A 37-game season comes down to one last game, 40 final minutes and a chance for players to leave everything out on the floor tonight. When the No. 1 seed MSU women's basketball team faces No. 2 seed Baylor in the national championship game at 8:30 p.m. in Indianapolis, one team will leave the court with its school's first-ever women's NCAA Tournament title.
"There are a lot of elements that will be in (today's) game," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "It will make the game that much more fun to be a part of. It is between two teams that have never been here before, and that adds to the excitement of the opportunity in front of us."
The Spartans (33-3) find themselves in the championship game after one of the more improbable feats in women's NCAA Tournament history, coming back from a 16-point deficit in the second half of the national semifinal game.
Tennessee had a 16-point lead with about 14 minutes to play in the game, and that's when the Spartans decided something needed to change.
"We never quit on this team," junior guard Lindsay Bowen said. "If we are going to lose, we are going to leave everything on the floor regardless of the score. As long as there is time on the clock, there is a chance for us to win, and we never gave up that hope (Sunday)."
The comeback ties the record for the largest comeback in a women's Final Four game.
The Spartans will make their first-ever appearance in the championship game and are just the third women's Big Ten team to reach it. Purdue has been there twice, and Ohio State has been there once.
The Spartans knew they had the capability to do great things, even though they might have been overlooked during the year.
"We have had our ups and downs all season," senior guard Kristin Haynie said. "We deserve to be here, though. We have worked hard all year and had a great season. We knew that we would have our chance to be here, and here we are."
The Spartans will meet the Lady Bears of Baylor for the first time ever.
On Sunday, Baylor trailed Louisiana State by 15 points at one time during the game and was able to claw its way back and eventually win.
"It is pretty safe to say that no lead is safe during (tonight's) game," Bowen said. "Basketball is a game of runs, and if you can't answer the other team's run, then you are going to have a hard time winning the game."
With Sunday's win, the Spartans have now defeated four teams ranked at one point in the top three of The Associated Press polls. Before this season, the Spartans had not beaten a team ranked higher than No. 4.
During Sunday's game, Bowen broke her own single-season record for 3-point shots made in a season by hitting four, moving her 3-point basket total to 81 for the season.
The win against Tennessee extended the Spartans' winning streak to 17 games - a school record for the women. They also improved to 22-0 when four players score in double figures.
"The balance on this team is great," junior forward Liz Shimek said. "When one player struggles, another player steps up. This team is all about filling in the gaps and playing your role.
"The roles are constantly changing, too. Every player knows that they might be required to do something different each night, and that is what is so great about this team. We all know what we have to do, and we do it."
Chris Barsotti can be reached at barsott1@msu.edu.
