Irish grads battle in Big Ten contest

Tyra Grant's Penn State defeated Courtney Davidson's Michigan State.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Former Ursuline High teammates Courtney Davidson and Tyra Grant met for the first time in college, as Grant's Penn State Nittany Lions upended Davidson's Michigan State Spartans 69-58 in a Big Ten women's basketball game on Thursday.
Both players struggled shooting the ball.
Grant, a freshman who was named Ohio's Ms. Basketball last season, shot just 1 of 10 from the field for two points, but she added five rebounds and two assists.
Davidson, a junior who led the Irish to the Division III state title as a senior, shot 1 of 4 from the field, finishing with three points and four assists for the Spartans, who were ranked 23rd in the country entering the contest.
Grant was a sophomore starter on the 2004 team and also led the Irish to a state runner-up finish last year.
Leads Nittany Lions
Amanda Brown scored 27 points and Kam Gissendanner added 16 to lead Penn State.
Brown scored 17 points during a nine-minute stretch in the first half, helping the Lady Lions (10-11, 3-5 Big Ten) to a 36-29 halftime lead. Brianne O'Rourke added a season-high 15 points in the Nittany Lions' first victory over a ranked opponent since December 2005.
Spartans to scorer
Aisha Jefferson led Michigan State (15-5, 6-2) with 15 points.
The teams combined for six turnovers and managed just four points in the first 3:15, before Gissendanner and Courtney Molinaro combined to score eight straight points and give Penn State a 13-12 lead with 11:09 left in the first half.
Penn State opened up a 15-point lead in the second half. Michigan State rallied and closed within six with 4:58 left, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Michigan State shot 35 percent and lost its 13th straight game at the Bryce Jordan Center.