Marquette beats MSU for WNIT title
--EAST LANSING. Mich. (AP) -- Angel Robinson had 16 points and eight rebounds to help Marquette win the WNIT title with an 81-66 victory over Michigan State on Saturday.
Krystal Ellis, the tournament MVP with a 23.2-point average, had 15 points and led a 23-2 run in the opening minutes. And Erin Monfre, who came in averaging 2.7 points, hit five 3-pointers for the Golden Eagles (21-14).
Freshman Kalisha Keane had a career-high 24 points for the Spartans (23-14). Allyssa DeHaan added 11 points and five blocked shots to boost her Big Ten season mark for rejections to 150. Mia Johnson also had 11 points for Michigan State, but was just 3-for-15 from the field and 1-for-8 from long range.
After Marquette took a 29-9 lead, the Spartans made their best run late in the first half and cut the deficit to 11 at 41-30 with 10 straight points.
Monfre's third wide-open 3 gave the Golden Eagles a 45-33 halftime lead, thanks to 54.5-percent accuracy from the field.
Michigan State never got closer than 10 points again, as Marquette rebuilt its cushion with an 8-0 lead just after the intermission and coasted home with reserves.
The Golden Eagles, who lost five of their last eight games before the WNIT, had 22 assists on 27 baskets and a 42-37 rebounding edge.
The Spartans shot 34.9 percent from the field and just 21.7 percent beyond the arc, a problem all season for a team that never played a WNIT road game.