April 4, 2009

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• Michigan State will be making its third appearance in the NCAA National Championship game...MSU won both times in its previous two appearances (1979, 2000).

• The attendance of 72,456 was the largest ever for a Final Four game and the second-largest basketball crowd ever (world record: 78,129 on Dec. 13, 2003, Michigan State vs. Kentucky, Ford Field).

• Kalin Lucas led all scorers with 21 points, which marks his career high in an NCAA Tournament game...Lucas hit three 3-pointers, a career high for him in an NCAA Tournament game....perhaps Lucas' biggest 3-pointer arrived at the 3:54 mark in the second half - after UConn trimmed the lead to six points at 66-60, Lucas hit a 3-pointer in the corner to extend MSU's lead to 69-60...Lucas also dished out five assists.

• Travis Walton recorded a season-high and NCAA Tournament-high eight assists...Walton primarily guarded UConn's A.J. Price - the West Regional's Most Outstanding Player - and limited him to 5-of-20 shooting.

• Raymar Morgan scored 18 points, his best scoring effort since pouring in 22 at Northwestern on Jan. 3...Morgan also recorded a career-high five steals...Morgan's nine rebounds were the most since he collected 10 vs. Ohio State on Jan. 6...Morgan finished 7-of-13 shooting from the field and was 5-of-7 with 11 points in the first half...Morgan's fast-break dunk at the 3:18 mark in the second half - fueled by a Travis Walton steal - gave MSU its biggest lead of the game at 71-60.

• Korie Lucious led all players off the bench with 11 points...he scored all 11 in the first half, including a stretch where he scored nine straight points for the Spartans, including two 3-pointers.

• Delvon Roe had eight rebounds, his best rebounding effort of the NCAA Tournament...four of those came on the offensive end.

• Draymond Green scored eight points, including a fast-break dunk at the 14:06 mark that tied the game at 49...Green's dunk sparked a 17-5 run over the next seven minutes that gave MSU a 64-54 lead with just under seven minutes to play...following Green's dunk, Lucas scored on a fast break, splitting past two UConn defenders for a layup, and Chris Allen followed with another Spartan layup 20 seconds later that prompted a UConn timeout.

• Durrell Summers scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including an impressive fast-break slam dunk over UConn's Stanley Robinson at the 5:00 mark that gave MSU a 66-56 advantage...Summers also had a 3-point play that put the game out of reach for UConn with one minute remaining...after UConn trimmed the lead to three points at 74-71, Summers connected on his 3-point play, hitting the free throw after getting fouled on a layup in the paint to make it 77-71.

• Michigan State forced 16 UConn turnovers and limited the Huskies to eight assists...the eight assists tied for the second fewest for UConn all season...MSU scored 21 points off UConn turnovers.

• Michigan State recorded 11 steals, including a career-high five from Raymar Morgan...the five steals tie an MSU NCAA Tournament single-game record.

• MSU outscored UConn's bench, 33-7, led by Korie Lucious with 11 points and Durrell Summers with 10.

• MSU recorded 22 fast-break points, its second-highest of the season (27 vs. Alcorn State on Dec. 13).