Women's Basketball Defeats Kansas, Advances to WNIT Quarterfinals to Face Michigan :: Spartans top Jayhawks, 58-54, behind Allyssa DeHaan's team-high 16 points.

March 27, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's basketball team defeated Kansas, 58-54, in the third round of the WNIT Thursday night at the Breslin Center. The Spartans (21-13) advance to the WNIT quarterfinals to take on Michigan Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Breslin Center.

Allyssa DeHaan led MSU with 16 points and also collected seven rebounds and four blocks. In the game, DeHaan scored her 900th career point and grabbed her 500th career rebound.

Kalisha Keane scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season with 10 points and became the top freshman scorer in school history. Keane has 414 points for the season, surpassing the previous record of 411 set by DeHaan last year.

Brittney Thomas also scored 10 points and had seven rebounds with three assists.

Danielle McCray led the Jayhawks (17-16) with 18 points.

"I thought our kids did a good job of getting a bucket when we needed it, and getting a stop or a rebound when we needed to," said MSU head coach Suzy Merchant. "And then at the end making free throws, when it's a tight game, it comes down to the line, and I thought our kids did a nice job of stepping up with some confidence."

In a back-and-forth affair, the game featured nine ties and 12 lead changes, and neither team led by more than seven points. Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field, but the difference was free throws, as MSU hit 15-of-17 shots (88 percent) from the line.

Michigan State missed its first nine 3-point attempts, but Keane drained two 3's and Mandy Piechowski hit one down the stretch to help the Spartans notch the victory. Keane's second 3-pointer put MSU up 50-45 with 4:17 remaining, and two DeHaan free throws pushed the lead to 52-45 at the 3:40 mark.

Kansas cut the margin back down to three at 52-49, but would get no closer, as MSU hit two field goals and two free throws in the last minute to seal the win.

With the win, MSU improves to 8-1 on the season in games decided by five points or less.

The Spartans and Wolverines will meet for the third time this season on Sunday. Each team won on its home floor, as Michigan won in Ann Arbor, 64-55, and the Spartans won in East Lansing, 61-58.

Michigan (19-13) beat Southern Miss, 59-45, in Ann Arbor on Thursday.