The Spartan women’s basketball team traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday to play their in-state rival, the University of Michigan Wolverines, in the teams’ only matchup of the season.

The Spartans beat the Wolverines, 79-72 and now start their Big Ten schedule 3-0 for the third time in the last four years.

Annalise Pickrel was the highest scorer for the Spartans scoring 16 points, followed by Kiana Johnson with 14 and Aerial Powers with 13. Powers led the team in rebounds with seven.

Pickrel also had a career-high of eight assists, along with six blocks, 5-5 from the free throw line and 5-8 for shooting from the field.

The big star of the night, however, happened to be junior forward Becca Mills. With back-to-back shots in the final minutes of the game, Mills brought the team much needed points to win the game. The team together scored 51 points in the second half. With five ties and five lead changes, the Spartans managed to come out on top.

Michigan State now has 22 wins out of its last 24 meetings with the University of Michigan. The 79 points the Spartans scored Sunday is also the most scored by MSU in the series since December, 2009.  The Spartans shot 18-for-20 from the free throw line Sunday night, making Sunday’s 90 percent shooting the highest in a game this season for Michigan State.

The Spartans will stay on the road and travel to Iowa for a Thursday night game at 8 p.m.

Jennifer Aldridge is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports.

Photo: Michigan State University Women’s Basketball