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Indianapolis, Ind.--The Michigan State Spartans (26-3, 14-2) shut-out the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-12, 7-9) in overtime to record a 61-50 victory and move into the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the second straight year.
The two teams played as close as two teams can during the first 40 minutes, but rebounding and defensive pressure carried the Illini on an 11-0 run in the extra session.
The play in the early going was fast and furious. At each opportunity, both teams looked to get out and advance the ball. Illinois guard Maggie Acuna created a number of fantastic scoring opportunities on creative passing, including cross-court and between the legs passes. Acuna finished the game without a point, but with seven boards and five assists.
With just under nine minutes remaining in the first half, Illinois took the first two-possession lead when Sophomore Erin Wigley hit a 12-foot jumper from the center of the lane to give the Illini a 15-11 lead.
After allowing Illinois to increase their lead to six, the Spartan defense forced three straight 30-second shot clock violations to stymie the Michigan State offense and pull the game to a one-point differential, 19-18, with just four minutes left in the first period.
As the clock approached 2:00 in the first half, Illinois' Tiffanie Guthrie rebounded an errant Danyel Crutcher free throw and, when she went back up, was fouled by Kelli Roehrig. Guthrie's basket and subsequent free throw gave the Fighting Illini a 24-20 lead.
The story in the first half was Illinois' ability to get second opportunities on the offensive end. Of the Fighting Illini's 28 first half points, 12 came on second chances.
Guthrie led all scorers in the first half with 14. She also added four offensive rebounds. Wigley also had a strong first 20 minutes, scoring six points and posting seven boards.
On Michigan State's side of the court, Roehrig posted a team-best 10 points in the opening period in addition to her seven rebounds. The senior center finished the night with her seventh double-double of year, with 15 points and 11 boards.
Just over five minutes into the second half, Spartan guard Kristin Haynie was charged with her third personal foul and was forced back to the bench, where she spent a significant of time in the first half with two fouls.
The game continued to jostle back and forth for the second half, with neither team owning more than a four-point advantage. After missing her only two attempts in the first half, Michigan State All-Big Ten selection Lindsay Bowen started connecting from down town, hitting two big threes down the stretch. The junior finished the night with 11 points.
Guthrie paced the Illini, scoring 20 and collecting 10 rebounds and Wigley came to play as well, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Their performances marked the third double-double this season for both.
Guthrie continued to provided second chances for her team. With 35 seconds remaining in regulation, Angelina Williams' jumper hit off the rim and Guthrie came cutting across the lane to corral the rebound, which allowed her, after a timeout, to take a last-second shot. Guthrie, however, could not connect and the game went into overtime, tied at 50. The All-Big Ten team member Williams finished the game with 12 points.
Entering overtime, fatigue also had to become a factor both teams had only five players crack the scoring column. Illinois only had five players see more than 10 minutes of action and Michigan State had only six.
At the 3:00 mark, up 52-50, Haynie hit a three from straight on to give the Spartans a five-point advantage. Then with just under a minute remaining, Haynie took a hand-off from Liz Shimek on the block and converted a lay-up to give the Spartans a nine-point lead. Haynie finished with 13 points on the night. Shimek totaled eight points and eight boards in the context.
The Spartans picked up the defense in the extra period, outscoring the Illini 11-0 in the extra five minutes.
Michigan State moves on to face the winner of Friday's final game, Penn State vs. Iowa. The Spartans swept the season-series against Iowa and lost to Penn State by 17 in Happy Valley in January. Check back to BigTen.org for the latest news, scores, and stats from the 2005 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament
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