#9 seeded MSU women in Sweet 16 in NCAAs

MSU women face Middle Tennessee in NCAAs

POSTED BY KIRKLAND CRAWFORD • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • March 16, 2009

Michigan State's women's basketball team has been granted an at-large big to the NCAA tournament. The Spartans, seeded No. 9, will face No. 8 seed Middle Tennessee State in the first round in the Berkley Region.

The Spartans (20-10) did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament last season and lost in the finals of the NIT to Marquette. This is the first trip to the NCAAs for coach Suzy Merchant at MSU.

Middle Tennessee State (28-5) won the Sun Belt tournament championship over Arkansas-Little Rock.

If MSU wins, they'll face the winner of the 1/16 matchup between top-seeded Duke and Austin Peay. Duke is coached by former MSU coach Joanne P. McCallie.

Go State

Sorry if women's sports are boring to you...

I thought it was noteworthy since the women's Basketball team also made the NCAA tournament.

catbox_9 wrote:

Go State

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Sorry if women's sports are boring to you...

I thought it was noteworthy since the women's Basketball team also made the NCAA tournament.

Shame on you Catbox!

Actually; I think the women play as hard as their male counterparts and are more team oriented


Too bad they don't get as much media attention as the men

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Michigan State 63, Duke 49
MSU women shock Duke to reach Sweet 16
Spartans beat No. 1 seed, former coach
David Goricki / The Detroit News

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State in the Sweet 16?

Sure the men are there.

But the women? No one thought the Spartans could make a run in the NCAA Women's Tournament, especially without a true point guard controlling Suzy Merchant's offense.

And nobody believed Michigan State, a No. 9 seed, even had a legitimate chance to hang with Duke, the No. 1 seed in the Berkeley Regional.

But that's exactly what the Spartans did, and more.

Defying the odds -- and the emotion of playing against their former coach, Duke's Joanne P. McCallie -- Michigan State proved the skeptics wrong and shocked women's college basketball with a 63-49 thumping of Duke on Tuesday at Breslin Center.

"Sweet," is all Merchant could say about her team's trip to Berkeley, Calif., for a game Saturday against Iowa State, which beat Ball State, 71-57, Tuesday night.

The victory for Michigan State, which limited Duke to its lowest point total this season, is among the biggest in school history.

Sure, Michigan State rallied to stun Tennessee in the Tournament in 2005, but MSU was favored in that game.

By the numbers

1 Turnovers by Michigan State guard Mia Johnson. She had five in the first round against Middle Tennessee

7:37 No Duke baskets during this time span to end the game

14 Largest margin of defeat for Duke in the NCAA Women's Tournament

16-2 Michigan State run over the final 5:36 to put the game away.

1998 The last time a No. 9 beat a No. 1 in the NCAA Women's Tournament (Notre Dame defeated Texas Tech)

Tuesday's shocker was out of left field. It was the first time since 1998 that a No. 9 seed beat a No. 1 seed.

"From the opening tip, we knew we had this game," said junior center Lauren Aitch, who came off the bench to score 15 points and grab six rebounds. "Just how the tip went, you knew we were going to be fighting. We came out with so much fire."

As for Duke, its run of 11 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances came crashing down.

And for McCallie, the ending was tough to take, especially since two of her last three games at Breslin Center ended in big losses in the Tournament.

"We played very poorly," she said. "And if a team plays poorly, you have to give credit to the other team for doing some better things.

"Lauren Aitch and Mia Johnson were the difference in this game. There's nothing else to say about it."

But for Johnson, there was plenty to say.

Filling in for the injured Brittney Thomas (knee), Johnson led the Spartans with 17 points and had four assists.

But the most astonishing stat was this: Johnson had one turnover.

"Amen to that one," Johnson said of her nearly turnover-free game against a stingy Duke pressure defense. "It's all about my teammates believing in me."

Merchant said: "For us to have 14 turnovers is borderline a miracle against anybody, and for us to do it against Duke is pretty spectacular. It speaks volumes what a little focus and toughness can do."

The game, however, was still in doubt with just under eight minutes remaining.

That's when Aitch and Johnson -- along with the Spartans defense -- took over.

Aitch started the final tally with back-to-back inside shots to give Michigan State a 51-47 lead.

Then, Johnson had two driving layups to extend the lead to 55-47 with 1:54 left.

But the defense is what really stood out.

Michigan State was ranked No. 4 nationally in shooting defense, and limited Duke to 26.9-percent shooting (18-of-67). It held 6-foot-5 All-American Chante Black to four points.

"They knew we wouldn't back down when we had that jump ball (off the opening tip)," Spartans junior forward Aisha Jefferson said. "That set the tone for the whole game. Our game plan was to protect the paint. We're good on defense. That's our go-to. We definitely took care of the paint tonight."

And when the buzzer sounded, the Spartans players and their fans took care of the paint another way -- with a wild on-court celebration.

And all McCallie could do was watch as the program she built sent her back to Durham, N.C. frustrated and disappointed.

You can reach David Goricki at david.goricki@detnews.com.

GO MSU WOMEN


Be awesome if both the ladies and mens teams won it all this year


Sparty On!