“I thought when we went to our zone there’s no question it changed the flow of the game,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said. “I thought it really changed the flow of both halves and our kids did a really good job rebounding out of it.”

The game began as a defensive battle, with the teams combining for 10 steals in the first half.

But, the defense changed the game, as the Spartans used two big runs, an 8-0 run going into the half and a 23-4 run to start the second period, to change the complexity of the game and go from trailing 27-25 to leading 55-31.

“When we jumped in (zone defense) I was kind of amazed how frazzled they got,” said junior center Lauren Aitch, who finished with a game-high 14 points and eight rebounds.

The team also got a lot of assistance from its bench, with five players contributing to the scoring, including Aitch and freshman forward Courtney Schiffauer who chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds.

“I thought it was a great team effort,” Merchant said. “When you look at it and (Aisha Jefferson) and Kalisha (Keane) and (Allyssa DeHaan) all combine for two points (in the first half) you’d think that you’d probably be down by 40. But this team has done a great job of everybody stepping up. I thought Mia (Johnson) and Lauren Aitch were really big for us.”

Merchant said Johnson, who scored 13 points in the game, needed to step up and be a scorer for the Spartans, something Johnson said she finally has the confidence to do.

“We have great players here,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know exactly where I was in there. I talked to (Merchant) and we got on the same page, and we’re going for it now.”

Foul trouble plagued the Monarchs, as their top two scorers, Green and forward Jessica Canady, sat much of the second half with four fouls.

“If we could just keep our pace and go at them inside and attack (Green and Canady) and get them in foul trouble that our chances would increase,” Merchant said.

The Spartans have another big test Saturday at No. 14 Notre Dame.