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April 5, 2005Spartans eye first national championship tonightShimeks like MSU's mental toughnessByRecord-Eagle staff writer  The Associated Press Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen celebrate after beating Tennessee in the semifinals. So what if Michigan State University trailed by 16 points in the second half of Sunday's NCAA women's basketball semifinal against mighty Tennessee? The Spartans (33-3) and Glen Lake graduate Liz Shimek will play for a national title tonight against Baylor (32-3) at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. The Spartans got there with a 68-64 victory over six-time champion Tennessee. Liz Shimek, a junior forward and the leading scorer for the Spartans, tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. "These kids, during the year, have never quit no matter what," said Liz's father, Tom Shimek. "When they were down 16, I sat down and said, 'These girls have never quit.' I was like, "Maybe this is when they don't (come back)?' "We just all stood up and kept egging them on, 'Go Green, Go White.' They did it the right way. They just kept chipping away at it and chipping away at it." Michigan State's rally tied the largest in women's Final Four history. In 2001, Notre Dame also came back from 16 points down to beat Connecticut. And like that win by the Irish, this also came against one of the most storied teams in women's basketball. Tennessee was playing in its fourth straight semifinal and 16th overall under Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in college basketball history. "It's not like that's the first time we've seen that happen," said Linda Shimek, Liz's mother. "That was amazing. It was just a group of women that weren't going to lose. "But after it was over, it was, 'Oh my God, we beat Tennessee.' " The Volunteers exit from the title hunt did free up some tickets for the Shimeks. Linda Shimek said she was able to purchase three tickets from some Tennessee fans who were leaving for Tom's sister, Grace Novak, of Cedar. Grace Novak will be joined by son, Shawn, in Indianapolis. Also at the Final Four are Liz's grandparents, Larry and Betty Stachnik, older brother T.J. and aunt and uncle, Sherry and Kip Cantrick of Birmingham, Mich. "That's the Shimek clan," Linda said. The MSU team visited the Shimek farm this summer and camped at the Stachnik's house on Lime Lake. Linda Shimek said the Spartans greeted her mother and father in Indianapolis with, "Hi grandma, hi grandpa." The Shimeks estimated that about 900 Michigan State faithful were among the nearly 30,000 at Sunday's game. "Probably (for the final) we'll see a few more," Linda Shimek said. "It's an easy drive from Lansing, about 3« hours." Some of those pulling for MSU - and Shimek in particular - are from Traverse City. Tom Shimek said a group from Traverse City, who he didn't even know, made the trip and took pictures with his daughter in the hotel after the game. "I asked them, 'You came all the way down here from Traverse City?' And they said, "You bet, we wanted to see Liz play,' " Tom Shimek said. "The following has been great. This is an awesome event." The Shimeks watched the action from near the court. Tom Shimek said they were about "30 or 40 yards" off the hardwood. "It was good," he said. "At this level, just being in the same auditorium with these girls is great." As far as bringing the first women's basketball national title back to East Lansing, the Shimeks are confident. "We're playing to win," Linda Shimek said. "We feel really good about it. (On Sunday), the girls had the attitude of, 'It's the next game.' It wasn't like they were playing Tennessee, it was the next game. I think that's what allowed them to come back and play their game." By coach Joanne P. McCallie's estimation, Michigan State played Spartan basketball for about 25 minutes in the game against Tennessee. The Shimeks said the Spartans will need a 40-minute effort to get past Baylor, led by Sophia Young. "They match up very well with us," Tom Shimek said. "They're very athletic with good size. Sophia Young is their go-to player, both inside and outside. "Liz may be the one that guards her. She'll have to play very tough match-up zone with that lady." But even if the game is a close one, the Spartans are more than prepared for it. "The whole tournament, starting with (beating) Illinois (in overtime) in the Big Ten tournament, every game - except for maybe one or two - has been so intense. "But that's March Madness."
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