Michigan State women shake off rust, avoid upset to start NCAA Tournament
· Yahoo Sports
Michigan State women's basketball hadn't played a game in more than two weeks.
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It took a while to shake off the rust, but the Spartans did just that in the nick of time to beat Colorado State, 65-62, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night in Norman, Okla.
Michigan State (23-8), the No. 5 seed, avoided the upset by No. 12 Colorado State (27-8), the Mountain West champion that was playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade.
Michigan State was playing for the first time since March 5.
And it seemed to show for much of Friday night's game, starting 1-for-15 from 3-point range. For the game, the Spartans shot just 19% (4-for-21) from 3-point range.
Redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair (Dearborn Divine Child) led Michigan State with 18 points, including a big basket with under a minute left to extend the lead to five points, 64-59. She also had three blocks. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Brooke Carlson led Colorado State with 26 points, including a 3-pointer with under 40 seconds left to pull her team within 65-62.
The Rams, who had won nine straight games, got one last look to tie the game in the final seconds, but senior guard Hannah Ronsiek's shot from the corner was off the mark as the clock struck zero.
Colorado State, looking for just its sixth NCAA Tournament win and first since 2001, led, 29-27, at halftime. The game was tied at 47 at the half, after Blair had a block and then made a 3-pointer late in the third quarter.
But Michigan State seized command early in the final quarter, with senior guard Jayla Brown making an early 3-poointer to give the Spartans a three-point lead. They never trailed again. Colorado State pulled to with three points a couple more times, but Michigan State had answers nearly every time in a game neither team led by more than six points.
The Spartans next will play Sunday, against either No. 4 seed (and site host) Oklahoma or No. 13 Idaho. They were playing in the game later Friday night. Tip time for Sunday was still TBD on Friday night.
Michigan State avoided losing to a double-digit seed for the first time. The Spartans improved to 10-0 against teams seeded 10th or worse in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State also avoided being the first 12 seed to lose to a 5 since 2023, and just the second Big Ten 5 seed to lose to a 12 (Purdue, to Notre Dame, in 1996).
Colorado State was missing its leading scorer, senior guard Lexus Bargesser, who was injured in the Mountain West tournament semifinals.
Who does Michigan State play next in the Women's NCAA Tournament?
No. 5 Michigan State will play the winner of Friday night's game between No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 13 Idaho.
When does Michigan State play next in the Women's NCAA Tournament?
Michigan State will play in the second round Sunday. The tip-off time was TBD as of 9 p.m. Friday.
What TV channel does Michigan State play on next in the Women's NCAA Tournament?
The game will be on an ESPN channel; which one still was TBD as of 9 p.m. Friday.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State women shake off rust, avoid upset to start NCAA Tournament