After once again tying its Big Ten record, Michigan State basketball looked poised to go 2-2 in a two-game homestand, this time against in-state rival the University of Michigan. The Spartans were finally able to put away the Wolverines with an 82-61 win in the first game of that iconic series.The Spartans were hoping to avoid the same pattern of being under .500 all season and had to hit back to keep their heads above water. After a recent win over Purdue on Wednesday night, the Spartans had a chance to win this competitive battle in the conference.Graduate guard Julia Ayrault scored the Spartans’ lead, and in the first 30 seconds of the game, senior Moira Joiner found junior guard DeeDee Hagemann on the left side and opened the game with a 3-pointer.The packed crowd at the Breslin Center immediately booed the Michigan State Spartans on their first field goal.The Wolverines immediately answered down low after sophomore forward Chyra Evans penetrated and knocked away a contested pass. Immediately after that, Ayrault was able to do exactly the same and even created a “and-one” basket gives the Spartans an early 6-2 lead..
The Spartans’ 3-pointers started early as Joiner knocked down the second Spartan 3-pointer of the game in just the first four minutes. One thing the Spartans try to stay consistent with is late game shooting, so scoring early in the game is a factor that will hopefully continue that trend later in the game; Spartan did that during this game.The Wolverines continued their run with eight of their first 11 points, all of which came off the block and underneath. After attacking the post in the opening minutes, Michigan began to increase its scoring at the three-point line and closed in on MSU’s lead, but a late 3-pointer by Theryn Hallock extended the Spartan lead to 27-23. a game first quarterIt was a slow start to the second quarter for both teams until back-to-back baskets by junior guard Jocelyn Tate and Hagemann extended Michigan State’s lead to 10 points in the opening minutes of the second quarter. .Michigan State’s defensive prowess grew as the game progressed, forcing Michigan to make tough decisions. With seven minutes left in the period, Laila Phelia, one of the Wolverines’ leading scorers, was fouled early. However, a stalled Wolverine offense forced Michigan head coach Kim Arico to reinstate him..
Unfortunately, that decision didn’t seem to pay off as the Wolverines continued to struggle scoring, scoring just four points in seven minutes while the Spartans scored 15 points.On both sides of the ball, the Spartans were absolutely dominant as the quarter ended, allowing just seven points the entire quarter, and finished with 21 second quarter points to go into the locker room with a confident 48. -30 wires.The second half started defensively from both sides, which again slowly for both teams. Michigan State got on the board first, but the Wolverines started to heat up after a third-quarter performance, scoring seven straight points.Evans began to attack MSU’s defense again and scored quickly and often, such as early in the first quarter, while the Spartans struggled to get a single conversion on several attempts.After the officials took an extended time to review the play, the Spartans received Hagemann’s andquot;and-oneandquot; suspension to end a short drought..
After Hagemann’s bucket, both teams again went into a scoring drought for at least two and a half minutes before the Spartans scored again from the free throw line. After the free throw, however, Ayrault began to heat up and scored five straight points as Michigan continued to struggle, going 0-6 over its last six attempts.The Spartans used the Wolverines’ lack of scoring as an opportunity to run away with the game and almost had a chance to take a 62-41 lead into the fourth quarter.Unlike other quarters, both the Spartans and the Wolves reached the finish line almost immediately after starting possession. Both teams started to score points, but the Wolverines continued to trail by 18 points.The Spartans tried to minimize any late comebacks, but the Wolverines didn’t give up yet. Phelia kept finding ways to make Michigan score, but every time she did, the Spartans were there to answer.With only three minutes left in the game, the Spartans tried to make the right play that allowed them to dominate the game. With a 19-point lead, scoring was no longer necessary for the Spartans; now that was protection.Tempers began to boil in the final minutes after 38 minutes of physical basketball, but before things got too far, both teams were dismissed very quickly before returning to normal play..
With less than two minutes to play and Michigan State leading by as many as 21 points, Breslin began to celebrate as the fans knew the Spartans had the game locked up.Although the Wolverines never gave up, their efforts were not enough to defeat the Spartans as the Green and White cruised to a 21-point victory.The Spartans were led in double figures by four different Spartans, including Hagemann with 20 points, Joiner with 12, Ayrault with 19 – who fouled out during the game – and Tate with 14, who also fouled out.The Spartans return to action on January 30th in Piscataway, New Jersey as they look forward to facing Rutgers before returning to East Lansing for a rematch against Minnesota. Tip off for the Rutgers game is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus..
