Spartans pay back Lady Lions with 65-44 win

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Ever since losing three straight, the MSU women’s basketball team has rededicated itself to its defense.

That commitment has paid off in spades for the Spartans to the tune of four straight wins, none more impressive than Thursday’s 65-44 rout of Penn State at Breslin Center.

The Spartans not only avenged a prior loss to the Lady Lions but held them to a season low on the offensive end. The 44 points allowed tied MSU’s best defensive mark of the year.

“I really felt the last four is when we’ve tightened that end up,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said.

“We’ve taken a lot of pride in that end of the floor and really stepped up and got stops when we needed to. If that’s something that’s going to be there every night, then we like our chances and certainly feel like that’s been a catalyst for us.”

The Spartans have held their last four opponents to an average of about 52 points per game.

“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be where we were or better than last year,” senior forward Aisha Jefferson said. “These last four games we’ve been really defensive minded.”

MSU held Penn State guard Tyra Grant, the league’s leading scorer in conference play at 21.1 points per game, to 13 points on 3-of-13 shooting, her lowest total since Nov. 28, 2009, against Holy Cross.

Merchant played various players on Grant, namely junior guards Brittney Thomas and Cetera Washington and sophomore forward Lykendra Johnson.

“We know that she hurts you if you let her go middle because it’s hard to help from that angle,” Thomas said. “She’s going to drive, she has a scoring mentality, she’s going to shoot, so just make her (go) where her tendencies don’t fall, just force her to the baseline and challenge her shots without fouling.”

Following a slow start, MSU jumped out to a 16-6 lead in the first eight minutes. The Spartans would lead by as many as 16 in the half, but the Lady Lions would cut the deficit to nine heading into the break.

Penn State would hang tough to start the half, but the Spartans went on another big run, this one a game-chaging 19-4 run keyed by senior center Lauren Aitch and junior forward Kalisha Keane.

Aitch hit her first 3-pointer of the season — the third of her career — as the duo combined for 14 straight points for the Spartans.

Aitch finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, her best scoring effort in a month and a half.

Keane finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

“Kalisha and I come off the bench together usually, so I think we have that connection,” Aitch said.

Penn State head coach Coquese Washington said MSU played with a lot more energy, “almost an anger,” than it did when the teams first met.

“I think they probably had a little more energy after the bye week and you could tell because they came back with fresh legs and had a bounce in their step,” Coquese Washington said. “They got to loose balls, got extra rebounds and things of that nature.”

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