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Sunday, April 1
Quiet night after Michigan State loss
Associated Press
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State's loss to Arizona
brought big but relatively calm crowds to a campus that had turned
violent after Final Four appearances the previous two years. "All went well, with the exception, of course – the loss of the
basketball game," East Lansing police Sgt. Mark Van Dewouwer said. Michigan State was beaten 81-60 in the NCAA semifinals Saturday
night, ending the Spartans' bid for a second straight national
championship. The streets cleared Saturday night as a light rain fell, turning
to snow before dawn. Campus and East Lansing police reported calm
overnight. Rioting followed Michigan State's loss to Duke in the tournament
semifinal in 1999, causing extensive property damage. Police
arrested 132 people on a variety of charges. Sixty-one were
arrested after the team's Final Four and championship victories
last year. This year, police blocked off the Cedar Village apartment
complex, where some of the worst violence occurred two years ago. Officers arrested several people for throwing beer bottles and
other objects, then took them in handcuffs to a police van near
Cedar Village. Two helicopters hovered overhead while mounted police made their
way through the crowd of about 2,000, attracting boos and profane
chants. But the Cedar Village crowd dissipated, and police removed the
barricades about 10 p.m., about two hours after the game ended. At the Breslin Center, the Spartans' home court, about 5,000
people watched the game on video scoreboards.
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