Women's basketball tops Purdue in overtime thriller, 67-52

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Editor’s note: This article has been changed to reflect Becca Mills’ game-high point total.

With regulation over and the game headed to overtime, the MSU women’s basketball team gathered together to prepare.

With their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line and having never trailed in the game, the Spartans were determined to not let another one slip away.

MSU (17-10 overall, 9-5 Big Ten) started overtime on an 11-0 run and dominated No. 17 Purdue (19-8, 9-5) 18-3 in the extra session to win 67-52 before a raucous crowd of 13,424.

After seeing its lead evaporate, head coach Suzy Merchant said she was proud of the way her team responded in overtime.

“I really liked how aggressive we were out of the gates,” Merchant said. “I thought it showed a little more character to the youth of our team that maybe things didn’t quite go our way but we still found a way to put ourselves in position to be successful.”

MSU opened the game with an early 13-5 lead, thanks to a 9-2 run keyed by freshman guard Kiana Johnson and senior guard Porsché Poole.

Poole finished the game with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Kiana Johnson added 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

The Spartans extended their lead to double figures with a 7-2 run, capped off by a layup by senior forward Lykendra Johnson that put MSU in front 23-13 with 6:25 to go in the first half.

Lykendra Johnson finished the game with another double double for the Spartans, scoring 15 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking four shots.

But the Boilermakers responded, capitalizing on MSU’s sluggish start to the second half to even the score at 33 with 15:13 to go in the game.

Needing a spark, Merchant turned to Becca Mills, and the freshman forward delivered, scoring six consecutive points and 10 of MSU’s next 11 to rebuild the Spartans lead and help her team find some much-needed energy.

Mills finished the game with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds and said she was excited to make a difference in such an important game.

“I had chills at some points, I was so into this game,” Mills said. “I’ve kind of been all over the place with my playing time this year,, and that’s probably the most I’ve played, (and it was) in a big game like that.”

However Purdue never relented and after tying the game at 49, Kiana Johnson was called for traveling giving Purdue two shots with 35 seconds to go to win the game.

After K.K. Houser’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer missed, the game went to overtime and the Spartans took control quickly.

Kiana Johnson led MSU in scoring in the overtime period and said this was a game her team desperately needed.

“Every practice we talked about how big of a game this would be,” Kiana Johnson said. “Beating Purdue … ranked No. 17, that’s huge. It makes a statement.”

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