Louisville Center Lasege Gets Into First Game Since Ruling

Louisville center Muhammed Lasege played Saturday against Dayton, his first appearance in two seasons while his eligibility was put on hold by the NCAA.

Lasege, the tallest player on the team at 6 feet 11, entered to a standing ovation with 7:31 left in the first half and Dayton leading, 26-21.

He picked up a foul less than a minute later and scored his only first-half basket on a layup with 5:26 remaining. He was replaced by Hajj Turner with 3:36 remaining in the half. Dayton outscored the Cardinals, 14-2, during the four minutes Lasege played.

Lasege was cleared to play Thursday.

The NCAA had ruled Lasege ineligible for signing a contract to play basketball in Russia in 1998. Lasege said he thought he needed the contract to gain a travel visa and entry to the United States. He played in 13 games for a junior team near Moscow but never received any money.

Lasege, 20, sought a temporary injunction allowing him to play. A judge ruled this week the NCAA was incorrect in determining Lasege’s contract constituted “an intent to professionalize.”

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Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo and his wife, Lupe, have officially adopted a child--Steven Thomas Mateen Izzo.

The baby’s name honors three people.

Steven is for Steve Mariucci, Izzo’s boyhood friend and coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Thomas is in honor of Tom Izzo’s father. Mateen is for former Michigan State and current Detroit Pistons point guard Mateen Cleaves, who led the Spartans to the national championship last season.

The couple also has a 6-year-old girl, Raquel.

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Connecticut’s Ajou Deng, a 6-10 junior center, has left the team. He played in six games, averaging 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds. . . . Steve Scoggin, a freshman guard at Nevada Las Vegas, has left the team and is considering a transfer. . . . Michigan State freshman Marcus Taylor will be lost to the team for two to four weeks after he broke his right ring finger in a game last week. . . . Former New Mexico forward Malcolm Battles, who is accused of beating his 5-foot, 110-pound girlfriend during an argument Monday, said she cut her wrist while trying to get out of a window after they argued about another man she was seeing, KRQE-TV of Albuquerque reported. The 6-7, 250-pound junior was dismissed from the team after the incident.