Spartans conquer Cardinal, earn first trip to Final Four
Make some room, Michigan State men. You have company.
Liz Shimek and the Michigan State women also are going to the Final Four – a first for the program.
Shimek made a series of huge plays down the stretch, Lindsay Bowen made her only basket of the game at a critical time and the top-seeded Spartans beat No. 2 seed Stanford 76-69 in the Kansas City Regional final Tuesday night at Kansas City, Mo.
Michigan State (32-3) had never made it past the second round in five previous NCAA Tournament appearances, but the Spartans looked completely comfortable when they donned their championship caps, delighting a small but vocal band of supporters that included Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her two teenage daughters.
“Well, I tell you, Michigan State is the best,” coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “The people are amazing, the homegrown talent is very special. And we’re so proud of our men’s team — we’re going too, baby! We’re going too! I can’t wait!”
Michigan State becomes the sixth school to send teams to both the men’s and women’s Final Four. Connecticut did it just last year and each team won the national title, the only time that has happened.
Now, Michigan State has a chance for the double. But booking that trip wasn’t easy, even after the Spartans took a 13-point lead against the team that was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll.
Stanford (32-3) came back to tie the score three times, but never got the lead and its 23-game winning streak ended, denying the Cardinal a seventh Final Four trip.
“You dream about this moment and you dream about going to the NCAA Final Four and it hurts so much and you’re so close,” said Candice Wiggins, Stanford’s brilliant freshman. “It’s really hard, especially when you have a team like this. This is a special team.”
Shimek scored 17 of her 24 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds. When the Spartans needed something at the end, she was there – and so was Bowen.
With the score tied at 61, Michigan State’s Rene Haynes made four free throws and sank a 3-pointer to put the Spartans up 68-61, which proved to be just enough of a cushion.
Stanford drew to 70-69 on a three-point play by Wiggins with 43.6 seconds left. But Bowen, who had been 0 for 7, answered with her only basket of the game, a 15-footer with 27.1 seconds to go.
When Stanford’s Kelley Suminski missed a 3-point shot, Bowen was there for the rebound, producing a fastbreak layup by Kelli Roehrig. And Bowen stole the ball at the end to make two final free throws.
Wiggins led Stanford with 19, Brooke Smith scored 16 and Suminski 11.
Philadelphia Regional
(1) Tennessee 59, (3) Rutgers 49: Tennessee already gave coach Pat Summitt the record for career wins in this tournament. The Lady Vols now gave her something even more meaningful – a trip to the Final Four.
Shanna Zolman broke out of a slump with a couple of big baskets down the stretch, Nicky Anosike scored 14 points and the top-seeded Lady Vols beat Rutgers in the Philadelphia Regional final at Philadelphia.
“They were tough down the stretch,” Summitt said. “We had some big plays from a lot of different people.”
The Lady Vols (30-4) are in the Final Four for the fourth straight year, fifth time this decade and 16th time overall, all under Summitt. She extended her NCAA record with her 882nd career win.
Tennessee survived a long scoring drought, woeful shooting and a fine performance by Rutgers’ Cappie Pondexter in avenging a December loss to the Scarlet Knights (28-7).
For the first time in the tournament, Tennessee’s win didn’t come easy.
Pondexter scored 25 points and made nine of the Scarlet Knights’ 18 baskets, but she had little help until it was too late. The Scarlet Knights’ physical defense kept them in it until the end.
Tennessee, though, sank its last 12 free throws and that was just the cushion the Lady Vols needed to win their 12th straight game. Tennessee made 29 of 35 free throws; Rutgers was just 8 for 13.