NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten and Kennedy Blair each scored 18 points, and Michigan State rallied in the second half to beat Colorado State 65-62 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
VanSlooten added 10 rebounds for Michigan State (23-8), the fifth seed in the Sacramento Region. The Spartans will play either No. 4 seed Oklahoma or No. 13 seed Idaho in the second round on Sunday.
Brooke Carlson had 26 points, six rebounds and three assists for No. 12 seed Colorado State (27-8), which played without leading scorer Lexus Bargesser. She suffered a non-contact injury during the Rams’ Mountain West Conference Tournament title run.
Hannah Ronsiek missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
Carlson had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half for Colorado State, which used a 9-0 run early to build a 29-27 advantage at the break. Michigan State, an 18 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook, connected on one of its first 14 3-point tries. VanSlooten had nine points and seven rebounds to keep the Spartans close.
Michigan State doubled its 3-point output in the third quarter and both were important. Jalyn Brown connected to pull the Spartans within 39-38. Blair’s 3 tied it at 47-all.
Michigan State took a 52-49 lead on a 3-pointer by Brown early in the fourth, and the Spartans never trailed again. Shortly thereafter, VanSlooten stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a layup that made it 54-51.
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