East Lansing, MI (My Sportsbook) - Mia Johnson tallied a game-high 17 points as she and the Michigan State Spartans stunned top-seeded Duke, 63-49, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Breslin Center. Also scoring in double figures for the ninth-seeded Spartans (22-10) was Lauren Aitch who posted 15 points off the bench, while Lykendra Johnson was responsible for seven points and a team-best 12 rebounds in the triumph. The Blue Devils (27-6) were paced by Jasmine Thomas with 14 points, followed by Karima Christmas with 13 points and a game-high 13 boards in the losing effort off the bench. Joy Cheek contributed eight points and 10 rebounds as a reserve as well. Duke managed to ease out to a four-point win early in the first half, but with just 26.7 percent shooting from the floor in the frame the squad was left with a 25-20 deficit at the break. In the second half MSU offset just 1-of-7 shooting behind the three-point line with an 11-of-15 effort at the charity stripe to capture the resounding 14- point win. Michigan State, which is into the Sweet 16 for just the third time in school history, finished off the game with a 16-2 run. The Blue Devils turned the ball over 16 times and suffered just 6-of-21 shooting behind the three-point line on the road. Duke, just the second top-seeded team (Ohio State, 2006) in the last decade to be eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, scored a season-low for points and was a mere 26.9 percent accurate from the floor on the night.
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