2005-06 Women's Basketball Season Recap
4/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 6, 2006
Complete 2005-06 Season Recap in PDF Format
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The Michigan State women's basketball team finished the 2005-06 season with the second most wins in school history, advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for a school-record fourth consecutive time. MSU closed the year with a 24-10 record and tied for third in the conference standings with an 11-5 Big Ten mark. It marks the third straight 20-win season for MSU, a program first.
The Spartans played arguably the toughest schedule in school history, playing 12 games against ranked teams, including three Final Four teams. All of MSU's losses came to NCAA Tournament teams, and eight of those losses were against teams ranked in the top 10. The Spartans defeated three ranked teams with wins over No. 16 Oklahoma, No. 8 Rutgers and No. 11 Minnesota.
The tough schedule propelled the Spartans to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The road to their second straight Sweet 16 began with a dominating 65-46 victory over No. 13 seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the first round. In the second round, MSU faced a determined fifth-seeded Kentucky squad, but the Spartans rallied from nine points down in the second half to get past the Wildcats, 67-63. Michigan State's season ended with an 86-61 loss to top-seeded Duke in the Bridgeport Regional semifinal.
Michigan State, which owns a 57-14 record (.803) the past two seasons, also delivered a school-record home court winning streak this season. The Spartans won 23 straight games at home (dating back to last season), besting the previous streak by eight games. The streak was snapped on a last-second shot by Ohio State on Jan. 22. The Spartans, who host first and second round NCAA Tournament games next season, are 27-1 the last two years at the Breslin Center.
Fans responded to the team's success and again came out in droves this season. MSU set school attendance records as 101,802 fans came to 15 games, good for a record-average of 6,787. The Spartans had five of their top 10 crowds in program history this season, including 12,088 on Jan. 1 vs. Michigan, the second largest in school history. MSU closed the regular season ranked 10th in the nation in attendance.
Individually, several Spartans had outstanding seasons, led by seniors Lindsay Bowen and Liz Shimek. Bowen and Shimek leave MSU as the winningest class in school history with 96 wins and are the top two scorers in school history. Shimek claimed the scoring title with 1,780 points, while Bowen ranks second with 1,739 points. The duo played the most games in MSU history - 131 - and started in every one of them.
 Liz Shimek - MSU's all-time leading scorer and rebounder  | |
Shimek delivered one of the finest offensive seasons in MSU history her final year in East Lansing, setting school single-season records for points (597) and field goals (249). Her 17.6 scoring average tied for fourth best at MSU and her 280 rebounds were eighth best. In addition to her scoring title, she is first all-time in the Spartan record books in rebounds (1,130) and field goals (719). She scored 20-plus points 13 times and was named Big Ten Player of the Week a school-record four times. Shimek earned honorable mention Associated Press All-America honors, first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named to national player of the year watch lists for the Wooden Award, the Naismith Award and the Wade Trophy. Off the court, she garnered first-team Academic All-America accolades for her 3.72 GPA in General Management, becoming just the second player in program history to earn first-team Academic All-America honors.
Bowen, the top 3-point shooter in school history, is MSU's all-time leader in 3-pointers (294), 3-point field-goal percentage (.401) and free-throw percentage (.878). Her 294 3-pointers rank tied for 19th all-time in NCAA history. She averaged 12.4 points per game her senior season and hit 68 3-pointers, good for fourth best in a MSU season. Bowen made the transition to starting point guard, and responded with a team best 130 assists while being named one of 11 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is awarded to the nation's top point guard.
Junior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry had the best offensive season of her career, scoring a career-best 10.2 points while grabbing 4.8 rebounds a game, good for third on the team. Lucas-Perry received All-Big Ten honors for the first time, as she was an honorable mention selection by the coaches and media.
Fellow junior guard Rene Haynes also stepped up her game in a starting role, setting career bests in points (8.8 pg), steals (2.1 pg), rebounds (4.0 pg) and assists (3.4 pg).
Freshman forward Aisha Jefferson, who started the last 16 games for the Spartans, improved dramatically throughout the season, transforming from a role player to MSU's second-highest scorer in the NCAA Tournament at 13.0 ppg. Jefferson, an All-Big Ten Freshman selection, was second on the team with 5.0 rpg, fourth in steals with 51, and fifth in scoring with 6.6 ppg. She scored in double-figures seven times, including a career-high 20 in the final home game vs. Iowa.
Several players provided minutes off the bench, including sophomore center Laura Hall, sophomore guards Courtney Davidson and Maggie Dwyer and freshman center Lauren Aitch.
Hall started 12 games at the beginning of the season before becoming the first post option off the bench. She averaged 4.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 15.3 minutes. Hall came up big against Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, pouring in eight points on 3-for-5 shooting.
Dwyer started five games in the first half of the Big Ten season and was labeled a "sixth starter" by Coach McCallie for her contributions off the bench later in the year. She was one of the team's top defenders and was a force on the offensive glass - 43 of her 88 rebounds were on the offensive end. Dwyer played 12.4 minutes a game, scoring 2.4 ppg and grabbing 2.7 rpg.
Davidson's minutes increased at the end of the season, as she averaged 14.9 a game the last seven contests of the year. Overall, she was fifth on the team with 50 assists and averaged 1.7 ppg in 7.7 minutes of action. She scored a career-high nine points in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal vs. Ohio State.
Aitch averaged 2.6 ppg and 1.7 rpg in 32 games of action. She added depth in the post and will look to increase her role next season.
Juniors Myisha Bannister and Katrina Grantham saw their seasons end early due to knee injuries. Bannister, who played in 10 games and started in six, tore her ACL in her right knee in the Oklahoma game on Dec. 21 and was lost for the season. Grantham, who saw action in 20 games, was unavailable in the postseason after getting surgery on her left knee prior to the Big Ten Tournament.
Freshman guards Tiffanie Shives and Jenny Poff played in 26 and 21 games, respectively, while sophomore forward Alisa Wulff played in three games.
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE SEASON
The Spartans entered the 2005-06 season with their highest preseason ranking in school history - 10th in the Associated Press poll - after advancing to the 2005 NCAA championship game.
MSU rolled to easy home wins over UC Santa Barbara and Western Carolina to open the season before embarking on a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam Tournament over Thanksgiving break. The tournament featured one of the top fields in the nation, showcasing No. 2 Tennessee, No. 10 Maryland and Gonzaga. MSU fell to the Lady Vols in a rematch of the 2005 Final Four, and after leading at halftime, dropped a decision to Maryland, the eventual national champion.
The Spartans got back on track by defeating Gonzaga, and the win over the Bulldogs sparked a six-game winning streak, capped by a dominating 20-point victory over No. 16 Oklahoma in Norman, 80-60, on Dec. 21. MSU also beat Pepperdine, Detroit, South Florida and Houston during that stretch.
The Green and White came back from Christmas break with a grueling task - playing six games in 13 days, including two against nationally-ranked opponents. MSU opened by falling at No. 3 LSU on Dec. 28, but came back to crush Central Michigan by 25 points on Dec. 30. On New Year's Day, 12,088 fans - the second largest crowd in program history - came out to see the Spartans defeat Michigan, 77-44. After a 22-point win over Penn State on Jan. 5, MSU hosted No. 8 Rutgers in a nationally-televised game on CBS two days later. The Spartans thrilled the crowd of over 9,000 with an 11-point second-half comeback over the Scarlet Knights, keyed by Lindsay Bowen's team-high 22 points, to pull out the 73-71 win.
MSU returned to the Big Ten portion of its schedule with a three-game road swing at Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Spartans lost two of three, rallying for a win against Wisconsin, and came back home to defeat Illinois, 72-61, on Jan. 19.
The Spartans had their 23-game home court winning streak snapped in a heartbreaking loss to No. 7 Ohio State before a crowd of over 10,000 on Jan. 22. Down seven points with just 1:14 to play, MSU stormed back to tie the game at 65 with three seconds remaining. However, OSU's Jessica Davenport took a 40-foot pass and scored a layup at the buzzer for the dramatic 67-65 Buckeye victory. Playing its sixth top 10 team of the season, MSU then lost at Purdue on Jan. 26.
After starting out 4-4 in the Big Ten, the Spartans won seven of their last eight conference games to finish at 11-5, tied for third in the league standings. MSU began a six-game winning streak with a nine-point second-half comeback over Indiana, then rolled to road victories at Northwestern and Illinois.
 The Spartans defeated three ranked teams - Oklahoma, Rutgers and Minnesota | |
MSU played one of its best all-around games of the season in a 23-point, 84-61 thrashing of No. 11 Minnesota, starting the game on a 13-0 run and leading by 30 points (57-27) at halftime. The Spartans used one of their trademark second-half comebacks in a nationally-televised home game vs. Wisconsin, rallying from 14 points down to close the game on a 24-4 run and win the game, 53-47. MSU ended the home season with a 73-71 triumph over Iowa on Feb. 16. Lindsay Bowen became MSU's all-time leading scorer with 18 points in the game, including the go-ahead basket at the 2:34 mark.
The winning streak came to an end in Columbus, as the Big Ten Champion Ohio State Buckeyes defeated MSU for the second time of the year, but the regular season closed on a high note as the Green and White beat archrival Michigan for the eighth straight time.
MSU received the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament due to a tiebreaker with Minnesota, and opened the quarterfinal round vs. No. 5 Iowa. Although the two teams split the regular season series, the Spartans dominated the rubber match, as they jumped out to a 22-point halftime lead en route to the 79-58 victory. Liz Shimek scored a career-high 31 points vs. the Hawkeyes and passed Bowen to become MSU's all-time leading scorer. She went 14-for-16 from the field, which marked the second-best shooting performance in Big Ten Tournament history. The Spartans battled back-and-forth with top-seeded Ohio State in the semifinals, but fell short for the third time against the Buckeyes with a 68-64 loss.
The NCAA Tournament committee rewarded the Spartans' tough schedule and seeded MSU fourth in the Bridgeport Regional, with first and second round games in Chicago.
In the first round against No. 13 seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Spartans dominated the second half and Liz Shimek scored 27 points in the 65-46 victory.
In the second round vs. fifth-seeded Kentucky, Aisha Jefferson scored 14 first-half points, but the Spartans still trailed by one, 34-33, at the break. The Wildcats opened the second half on a 9-1 run to go up nine points. MSU's defense soon clicked in, however, and the Spartans rallied back for the 67-63 victory. The Green and White held Kentucky scoreless for over five minutes down the stretch and limited the Wildcats to just three points in the last 5:30. The gritty defensive performance placed MSU in its second straight Sweet 16.
MSU's magic in March ran dry in the Bridgeport Regional semifinal against top-seeded Duke. The Spartans trailed by eight at halftime, but the experience and depth of the Blue Devils was too much for MSU to overcome in the second half as Duke won, 86-61. The game was the last for seniors Lindsay Bowen and Liz Shimek, two of the top players in the history of the Michigan State program.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
• Michigan State made its school-record fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh overall trip to the Big Dance (previous trips in 1991, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005).
• The Spartans made their second straight trip to the Sweet 16. MSU defeated fifth-seeded Vanderbilt, 76-64, in their first-ever Sweet 16 contest in the 2005 Kansas City Regional.
• MSU is now 10-7 overall in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Spartans played 11 NCAA Tournament teams during the regular season, compiling a 7-9 record during those games. Michigan State played six teams with a No. 3 seed or higher, including victories over No. 2 seed Oklahoma and No. 3 seed Rutgers. The Spartans also played No. 1 seeds LSU and Ohio State, and No. 2 seeds Tennessee and Maryland.
• All of MSU's 10 losses came to NCAA Tournament teams, and eight of those losses were to teams ranked in the top 10 at the date of the game.
• Coach McCallie is 8-4 in NCAA Tournament games at MSU. Overall, she is 9-10 in the NCAA Tournament (fourth appearance with Michigan State; six trips with Maine).
• This was the second time MSU has been a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans were a No. 4 seed whey they lost to fifth-seeded Oklahoma State, 96-94 in triple overtime, in the second round of the 1991 tournament after receiving a first-round bye.
• MSU has played in four overtime tournament games (2-2 record)
OF NOTE...
• Michigan State's 24 wins this season were the second most in a single season in school history. The 2005 team set a school record with 33 victories (33-4). The Spartans are 57-14 (.803) the past two seasons.
• Michigan State has compiled three straight seasons of at least 20 victories (22 in 2003-04; 33 in 2004-05), a program first. It marks MSU's seventh 20-win campaign in program history.
• MSU won 10 of its last 13 games to close the season.
• MSU's 11-5 conference record was the second best in Coach McCallie's tenure. McCallie finished ninth her first two seasons, then tied for fourth two years in a row before claiming a share of the title in 2004-05. It marks only the fifth time in program history the Spartans have won at least 11 conference games and it's the fourth straight year MSU has won at least 10 Big Ten games.
• Senior forward Liz Shimek became MSU's all-time leading scorer in the Iowa game on March 3 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Shimek passed teammate Lindsay Bowen, who set the record herself in the previous Iowa game on Feb. 16 and is second on the MSU charts. Shimek finished her career with 1,780 career points.
• Freshman Aisha Jefferson averaged 13.0 ppg in the NCAA Tournament. Liz Shimek led the team in the tournament with 14.7 ppg.
• Shimek also established MSU single-season records for points (597) and field goals (249) this season. She tied the scoring record last year with 546 points.
• Shimek scored 27 points in the first round vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the second highest point total for a Spartan in a NCAA Tournament game.
BOWEN & SHIMEK - OUTSTANDING DUO
• Seniors Lindsay Bowen and Liz Shimek leave MSU as the winningest class in school history with 96 career wins. They also played the most games in school history - 131 - and started every single one of them.
 Lindsay Bowen, the best 3-point shooter in MSU history, won the ESPN Collegiate 3-Point Shooting Championship. | |
• Bowen and Shimek own six career records at Michigan State. Bowen is MSU's all-time leader in 3-pointers (294), 3-point field-goal percentage (.401) and free-throw percentage (.878), while Shimek is the school record-holder in points (1,780), rebounds (1,130) and field goals (719).
• Bowen and Shimek combined for 3,519 points in their careers and accounted for 44 percent of MSU's offense in 2005-06.
SHIMEK DRAFTED 18TH OVERALL IN WNBA DRAFT: Liz Shimek, the school's all-time leading scorer, was selected 18th overall in the 2006 WNBA Draft held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on April 5. Shimek was drafted in the second round by the Phoenix Mercury but was later traded to the Houston Comets. Shimek is the fifth Spartan to be selected in the WNBA Draft.
Last season, Kristin Haynie was selected ninth overall by the Sacramento Monarchs, becoming the first MSU player to be taken in the first round of the WNBA Draft. In 2000, Maxann Resse was selected No. 39 overall in the third round by the Portland Fire, and 12 picks later in the fourth round, Kristen Rasmussen was taken by the Utah Starzz. In 2003, Syreeta Bromfield was the No. 28 overall pick, going to the Detroit Shock in the third round.
The 2006 WNBA Draft consisted of three rounds, with 14 selections in each round.
ALL ABOUT DEFENSE: Coach McCallie stressed the importance of team defense, and when the team responded with a good defensive effort, the Spartans had the numbers to prove it results in victories. MSU was 14-0 when holding its opponent to under 60 points, and 22-2 when allowing less than 70 points. The only blemishes were last-second losses to Ohio State (67-65; 68-64). Conversely, MSU was just 2-8 when it gave up more than 70 points.
Offensively, the magic number was 68 - the Spartans were 18-0 when scoring at least 68 points this season.
POTENT PRESS: MSU stepped up its defensive pressure in the second half of the Big Ten season with a menacing press that ranged from full-court, to 3/4 court to half court. The Spartans were first in the Big Ten with 10.7 steals per game and registered 14 in the first half vs. Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
SPARTANS LAND ALL-BIG TEN HONORS: Liz Shimek was named a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and the media, becoming only the second Spartan since the inception of the two panels in 1996 to earn consensus first-team honors. Lindsay Bowen earned consensus second-team honors for the second straight year, Victoria Lucas-Perry was a consensus honorable mention selection, and Aisha Jefferson landed a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman team.
Shimek and Bowen became the first Spartans to garner All-Big Ten accolades four consecutive seasons.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Michigan State had one of the most challenging schedules in the nation in 2005-06, playing 11 games against teams ranked in the top 25 (AP). MSU's strength of schedule was listed as the 17th-most difficult according to CollegeRPI.com heading into the tournament.
MSU played five ranked teams in the non-conference season: Tennessee, Maryland, Oklahoma, LSU and Rutgers. In the conference season, MSU played Ohio State and Minnesota twice and Purdue once. The Spartans played Ohio State for a third time in the Big Ten Tournament.
DOMINATING AT HOME: The Spartans went 14-1 at home this year and have gone 27-1 at the Breslin Center the past two seasons. MSU had its school record 23-game home court winning streak snapped Jan. 22 vs. No. 7 Ohio State. It was the first home loss for MSU since Feb. 26, 2004 vs. No. 6/7 Penn State.
The Spartans won their 23rd straight at home on Jan. 19 over Illinois. MSU established a new school record for consecutive home wins with its 16th-straight victory at the Breslin Center vs. Pepperdine on Dec. 4. The Spartans went 13-0 at home last season. The Spartans won 15 straight from Feb. 12, 1999 -- Feb. 17, 2000. In addition, the Spartans have won 21 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.
CRASHING THE BOARDS: The Spartans were first in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+5.7) and second in the league in offensive rebounds (15.4 pg). MSU averaged 39.5 boards a game. MSU was 22-4 when outrebounding its opponent this season.
20 WINS...AND COUNTING: MSU won its 20th game of the season Feb. 16 vs. Iowa, marking the first time in program history the Spartans have recorded three straight 20-win seasons. Michigan State won 22 games in 2003-04 and 33 games last season. MSU had back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1976-77 (23) and 1977-78 (21).
PLAYER NOTES:
A LOOK AT ALL-EVERYTHING Liz Shimek: Senior forward Liz Shimek, MSU's all-time leading scorer, was named a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media. Shimek is only the sixth Spartan to earn first-team all-conference honors, and just the second Spartan since 1996 to be chosen as a consensus pick. She was drafted 18th overall in the second round of the WNBA Draft by Phoenix before being traded to Houston.
Nationally, Shimek was one of 20 players named to the Wooden Award Midseason All-America team. She was also a contender for the Naismith Award and the Wade Trophy, which is given to the national player of the year. She earned Associated Press and Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-America honors for the second straight season.
Shimek was second in the Big Ten in rebounding (8.3 rpg), third in scoring (17.6 ppg) and sixth in field-goal percentage (54.1). She was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after averaging 27 points and shooting 73 percent in MSU's two games, including a career-high 31 points vs. Iowa in the quarterfinals.
The General Management major also shined off the court, as she was named a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American for her 3.72 GPA in General Management. She is only the second player in program history to garner first-team honors (Deb Traxinger, 1982).
SHIMEK RECORD WATCH...
Shimek was the first Spartan and one of only five players in Big Ten history to score 1,700 points and collect 1,100 rebounds in a career. She became MSU's all-time leading scorer in the Iowa game on March 3, passing teammate Lindsay Bowen. She scored in double-figures in 29 of MSU's 34 games this season.
She became the school's all-time leading rebounder in the Penn State game on Jan. 5, passing Kristen Rasmussen. She finished with 1,130 career boards, which ranks fourth in Big Ten history, and her 719 field goals are first in school history. Shimek also set MSU single-season records in points (597) and field goals (249) this season.
BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK/NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE MONTH NOTES...
Shimek broke new ground this season by winning Big Ten Player of the Week accolades four times, including back-to-back weeks, which are both Spartan firsts. She earned the award five times in her career, which ranks first in the MSU record books. The Big Ten record for player of the week selections in one season is five, held by Kelly Mazzante, Lindsay Whalen and Jessica Davenport. Shimek is one of seven players to earn the award four times in one season.
Shimek was named the WBCA National Co-Player of the Month in December after averaging 22.9 points and 9.1 rebounds in 12 games, including three double-doubles.
FROM THE SUMMER TO THE POSTSEASON: A LOOK AT 2005-06...
The Empire, Mich., native, who was named a second-team preseason All-American by ESPN.com, polished her game over the summer by playing for Team USA at the World University Games in Turkey. Shimek averaged 7.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in helping the team win the gold medal.
The dominant power forward started out the season with a bang, scoring 26 points in the season opener vs. UCSB and 28 points vs. Western Carolina in game two. She was rewarded with Big Ten Player of the Week accolades Nov. 21. In her third home game vs. Pepperdine, she went 13-for-15 from the field, good for 28 points, and again earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors (Dec. 5).
Shimek, who averaged 18.7 ppg. at home, poured in 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds vs. Detroit on Dec. 7. She netted a career-high 10 free throws and scored 28 points in the win at South Florida Dec. 10. The impressive week vs. the Titans and Bulls landed Shimek Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the third time of the season.
Shimek was equally as impressive against top-notch competition. She tallied her 27th-career double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds at No. 16 Oklahoma on Dec. 21, and scored 19 points with a career-high six assists vs. No. 8 Rutgers on Jan. 7. Her performance against the Scarlet Knights helped her earn player of the week honors for the fourth time of the season on Jan. 9.
The co-captain scored 20-plus points on 13 occasions, and MSU's record in those games was 12-1 (only loss to Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament semifinals). She was second in the Big Ten in double-doubles (eight), and she had 31 career double-doubles. In conference games, she averaged 14.9 ppg and led the Big Ten in rebounding (8.5 rpg).
Lindsay Bowen FINISHES CAREER AS TOP LONG-RANGE SHOOTER IN MSU HISTORY: Senior guard Lindsay Bowen, a consensus second-team All-Big Ten selection, leaves MSU as the leading 3-point shooter in school history with 294 made, which also ranks tied for 19th in NCAA history and second in Big Ten history. She is also the fifth most accurate 3-point shooter in Big Ten history at 40.1 percent. Bowen won the ESPN Collegiate 3-point Championship on March 31, defeating Krista Rappahahn of Stanford in the women's final and Steve Novak of Marquette in the overall final.
Bowen is the second all-time leading scorer in Michigan State history, behind teammate Liz Shimek. Bowen was the first to reach the previous record, and briefly held the scoring title for three games before Shimek passed her on March 3.
Bowen's record-setting night came Feb. 16 vs. Iowa in her final home game. She hit a running jumper in the lane with 2:34 left in the game, breaking a 67-all tie to pass Kisha Kelley for the scoring record, and more importantly, the basket put the Spartans up for good in the 73-71 triumph. She finished with 1,739 career points.
Bowen was one of 11 nominees chosen for the 2006 Nancy Lieberman Award, which is given to the nation's top point guard. She led the team and ranked fourth in the league with 3.9 assists per game. In conference games, Bowen was second in the league in assists (4.4 pg).
Bowen is first in the MSU record books in 3-pointers (294), 3-point field-goal percentage (.401) and free-throw percentage (.878).
Off the court, Bowen was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for her 3.4 GPA in Kinesiology.
Victoria Lucas-Perry PROVIDES THIRD SCORING THREAT: Junior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry, who was named honorable mention All-Big Ten, was third on the team in scoring with 10.2 pgg and sixth in the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage at 38.7 percent. She was also third on the team with 4.8 rpg.
 Victoria Lucas-Perry, a honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, was third on the team with 10.2 ppg. | |
Lucas-Perry scored a season-high 23 points and hit a career-high four 3-pointers at Northwestern on Feb. 2. She scored a career-high 25 points vs. the Wildcats last season.
At No. 16 Oklahoma on Dec. 21, Lucas-Perry recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and registered another one vs. Iowa Feb. 16 (12 points, 10 rebounds). She tied her career high with four 3's in the first half of the Minnesota game en route to scoring 14 points in the game - all in the first half.
Over the summer, Lucas-Perry played on the Big Ten Foreign Tour team. She led all players with 4.8 rebounds per game while adding 8.2 points and 2.2 assists per game.
FRESHMAN MAKING AN IMPACT: Freshman forward Aisha Jefferson made an immediate impact this season, and started the last 16 games for the Spartans. Jefferson, who was named Ohio's Miss Basketball last year, was second on the team with 5.0 rebounds a game and was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team. She averaged 13.0 ppg in the NCAA Tournament.
Jefferson showed her potential early, grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds in the second game of the season vs. Western Carolina. She was clutch down the stretch in the Wisconsin win Jan. 12 - she scored the go-ahead basket for MSU with 1:06 remaining, giving the Spartans their first lead of the second half. She also hit two free throws in the last minute of the game, giving her nine points.
The Dayton, Ohio, native lit up Minnesota at home on Feb. 9, scoring 19 points to go along with nine rebounds and five steals. She scored a career-high 20 vs. Iowa in the final home game of the season, and scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half vs. Kentucky in the NCAA second-round game.
MSU SETS SINGLE-SEASON ATTENDANCE RECORD: Michigan State set school attendance records this season as 101,802 fans came to 15 games, good for an average of 6,787. The previous record was set last season, when 79,855 fans attended 13 home games for an average of 6,143. The Spartans had five of their top 10 crowds in program history this season, including 12,088 on Jan. 1 vs. Michigan, good for the second largest in school history. MSU finished 10th in the nation in attendance.
ESPN NAMES MSU COMEBACK VS. TENNESSEE THE NO. 16 MOMENT IN NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT HISTORY: In honor of the 25th anniversary of this year's NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, ESPN counted down the 25 most memorable moments of the tournament's history throughout the season. Michigan State's historic 16-point comeback win vs. Tennessee in the second half of the 2005 Final Four - tied for the biggest comeback victory in Final Four history - was ranked as moment No. 16 on the countdown. The Spartans defeated the Volunteers, 68-64, after trailing 45-29 with 16:02 remaining.
