EAST LANSING– No. 23 Michigan State stayed on track of it’s season with the win over Indiana but unfortunately the Spartans’ loss at No. 12 Ohio State also went according to expectations.
Now with a single bye in the Big Ten tournament and a top six seed in the NCAA tournament all but locked up for MSU, all that’s left in the regular season is the seniors last game in the Breslin Center and a matchup with Minnesota.
In the loss to the Buckeyes, depth and offensive firepower was never the issue. Junior guard Theryn Hallock walked out of Columbus with her game of the season, finishing with a career high 29 points along with a perfect 5-5 from three. Three other Spartans finished in double figures with junior forward Grace VanSlooten going 50% from the field for 19 points and nine rebounds.
OSU more than responded with a dominant inside-outside duo of their own. Freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge also had a career high scoring night with 33 points, five made threes, and five assists. Graduate forward Ajae Petty may have had the game’s best all-around performance with 23 points on 11-11 from the field, securing the double-double with 15 rebounds, adding six assists, and two steals.
An almost unbelievable scoring performance from Cambridge and Petty does not happen with every team every night. However, the MSU defense cannot let this bleed into a still critical game with the Golden Gophers.
The Spartans have recently shown the capacity to shut potent shooting down, holding Indiana to 27.3% shooting from beyond the arc who averages 36.3%, so getting Minnesota out of rhythm early could be key.
The Buckeyes, beyond the lights out offensive performance, were able to negate MSU in other ways as well. This is mainly seen in the turnover battle as the Spartans only won the margin by four and scored one more point off turnovers than OSU.
In what is usually a major factor in MSU wins, OSU was able to make this area of the game a zero. The Spartans may have to stay effective in their halfcourt offense or get creative with other opportunities, as the Gophers have the capacity to do the same thing.
Scouting Minnesota
The Golden Gophers are also coming off a poor defensive performance in their loss to Washington, as the Huskies went 50% from three with four players in double figures. Minnesota has enough weapons to pull one out in East Lansing though if they can create a muddy game pace.
The two best areas for the Golden Gophers will help them in achieving this goal, as they take care of the ball and take care of business on the glass. While MSU is known for creating havoc, leading the B1G in steals, Minnesota ranks last in TO’s given away with only 11 per game.
UM also ranks fifth in conference in rebounding at 38.8 per game, this is less than a full rebound per game that MSU has but the Gophers can more than compete with them underneath. If they can dictate the game pace by killing time and limiting Spartan possessions, the upset could be on.
If the Gophers end up pulling it off, it may be thanks to sophomore guard/forward Grace Grocholski and junior guard Amya Battle. They average 12.1 and 11.9 points per game, both averaging about five rebounds per game.
Battle also leads the team in assists on the season with 122 along with steals on the season at 53. UM may not be the most threatening team offensively in the Big Ten, but they do a lot of the little things right which has turned into wins over the season.
MSU has an opportunity to send their seniors out right and build momentum for a potential conference tournament run, but it starts with making the Gophers uncomfortable early. Jumping out to an early lead with some offensive momentum and forcing UM into quicker decisions may be MSU’s easiest path to victory. Otherwise, the Spartans may be pushed to grind one out by a disciplined Gophers squad.
The regular season finale goes down on Saturday at 2 p.m., with Jacob Maurer and Kyle Keegan bringing the call on Impact 89 FM.
