Michigan State Kicks Off March Madness Sunday Night Against Delaware

March 16, 2007

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Fans Invited To Spend Saturday With The Spartan Women's Basketball Team
Saturday Practice & Press Conference

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Head coach Joanne P. McCallie's favorite time of the year has rolled around once again.

This time, the most successful coach in Michigan State women's basketball postseason history, won't even have to leave home to enjoy March Madness, as MSU is set to host eight teams for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 20.

After a 23-8 season, No. 23/23 Michigan State earned a five-seed as an at-large bid to the 64-team field and is set to face Delaware at 7 p.m. on Sunday on ESPN2 at the Breslin Center.

Finishing in third with a 13-3 record in Big Ten play, the Spartans are led by four players who average in double figures, with senior Victoria Lucas-Perry averaging 13.5 points, freshman Allyssa DeHaan notching 12.6 and sophomore Aisha Jefferson and senior Rene Haynes both posting 10.3 points per night.

Delaware is 26-5 after going 16-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association, and along with Old Dominion and James Madison, is one of a conference-record three schools to earn bids to the tournament this season. Senior Tyresa Smith leads the team, averaging 19.8 points per game.

Spartan Notables
• The Spartans five-seed is the fourth highest in school history.

• Michigan State is one of 21 teams in the nation to earn bids to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five years.

• Michigan State is 5-1 in NCAA Tournament First Round games and 2-4 in NCAA Second Round competition.

• Sophomore Aisha Jefferson is the team's top returning scorer from last year's NCAA Tournament team. She averaged 13.0 points per game in the three-game run to the regional semifinals.

• Michigan State is three blocked shots away from becoming the first team in Big Ten history to swat 200 shots in a season.

• Freshman Allyssa DeHaan broke the Big Ten's single-season record for blocked shots against Purdue and her 138 rejections is currently tied for eighth in NCAA history.

• Senior Victoria Lucas-Perry has scored 20 or more points eight times this season. Her 418 points are 21st in school history.

• Lucas-Perry, a 5-9 guard, has five or more rebounds in eight of the last 10 games.

• Sophomore guard Mia Johnson had 13 rebounds during the Big Ten Tournament, an average of 6.5 per game.