Minneapolis - After a solid opening-round performance in the NCAA Tournament against Alcorn State, the top-seeded MSU women's basketball team will face No. 8 seed Southern Cal at 7 p.m. today.
"We did a lot of good things against Alcorn State," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said during Sunday's press conference. "But there are still a few things that we can work on and we are always working to get better."
The Spartans (29-3 overall) will meet the Trojans for just the third time in school history and have yet to record a victory against them. For the Spartans, balance has been the key for most of the season and has been a large reason why the team has been playing well.
"Someone is always stepping up a little more each game," McCallie said. "The balance on this team makes it fun to coach and even harder to play against. It is very hard to shut down this team when everyone is playing to their potential."
This marks the second straight year that the Spartans will play a second-round game, and with a win, it would be the first time the Spartans would advance to the Sweet 16.
"This season has been about hard work the whole time," junior forward Liz Shimek said. "We have constantly been getting better and it is about all of us reaching our potential together.
"Getting to the next round would just be another step for this program and another step towards what we are attempting to accomplish."
The Spartans did not get much of a fight from Alcorn State in the first round, defeating the team 73-41.
The Spartans jumped out to an early 10-2 lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 36 in the second half.
Leading the way for the Spartans was Shimek, who picked up her 10th double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Senior center Kelli Roehrig added 12 points and the sophomore duo of guard Rene Haynes and guard Victoria Lucas-Perry each had 10 points.
"You can't just focus on one player with this team," junior guard Lindsay Bowen said after Saturday's game. "We can get points from numerous players on the floor and it makes us a difficult team to deal with."
Not only was it a sound victory for the Spartans, but they were able to get valuable minutes for some of their younger players, who came in once the game was well in hand.
The Trojans are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1997 and advanced to the second round after knocking off No. 9 seed Louisville in convincing fashion, 65-49.
"Michigan State has a lot of experience on their team and that will be a big advantage for them," Southern Cal. head coach Mark Trakh said Sunday.
