PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo can see the positives and negatives all jumbled together for his 24th-ranked Spartans, from the good stretches where the ball goes inside to the bad ones when his team fires up quick 3-point attempts.Its still not smooth for us, the Hall of Fame coach said after Wednesdays 73-62 victory over St. Johns in the Battle 4 Atlantis. It might not be for a while.Freshman Miles Bridges had 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead the Spartans (3-2), who used a 17-4 burst midway through the second half to pull away late and build a 67-53 lead with about 2 1/2 minutes left.Eron Harris added 14 points for the Spartans, while Tum Tum Nairn Jr. -- a native of nearby Nassau -- matched his career high of 13 points in his return to the Bahamas.Michigan State has had a bumpy start to the season, starting with a loss to Arizona on a last-second basket in the opener. The Spartans managed just 48 points in a loss to current No. 1 Kentucky and barely beat Florida Gulf Coast at home over the weekend. Its part of a tough opening month that concludes with a trip to preseason No. 1 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Theres some frustrating moments, and its not all their fault, Izzo said. Its just the cards weve been dealt. ... Im asking a lot of these guys. And you know what? Im going to keep demanding it because thats what we do here.Marcus LoVett scored 20 points to lead the Red Storm (2-2), who shot around 31 percent and couldnt answer Michigan States clinching push.We tried everything -- inside, outside, we tried pick and roll, St. Johns coach Chris Mullin said. We got enough looks but didnt knock any down. When you shoot 30 percent, you arent going to win a game.BIG PICTURESt. Johns: When LoVett was hitting (13 points after halftime), St. Johns was right with Michigan State. But the Red Storm struggled most of the game, while Mullin particularly noted the teams eight assists as a sign of how the ball stuck.Thats really not the kind of game I want to play, Mullin said.Michigan State: The performance of Bridges and fellow freshman Nick Ward could be a welcome sign of hope for Michigan States frontcourt, which is down two big men due to knee injuries. Ward finished with nine points and a season-high 11 rebounds, and the Spartans desperately need more games like that from them going forward.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Spartans have slid significantly in the AP Top 25 from their No. 12 preseason spot, though they could start climbing again by getting through an Atlantis field that also includes No. 10 Louisville and No. 20 Baylor.DOMINANT BRIDGESThe 6-foot-7 Bridges had a double-double by halftime and finished 9 of 18 from the field, including 3 for 5 from 3-point range. He had three assists and one block in 35 minutes.Im just doing whatever Coach wants me to do, Bridges said. Wherever he puts me at, Im trying to create for others, score for myself, rebound. Like I said, if people double-team me, I can get my teammates open. Thats what I like to do: I like to see my teammates score more than I do.TUM TUMS BIG NIGHTNairn, a 5-foot-10 junior, had scored nine points through the first four games but blew past that with 11 after halftime. He hit 3 of 4 3-point attempts after never hitting more than one in any game in his career.There was also his highlight-reel moment when he threw down a huge dunk in transition to thrill the large gathering of family and friends on hand to catch his return to the Bahamas.UP NEXTSt. Johns: The Red Storm will face VCU on Thursday in the losers bracket on Day 2 of the three-games-in-three-days event.Michigan State: The Spartans advanced to Thursdays semifinals to face No. 20 Baylor, which beat VCU earlier Wednesday.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25Michael Thomas Womens Jersey . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Marcus Davenport Saints Jersey . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. http://www.shoptheofficialsaints.com/ . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Erik McCoy Womens Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Drew Brees Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium.Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell believes the club are in a powerful position going forward on and off the pitch following an AGM on Wednesday. The Scottish champions posted a small profit in the last financial year, and under Brendan Rodgers have a 10-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership after the opening quarter of the campaign.Celtic are chasing a sixth successive title and have also reached the final of the League Cup in a season in which the club has returned to the Champions League group stage after an absence of three years. Lawwell said: We are very well placed. The strategy will remain the same. We have to create value, we have to build and create Champions League players, and everything we do is centred around that. Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Peter Lawwell at the clubs AGM We will continue to invest in intellectual capital and where financial capital is limited we must be cleverer than everyone else in terms of player recruitment, our coaching and our sports science and we will continue to do that.We have a very strong financial foundation to take the club forward and thats the result of what we have done over the years.We have a fantastically equipped club and we have great infrastructure and we have to keep progressing and progressing and thats what everyone is focused on here. Getting better and better in everything we do is what we are all focused on to optimise the potential of this magnificent football club. Ronny Deila paraded the Scottish Premiership trophy for the second time last season Lawwell paid tribute to Ronny Deila after the Norwegian delivered the last two titles and a League Cup in 2014.But he revealedd the failure of Celtic to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League and win more domestic trophies ultimately cost Deila his job.dddddddddddd.Lawwell said: Overall, its been a good year off the park. On the park, its fair to say that we didnt meet expectations. In the previous year we felt there was progress and we had reasonable European performance with Ronny. We had won the league and the League Cup and we were hoping for the treble.But that progress didnt happen for many reasons. At the turn of the year we had a chance of a treble and it was disappointing we didnt get closer to that and the European campaign wasnt up to scratch. Celtic fan group the Green Brigade put on a display before a Champions League tie in October It would be fair to say that we didnt meet expectations. Ronny decided to move on and he left as a champion, a double-champion, and he kept the run of titles going to five-in-a-row and he should take a lot of credit for that. Hes a very fine man and we wish him all the best for the future.Off the park, we continued to build the club and continued to learn and do the right things, which means we are in an excellent place, while there was room for improvement on the park.Meanwhile, Celtic also confirmed at the meeting that the board members plan to meet with the shareholders behind Resolution 12 in the next week.The group first raised concerns over the governance of Scottish football which they believe cost Celtic Champions League income in 2013 and have been in contact with UEFA and the SFA over the issue.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: Celtic play down Gerrard link Sinclair eyes England call Celtic stats Get £10 free bet! ' ' '