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AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- Michigan State eventually figured out Syracuse's zone, then took advantage of it. After an inept first 20 minutes, the Spartans drained nine 3-pointers in the second half as they rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat foul-plagued Syracuse, 75-58, and reach the Midwest Region final of the NCAA Tournament. Charlie Bell and Morris Peterson each hit 3-pointers during the early stages of a game-closing 22-2 run as Michigan State moved within one win of reaching the Final Four for the second straight season. "I have said that this is a special team since the beginning and they showed it in the second half after being beaten in the first half," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "The shots we got were encouraging and the second half was as good as we've played." The top-seeded Spartans (29-7) will play Iowa State on Saturday. "You have to give Syracuse credit," said Spartans All-American point guard Mateen Cleaves. "They did a great job of playing defense in the first half. We came out more aggressive in the second half. In the second half, Morris hit some big shots and that really got us going." Peterson scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, when he hit four of his five 3-pointers to lead the comeback. "In the first half, Syracuse did a good job to stop me," said Peterson. "They were bringing a man out. I've got to give them credit. But in the second half we made some adjustments." Playing in front of a partisan Michigan State crowd, fourth-seeded Syracuse turned to its famed 2-3 zone after falling behind, 8-1. And while the Spartans struggled to find open shots, the Orangemen charged back to lead 34-24 at halftime and 40-26 just 64 seconds into the second half. But with Cleaves -- who was scoreless in the first half -- directing the offense, the Spartans began to find seams in the zone. "I thought we came out and got off to a slow start. Then we were active in our zone," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. "We did a pretty good job in covering the 3-point shooters. We played very well for 30 minutes." Cleaves, Peterson and A.J. Granger combined for six 3-pointers during a 5:45 span immediately after Jason Hart's fast-break layup provided the Orangemen with a 14-point lead. "They had the momentum swing their way and they hit some crucial 3s and we just didn't step up," said Hart. "I think we played well the first half. We got some easy buckets in transition. At halftime, they adjusted." Michigan State took the lead for good on Bell's runner in the lane with 4:38 left. Peterson drilled a 3-pointer moments later and the Spartans, who lost to Duke in last year's national semifinals, were in complete command. "(Cleaves) brought everybody together (at halftime)," Peterson said. "He chewed everybody out. He said we weren't playing hard and we weren't doing what got us here. I think that challenge opened up some eyes." "At halftime, I didn't think we were playing hard," said Cleaves. "I don't mind guys missing shots, I don't mind if things aren't going right. But if you're not playng hard, them I'm going to get up in your face." Allen Griffin netted a season-high 14 points for the Orangemen (26-6), who were eliminated in the regional semifinals for the second time in three years. Syracuse, which started the season 19-0, shared the Big East Conference regular-season title with Miami. Foul trouble hurt Syracuse. Starters Hart, Etan Thomas, Ryan Blackwell and Damone Brown played most of the second half in foul trouble and Thomas, one of the nation's top defensive players, picked up his fourth with 7:51 to play. The Spartans were slow to adjust to the zone, probably because they were facing one for the first time since a game against Texas on November 27. After a sluggish first half they finished at 51 percent (25-of-49) from the field. Preston Shumpert, Syracuse's top outside shooting threat, drained two 3-pointers during a 18-3 run that gave the Orangemen a 21-14 lead with 9:40 remaining before the break. An 11-0 run shortly thereafter pushed the lead to 32-19. The second half, however, was a completely different game. Granger's shot from the left wing began Michigan State's long-range assault and he made another 3-pointer with just under nine minutes left to pull the Spartans within 54-53. After a spinning layup by Blackwell, Granger converted underneath and Bell drained a 3-pointer that gave the Spartans a 58-56 lead. "In the beginning I don't think we were looking to take our shot," said Bell. "But in the second half our defensive aggressiveness got our offense going." Hart's runner tied it with 5:54 to play, but Syracuse did not score again. Following baskets by Bell and Peterson, Granger scored in the lane and Andre Hutson converted a layup. Bell also went 4-of-4 from the line in the final 2:19. "Once we got a run going and the crowd got behind us, I think everybody worked harder to do their part," said Granger. "The crowd was incredible, even when we weren't playing that well. They still stuck behind us and got us fired up. We wanted to go out there and win the game for them, too." Granger scored 19 points, Bell 12, Hutson 11 and Cleaves 10 while dishing out seven assists for the Spartans. Bell also grabbed six rebounds for Michigan State, which held a 28-23 advantage on the boards. "Syracuse was the most athletic team that we've played all year," said Izzo. "Syracuse did a good job of keepng the crowd out of it in the first half. I thought the crowd helped us in the second half. I thank all those MSU supporters. I guess that was our big plus for winning the Big Ten (Conference), the Big Ten tournament and being the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region." Hart had 11 points and 10 assists and Thomas seven and six for the Syracuse, which connected on 46 percent (24-of-52) of its shots. "MSU is a very, very good team," Boeheim said. "They do such a good job in the post defensively. It was hard to get Etan the ball. I think they have a great basketball team." The Orangemen's 39 NCAA Tournament victories are the most for a team that has never won a national championship. They reached the title game in 1987 and 1996, losing to Indiana and Kentucky, respectively. "It was definitely disappointing to end my senior year," said Blackwell. "Coming into this year, we felt we could make it to the Final Four. I've had a great career, we've had a great season. Jason, Etan and myself, we've had a great career." .
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