Michigan State rallies for 65-62 win over big underdog Colorado State in women's NCAA Tournament

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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten and Kennedy Blair each scored 18 points, and Michigan State rallied in the second half to beat Colorado State 65-62 in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

VanSlooten added 10 rebounds for Michigan State (23-8), the fifth seed in the Sacramento Region. The Spartans will play either No. 4 seed Oklahoma or No. 13 seed Idaho in the second round on Sunday.

“A heck of a game. Definitely all the elements of March Madness,” Michigan State coach Robyn Fralick said. “A lot of credit to Colorado State. We knew coming in they were going to be a stingy team, a team that hasn’t won or lost games by much of a margin, and we knew it was going to have to be a bit of a grind-out.”

Brooke Carlson had a career-high 26 points along with six rebounds and three assists for No. 12 seed Colorado State (27-8), which played without leading scorer Lexus Bargesser. She suffered a non-contact injury during the Rams' Mountain West Conference Tournament title run.

Hannah Ronsiek missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.

“Two teams really battling out there,” Colorado State coach Ryun Williams said. “Congrats to Michigan State; I thought they played a tough fourth quarter. But I couldn't be more proud of my squad. Holy cow, did we battle. They did everything that we asked them to do tonight. Just a few plays here or there, and we're probably having a different conversation.”

Carlson had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half for Colorado State, which used a 9-0 run early to build a 29-27 advantage at the break. Michigan State, an 18 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook, connected on one of its first 14 3-point tries. VanSlooten had nine points and seven rebounds to keep the Spartans close.

Michigan State doubled its 3-point output in the third quarter and both were important. Jalyn Brown connected to pull the Spartans within 39-38. Blair's 3 tied it at 47-all.

Michigan State took a 52-49 lead on a 3-pointer by Brown early in the fourth, and the Spartans never trailed again. Shortly thereafter, VanSlooten stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a layup that made it 54-51.

VanSlooten is one of seven Division I players to reach double figures in points and rebounds in each of her first three NCAA Tournament games.

“Yeah, it means a lot,” the 6-foot-3 senior said. “I think I'm just going out there and doing my job, just rebounding on both sides of the court, trying not to really pay attention to the numbers and just do what's best for the team.”

Michigan State's length proved too much for the Rams to overcome. The Spartans collected 10 offensive rebounds, had a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points and outscored the Rams 38-32 in the paint.

“I kind of knew they weren't the biggest inside, and I just like to really make a point of that and understand that I have a mismatch and do whatever I can to take advantage of that," VanSlooten said.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness