March 26, 2008

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Three Big Ten teams are still alive in the postseason, including Illinois, who plays at Marquette on Wednesday night in the third round of the Postseason WNIT. Michigan and Michigan State will each host WNIT action on Thursday evening.

Illinois became the fifth Big Ten team to reach the 20-wins marker with a 48-44 victory over Drake on Monday night in the second round of the Postseason WNIT. Lacey Simpson paced the Illini with a game-high 14 points and helped spark a defensive effort that held the Bulldogs to their lowest point total of the season. Jenna Smith nearly grabbed her 17th double-double of the season, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds on the night. With the victory, Illinois advances to play at Marquette on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT in third-round action.

Michigan recorded the program's first postseason win in seven years with a 75-57 win over Virginia Commonwealth in the second round of the Postseason WNIT at home in Crisler Arena on Monday. The Wolverines shot a season-high 62 percent (23-of-37) from the floor and limited the Rams to just a 30 percent clip. Michigan matched a program record with 13 three-pointers, including a career-best 5-of-6 mark from Janelle Cooper, who scored a season-high 22 points in the win. Carly Benson recorded nine of her 11 points from beyond the arc, while Ashley Jones put in a career-high 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench. The Wolverines advance to host Southern Miss in third-round action on Thursday.

Michigan State earned its 20th win of the season with a 74-66 victory over Bowling Green in the second round of the Postseason WNIT on Saturday, marking the program's fifth consecutive 20-win season. Freshman Kalisha Keane led the Spartan effort with a game-high 20 points, while Mandy Piechowski, Allyssa DeHaan and Lauren Aitch each contributed 12 points in the game. With the victory, Michigan State advances to host Kansas in WNIT third-round action at 7 p.m. ET at the Breslin Center on Thursday.

No. 9 Purdue used its home court to its advantage on Sunday, earning a 66-59 victory over No. 8 Utah in Mackey Arena in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Championship. The win marked the 12th consecutive season that the Boilermakers posted a win in first-round competition. Purdue was led by Kalika France and FahKara Malone, who each netted 17 points in the contest, while Danielle Campbell added 14. The victory matched the Boilermakers with top-seeded Tennessee, who is ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press and coaches polls, giving Purdue four different top-10 non-conference opponents this season. The Boilermakers also faced No. 8 Duke, No. 4 North Carolina and No. 1 UConn in regular-season action. Purdue lost to the Lady Volunteers, 78-52.