April 2, 2008

Michigan State will host N.C. State in one semifinal game of the 2008 Postseason WNIT at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center. With a win, the Spartans would advance to face either Marquette or Colorado in the final game on Saturday.

Michigan State advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 Postseason WNIT after defeating in-state and conference rival Michigan, 45-40, in the quarterfinals on Sunday at the Breslin Center.

The win gives the Big Ten its ninth semifinal appearance in the tournament and its third in the past four years. The semifinal appearance is Michigan State's second as the Spartans also advanced to the round of four in 2002, falling to Oregon, 65-54.  The Spartans are looking to make the Big Ten's sixth trip into the tournament's final game and the conference's second in as many years as Wisconsin played in the title game in 2007, falling to Wyoming, 72-56, in Laramie, Wyo.

Michigan State earned a first-round bye into this year's WNIT and has so far earned the right to host each of its following games. The Spartans opened their portion of the bracket with a 74-66 win over Bowling Green before defeating Kansas, 58-54, in third-round action. The Spartans received their second trip to the WNIT semifinals on Sunday with a five-point win over Michigan.

Kalisha Keane has led the Spartans in the WNIT, averaging 15 points in 28 minutes per game in the tournament. The freshman is shooting at a .500 clip from the floor, including a 4-for-8 mark from behind the three-point line. Keane has averaged six rebounds per contest and has amassed 10 steals in MSU's three postseason games.

First-Team All-Big Ten selection Allyssa DeHaan is averaging 13.7 points per game in the WNIT on the strength of .484 shooting from the floor. The sophomore has recorded four blocks in each of MSU's three WNIT triumphs and is averaging 7.3 boards per game in the tournament.

First-year head coach Suzy Merchant became the second coach in school history, in men's or women's basketball, to win 20 games in her first year when her Spartans defeated Bowling Green in the second round of the WNIT. The win gave Michigan State its fifth consecutive 20-win season, while their berth into the WNIT bracket is the team's seventh straight postseason appearance.