ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan State claimed its 75th win in its 100th game against rival Michigan in a 70-66 win on Sunday afternoon in a nailbiter. 

“I grew up in Michigan, so I’ve literally been born into the rivalry,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. “I’m really happy for our group finding a way to win here.” 

Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s game:

This team has come a long way 

This MSU team has been matched up with tough competition during conference play and has proven its ability to keep up with any team. Fralick was proud of her team for being able to learn and continuously get better. 

“We’ve come a long way since our opener against Oakland,” Fralick said. “When I watch film from the very beginning of the season to now, we’ve gotten better.”

When Fralick first started to work with this team, she instantly liked the speed the team had. She has since capitalized on that strength and has driven the team to be a good team. 

“You have to be resilient and connected,” Fralick said.

“You become what you preach, you become how you play, you become your habits,” Fralick said. 

MSU can handle pressure

Playing at another’s team home court always presents challenges, but at a rival’s is another level of intensity. 

The Spartans were able to adjust and didn’t crack under the pressure the Wolverines and crowd were applying. Tory Ozment attested MSU’s resiliency to their success. 

“We’ve been tough,” Ozment said. “We knew we had enough. We stayed poised. We stayed calm and we stayed collected and we played together.”

Playing at both ends of the court is key

All season MSU has capitalized on fighting for the ball and stripping it from teams. Against the Wolverines, the Spartans recorded 12 steals. Graduate guard Moira Joiner led with six. 

Michigan recorded 20 turnovers and MSU got 19 points off of them. 

“When we get stops, that generates offense for us,” Ozment said. “Our defense turns into offense, so when we are able to turn that up, we’re able to get buckets on the other end.”

Junior forward Jocelyn Tate led with five defensive rebounds and Joiner had four. 

Offensively, four Spartans were in double digits for scoring and Ozment led with 16. 

Up next, MSU will stay on the road and take on Purdue on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. ET.