConn forward Katie Lou Samuelson could miss four months because of a non-surgical knee injury, the Huskies lost a second game at the Nancy Lieberman Classic to a Big Ten team on Friday, 64-60, after being held to just 24 percent shooting in the second half.
UConn (3-2) fell behind early, trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half. But the Huskies pulled within 45-41 after a Katie Lou Samuelson 3-pointer. A Melissa Grettentress layup made it a two-point game with 6:30 to play, and the Huskies’ Alyssa Andretti hit a 3-pointer with 5:31 to go to take the lead for good.
Arica Carter answered with a basket for the Spartans (3-0), but one minute later Gabrielle Cooper made one of two free throws to put UConn up 59-58. UConn then went cold, missing its next four shots. The Spartans converted six of seven shots to pull away, as Samuelson could not get in the way.
Michigan State, in year four of head coach Suzy Merchant’s revival of the program, was led by Carter, a junior forward who finished with 23 points. The Spartans made 39.8 percent of their shots. Samuelson led UConn with 17 points.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)