EAST LANSING – Anytime Michigan comes into town, tensions are higher, but the Michigan State women’s basketball team didn’t crack under pressure and claimed an 82-61 win on Saturday afternoon.
MSU attracted its largest crowd at home yet in its matchup against rival Michigan. The crowd at the Breslin was loud and brought good energy. From tip-off on, the Spartans maintained their lead, and once they claimed a 10-point lead, the Wolverines played catch-up.
“We played with great tenacity and togetherness for all 40 minutes,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. “We still have a lot of games in front of us, but this one was special.”
The first half was physical and tough at both ends of the court. The Spartans recorded four steals, and the Wolverines turned it over eight times, with both teams fighting for the ball relentlessly.
Junior forward Joceyln Tate and graduate guard Moira Joiner led MSU with a combined 26 points. The Spartans entered the locker room with an 18-point advantage over the Wolverines.
“We rebounded the ball really well and we knew coming in that was very important,” Fralick said. “We did a good job sustaining pressure and then offensively we shared it and I thought we attacked at the right times.”
The third quarter saw a slower scoring pace. The Spartans put up their least amount of points at 14 but prevented the Wolverines from sinking a bucket in the last six minutes of the quarter.
“[Michigan] made a good run to start the third,” Fralick said. “During that time I especially thought Julia was big for us in finding a way to get some critical baskets and then we did a good job of getting to the free throw line and finishing.”
The last 10 minutes of play was intense. Both graduate guard Julia Ayrault and Tate fouled out, but MSU played the final minutes with grit and passion. The crowd came to its feet as junior guard DeeDee Hagemann ran down the clock and redshirt junior guard Lauren Ross closed the game with a mid-range jump shot.
“That was the cherry on top,” Fralick said when describing Ross’s game-closing bucket. “She made a good play and I know all of her teammates were really excited for her.”
Up next, MSU will hit the road to take on Rutgers on Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. ET.
