Michigan State's run to a Final Four in the 2011 women's NCAA basketball tournament came to an abrupt end on Tuesday night when the Spartans lost to Green Bay, 65-56. Michigan State played a sloppy game, turning the ball over 24 times and shooting only 37.3 percent from the field, which contributed to the loss. It didn't help that the team it was playing, Green Bay, had a 33-1 record and had won 24 straight going into Tuesday's game. The Phoenix are about as good of a No. 5 seed as you will find, and MSU couldn't afford to play as sloppy as it did.
Early on this game was all Green Bay, as it got off to a 6-0 lead. The Spartans eventually battled back to close within three, but Green Bay went on a run to take a double-digit lead going into halftime. In the second half, MSU rallied again to cut the lead all the way down to one point. Just like the first half, Green Bay responded by going on a run and this time it never looked back. The Phoenix staved off a late comeback attempt and went on to win by nine points.
Michigan State had two players score in double figures in this game. Kalisha Keane had 20 points and Brittney Thomas had 10. The other starters for MSU scored nine, nine and eight points, and the bench didn't score any points for the Spartans.
With the loss, MSU's season is over. Green Bay advances on to the Sweet 16, where it will play No. 1 seed Baylor in Dallas.