It wasn't the prettiest half of basketball, but a late burst helped keep the deficit close entering halftime.
With the Big Ten tournament just a week away, the seeding of teams is still completely up in the air. Just four teams in the league – Wisconsin, Maryland, Penn State, and Rutgers – know when they will be playing.
Whenever the Spartan and Wolverine basketball teams clash there's always a lot on the line.
The good news for MSU women’s basketball is that they’re riding an undefeated streak (4-0) against Michigan in the Big Ten tournament since its creation back in 1995.
When the question pops up of what else can Aerial Powers accomplish in one season, the sophomore comes through to impress college basketball supporters a like. It was just this Sunday when Powers sent the Breslin Center into a frenzy when she and the rest of the Spartans knocked off then No.
The men's basketball team lost by seven points, but the game was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated.
Tori Jankoska has once again proven to be the much needed catalyst for a team looking for a confidence boost late in the season. In a game that saw constant lead changes and momentum swings, the sophomore forward would send the dagger through the hearts of the Boilermakers with 14 seconds left on the clock. Up by three, a steal by the 5-foot-8 guard followed by an uncontested layup was the bitter end to Purdue's resurgent run to a close upset, finishing the season on a three-game wins streak thanks to a 61-56 final score. Jankoska, the Freeland native, capped off the regular-season by recording her tenth 20+ points game of the season to make her the MSU leader in points down in West Lafayette, giving the Spartans an undefeated record whenever she sits on top of the leaderboard. The offensive firepower of Jankoska and Aerial Powers combined for 43-points, the only two players that recorded more than five points before the final buzzer.
Tori Jankoska has picked off where she left off this past Wednesday against the Purdue Boilermakers, garnering 14-points before heading back into the locker room to give MSU a 29-28 lead before halftime. With the ninth seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament on the line Saturday afternoon, the Spartans came out of the gates early with a head of steam, quickly going on a 15-6 advantage at the 10:24 mark. But the Boilermakers, who are sitting dead last in the conference standings with Penn State, went on a 22-14 run to make it a one possession game. Andreona Keys would end the first 20-minutes of play by hitting an uncontested layup right before the buzzer to cut the deficit to one, following a turnover by freshman Kennedy Johnson with two seconds remaining. Jankoska is shooting 75 percent (3-of-4) from beyond the arc and 57 percent (4-of-7). She has also posted two rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Aerial Powers has broken the MSU single-season rebounding record after grabbing her 337th of the season.
Senior forward Branden Dawson came into MSU with all the hype in the world and, as a result, has had blessings and curses during his career in East Lansing.
C. Vivian Stringer, the head coach of No. 20 ranked Rutgers, closed the locker room for media members following their defeat at the hands of MSU this past Sunday in East Lansing. When the 2009 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee had her run-in with reporters inside the tunnel, the conversation quickly focused on the performance of Aerial Powers. Stringer said that if she could go back and change her preparations for last season's Big Ten regular-season champions, she would have shown less film on the conference's leading scorer, knowing that her players would be less intimated and less fearful at the Breslin Center. Barely being edged out by No.
Minnesota's size was too much for MSU in the first half, so the Spartans made them pay on the perimeter.
The product on the floor may not have been as well decorated this season in comparison to years past, but that hasn't stopped loyal supporters in walking through the turnstiles. According to the MSU athletic department, the Spartans rank first in the Big Ten and eighth in the country in total attendance for women's basketball games as of Feb. 17. This was evident during Sunday's upset victory over No.
Tori Jankoska is further proving to her critics that Aerial Powers isn't the only superstar in the making on the Spartans roster. Playing a major role in last Sunday's upset over first-year Big Ten participant and No.
Whenever sophomore guard Tori Jankoska finishes a contest as the team's leader in the points column this season, the Spartans have come away with a victory. That was evident when MSU nearly caused a court storming this past Sunday in East Lansing when they knocked off No.
Their first victory over a ranked program in more than two months couldn't come at a better time with a week into the Big Ten tournament. Currently sitting ninth in the conference standings tied with Illinois after knocking off No.
The Spartans nearly let another sure win slip away, but an uncharacteristically strong night at the line helped MSU steal a road win from one of the best home teams in the Big Ten. MSU (19-8 overall, 10-4 Big Ten) drained 17 of 20 free throw attempts to defeat Illinois, 60-53.
Tears were shed and standing ovations were received before the opening possession occurred on Sunday. Battling with ACL tears on both of her knees, redshirt senior Madison Williams has spent the entirety of this season sitting on the bench, cheering for her teammates day in and day out. But on the final home game of the year for the Spartans, Williams would get the nod from head coach Suzy Merchant to be slotted into the starting lineup. Along with Williams, Kendra Lumpkin, seniors Kendra Lumpkin, Kelsey Kuipers, Anna Morrissey and Becca Mills were honored after the weekend matinee.
Tears were shed and standing ovations were received before the opening possession occurred on Sunday. Battling with an ACL on both of her knees, redshirt senior Madison Williams has spent the entirely of this season sitting on the bench, cheering for her teammates day in and day out. But on the final home game of the year for the Spartans, Williams would get the nod from head coach Suzy Merchant to be slotted into the starting lineup. Having her name called by the public address announcer brought the crowd to their feet in support of Williams, one of five seniors honored at the Breslin Center on Senior Day. Despite losing the opening tip off and being immediately taken out by freshman Lexi Gussert, it was the one shining moment that Williams deserved after not seeing the court all season. Still searching for that first quality win since their Dec.
The Spartans supporters rose to their feet on two separate occasions before a single point was even scored. Both times for a player who made her first appearance on the court this season. Madison Williams, the senior who has been battling an ACL tear on both of her knees, got the start at center on Senior Day.
A complete turnaround for the Spartans since the end of last year has finally taken shape with three games remaining of the regular-season. And it's not for the better. Unlike the 2014 program who fought their way to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling short to North Carolina, MSU's long and treacherous journey in hopes of receiving a bid at The Big Dance starts at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill, the site of the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. If the season ended today, Suzy Merchant's squad would face last place Penn State in the first round as an 11th seed.