March 15, 2000

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich.--- In the First Round of the National Invitational Tournament on Wednesday, March 15, the Villanova women's basketball team lost to Michigan State, 74-62, in a game played in East Lansing, Mich. With the loss, the Wildcats end the season with a 15-15 record. The Spartans, who improve to 18-11, advance to the NIT second round where they will face the winner of Cincinnati versus Pittsburgh.

Up 13-7 with less than five minutes gone in the first half, Michigan State went on a 15-4 run to take a 28-11 advantage with 5:30 remaining before intermission. The Spartans took a 35-21 lead in the half, behind 47 percent shooting (15-for-32).

With 11:53 left in regulation and Michigan State leading 49-29, Villanova attempted to rally. The Wildcats outscored the Spartans 19-10 over the 6:33 to cut the lead to 59-48, but Michigan State regained control and went on for the 74-62 victory.

Junior center Brandi Barnes led Villanova with game-highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds. Scoring in double figures as well was freshman Trish Juhline with 13, freshman Nicole Druckenmiller with 12, and senior guard Jenea Skeeters with 10 points. Playing in her final collegiate game for the `Cats, Skeeters also tallied six rebounds and six assists.

For Michigan State, Becky Cummings had 19 points and seven boards, while Kristen Rasmussen had 17 and Vnemina Reese had 10.