EAST LANSING— No. 21 Michigan State recently suffered back-to-back losses against now-No. 19 Alabama and No. 8 Maryland. 

The Spartans traveled to the XFINITY Center this past Sunday to take on the top ten-ranked Terrapins, losing 66-72. MSU is currently 11-2 on the season, and 1-1 in Big Ten play. 

The Spartans had a second-half comeback after being down 11 at halftime, but the momentum was not enough to secure the win. Junior guard Theryn Hallock had a game-high 20 points, including a fourth-quarter three-point basket to tie the game. 

Graduate guard Julia Ayrault had her fourth double-double of the season, putting up 17 points and 12 rebounds. Senior forward Jocelyn Tate was an asset on the defensive end, putting up 10 rebounds and three steals. 

The Spartan defense forced the Terrapins to 25 turnovers, which is their eighth straight game forcing over 20 turnovers from their opponent. Offensively, MSU went 11-29 of layups and shot 6-24 from the arc. 

MSU needs to work on protecting the arc, keeping their opponents from getting wide-open looks and finishing their layups in the paint. Despite the locked defense and the fighting attitude of the Spartans, their missed shot attempts cost them the win. 

This Wednesday the Spartans will host unranked Purdue, the Boilermakers are 7-7 and 0-2 in conference play. This is a must-win game for the Spartans, who have the chance to avoid a three-game losing streak. 

The Boilermakers have lost to Maryland and Iowa in the Big Ten, but Purdue has played a tough schedule overall, facing teams such as No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 2 South Carolina. 

The Spartans look to continue Big Ten play against multiple unranked opponents, meaning they need to capitalize on this opportunity and get back on their win streak. 

The Spartans will host the Boilermakers at the Breslin Center on Wednesday at 2 p.m.