Senior smackdown

Women continue solid play, win 5 of 6 games to end regular season against Illinois

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After four years on the MSU women’s basketball team, senior guard Courtney Davidson ended her regular-season career in record-setting style.

Davidson scored a career-high 20 points, leading the team to a 54-46 victory over Illinois on Thursday night at Breslin Center.

While MSU (18-12 overall, 10-8 Big Ten) was trying to find its bearings, Illinois (15-13, 7-10) came out firing and sank three 3-pointers and a shot in the paint right off the bat to stun the Spartans, who remained scoreless for the first four minutes of the game.

“I’m not really sure why we get a slow start out of the gates at times,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said. “I think it’s really focus and attitude.

“It felt like a little bit of hot potato early on. We didn’t make good passes or let our offense develop.”

The Fighting Illini’s 11-point lead — with all baskets coming from different players — didn’t last as the Spartans woke up to go on a 10-4 run led by two straight Davidson layups.

Continuing the trend of runs in the first half, Illinois went on an 8-2 run before the Spartans turned it back around to go into the break down by five points after a 9-2 run of their own.

The Spartans didn’t make a 3-point basket in the first half — going 0-for-5 — and shot 24.1 percent from the field.

A whole new attitude defined the team that came out for the second half. MSU scored the first three baskets of the half to tie the score at 26 en route to a 23-6 run lasting nearly 15 minutes.

After trading a couple of buckets, Davidson knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in less than a minute to take the fight out of the Illini and stir up the crowd to an eardrum-shattering level.

“At halftime, coach challenged us and told us that no one wanted the ball, and I took that to heart as a senior,” Davidson said. “I wanted the ball in my hands, and the last game at home I kind of took that to heart and the shots fell.”

Illinois head coach Jolette Law said Davidson’s two 3-pointers, which gave MSU a permanent lead, were like a dagger to the heart of her team.

“She had the swagger about her that said, ‘I’m going to will my team to win’,” Law said. “I know she is very offensive-minded, and once she gets going she’s a great player.

“Tonight, she put MSU on her back and willed them to victory.”

Against Purdue on Feb. 24, the Spartans were crushed on the boards by almost 20 in the 69-59 loss. Thursday night, however, MSU turned the tables and dominated Illinois 46-28 on the boards.

“The Purdue game was kind of like a slap in the face,” freshman guard Brittney Thomas said. “We were doing good, but don’t forget how you got there and why you’re doing good.

“At Purdue, we shied away from the boards, and we knew we couldn’t do that anymore or we’d keep losing, so we really started focusing on crashing.”

Of Illinois’ 20 second-half points, eight came from the free-throw line.

“It wasn’t the most enjoyable game to watch if you’re a fan,” Merchant said. “Sometimes, ugly basketball games are ugly and you just have to find a way to win.”

This marks the last regular-season game for the Spartans, who will now have to wait in limbo to find out their Big Ten Tournament seeding. The Big Ten Tournament starts Thursday.

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