EAST LANSING. MICH. — 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.
MARQUETTE (21-14)
Kovalenko 4-5 0-0 8, Robinson 3-9 8-11 16, Ellis 5-13 4-4 15, Harris 1-2 0-0 2, Mellen 5-10 2-5 12, Lam 0-0 0-0 0, Weibel 0-0 0-0 0, Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Monfre 5-9 0-0 15, McMorris 0-4 2-2 2, Fiedorowicz 3-4 1-1 7, Thrower 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 27-59 19-25 81.
MICHIGAN STATE (23-14)
Piechowski 0-1 0-0 0, Keane 9-14 4-6 24, Johnson 3-15 4-5 11, Thomas 3-6 0-0 7, DeHaan 1-3 9-10 11, Fortner 0-3 0-0 0, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Davidson 2-6 0-0 5, Wulff 0-2 0-0 0, Washington 2-7 0-0 4, Aitch 2-6 0-1 4. Totals 22-63 17-22 66.
Halftime — Marquette 45-33. 3-point goals —Marquette 8-22 (Monfre 5-8, Robinson 2-4, Ellis 1-6, Thrower 0-1, McMorris 0-3), Michigan State 5-23 (Keane 2-3, Thomas 1-1, Davidson 1-4, Johnson 1-8, Piechowski 0-1, Fortner 0-1, Wulff 0-2, Washington 0-3). Fouled out —Kovalenko, Thomas. Rebounds — Marquette 42 (Robinson, Mellen 8), Michigan State 37 (Keane 8). Assists — Marquette 22 (Ellis 11), Michigan State 15 (Thomas 5). Total fouls — Marquette 18, Michigan State 19. A — 7,818.
