EAST LANSING— It was an in-state affair at a rocking Breslin Center, as No. 13 Michigan State women’s basketball welcomed its in-state rival, No. 9 Michigan. The Wolverines were able to outlast the Spartans in an instant classic of a game that ended with Michigan on top, 94-91, after overtime. 

Head coach Robyn Fralick knew that this historic matchup was going to be a battle from start to finish, and the small margins were going to be the largest factor in determining the outcome. 

“We knew coming in, Michigan’s a good basketball team,” Fralick said. “It was going to be a battle of toughness and possessions, and I thought our kids competed really well. The margin is small and there’s just a few possessions that we’re going to be able to learn a lot from.” 

To begin the contest, there was back-and-forth action, as neither team was able to get a multi-possession lead. That was until junior guard Rashunda Jones nailed two free throws to put MSU up four with just over three minutes remaining in the 1st quarter.  

The Wolverines were able to answer quickly, as they ended the first period on a 9-2 run, behind the stellar play from guard Mila Holloway. Holloway continued her impressive performance during the remainder of her outing, finishing with 26 points, leading all scorers. 

Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico praised Holloway’s mindset and how well she plays in her role for the Wolverines. 

“She (Holloway) is so even– keeled,” Barnes Arico said. “… She’s only a sophomore and she was able to do what she did on the big stage tonight, so I just think her demeanor is perfect for the position that she plays, and she never gets too high or too low.” 

Michigan held a three-point advantage heading into the 2nd quarter, which didn’t last long after senior guard Jalyn Brown finished a layup to put the Green and White up 28-27. The rest of the half continued with both teams answering the other’s punches. The Spartans ended the period with a 7-0 run, after redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair completed a layup as time expired, changing the advantage back in MSU’s favor. 

Brown finished the first 20 minutes of play with 17 points, and she mentioned postgame how she was able to take advantage of the looks she was given. 

“I think that I realized the open gaps really early, and I knew we had to come out swinging because they are a very good team,” Brown said. “My teammates did a good job at finding me, putting me in my spots, and I just let it go.” 

With a one-point difference coming out of halftime, everyone in the Breslin Center was loud and energetic. Blair commented on how she was able to take in the atmosphere, and she appreciated Spartan Nation showing up in the way they did.  

“I just looked up and the upper bowl is full too,” Blair said. “That just shows how much women’s sports has grown and how valuable basketball is in Michigan.” 

The trend of neither team being able to go up by more than two possessions continued in the third quarter. The Wolverines were in control for the majority of those 10 minutes, but the Green and White were able to respond. 

With 22 seconds left in the period, Blair inbounded a pass off Michigan’s Olivia Olson on purpose, getting the ricochet to herself and laid the ball up to cut the Wolverines’ lead to one. Sophomore forward Inés Sotelo finished the quarter with another layup as time expired, giving MSU a one-point advantage heading into the final quarter of regulation. 

The fourth quarter was just as eventful as the first three. Just over a minute in, Sotelo collided with a Wolverine as they both went up for a rebound. Sotelo remained on the floor in pain, and exited the game, but was able to re-enter a couple of minutes later. 

Just like in the third, Michigan was in control for most of the fourth, but MSU didn’t allow them to have a lead larger than five. With just over two minutes left, the Wolverines led 77-74. After a defensive rebound, Sotelo found Jones on the wing and drained a three-pointer to tie the game up at 77. 

Michigan found an answer, going back up by four with 58 seconds left. Jones hit a pair of free throws from the line to cut the Wolverine lead down to two. The Spartans got a crucial stop on Michigan’s next possession and called a timeout with nine seconds left in regulation.

Out of the timeout, Blair took the iso, drove down the lane, put up a contested layup, and it dropped with four seconds left, tying the game at 81. Barnes Arico called timeout, but her squad turned the ball over. Sotelo retrieved it, threw up a half-court heave as time expired, but the ball bounced off the backboard, around the rim, and didn’t fall, sending the rivalry matchup into overtime.  

“I thought it was in,” Fralick said. “She made one just like that at DePaul and strangely she practices that shot.” 

With five more minutes of overtime basketball, Olson said, she and the other Wolverines treated it as a 0-0 game, and a chance to reset.  

“We came at it like it’s a new game, we need to attack right away, we need to punch first, and I think we all did a great job of having that mentality going into it,” Olson said. 

That mentality was evident as Michigan opened overtime with a 10-2 run, having a lead of 91-83 with 2:23 remaining. This would prove to be too much for Fralick’s squad to recover from and led to the Wolverines leaving East Lansing with a road victory. 

Michigan won the rebound battle, and Fralick thought that made a huge difference in the outcome. 

“We knew that (rebounding) was the number one thing, was to grab the ball, and I thought especially in the second half we were getting a ton of first stops and they were getting rebounds,” Fralick said. “The game is really hard if you give people a lot of extra chances, so we got to do a better job with that.” 

Blair is proud of how MSU played but knows they need to get better, as the road doesn’t get any easier from here on out. 

“We showed that we can play with anybody in the country,” Blair said. “So, big game on Wednesday; Maryland is a good team, so we just got to bounce back and not worry about this game.” 

The Spartans will look to get back in the win column later this week on Wednesday, Feb. 4 against the No. 16 Maryland Terrapins at 6:30 p.m. in the Breslin Center. Josh Lee and Brian Rivers will be on the call once again and it can be listened to locally on 88.9 FM or streamed at https://impact89fm.org/.