Junior guard Cara Miller, sophomore guard Tori Jankoska, senior forward Kelsey Kuipers and sophomore forward Aerial Powers react to a call Feb 5, 2015, during the game against Michigan at Breslin Center. The Spartans were defeated by the Wolverines, 72-59. Kennedy Thatch/The State News
—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. Jankoska also posted nine rebounds and five assists.
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.
The second half brought forward plenty of nail bitters and fans jumping out of their seats as both teams failed to come away with a sizable lead. The highest MSU would jump to was seven when Becca Mills hit a jump shot inside the paint.
Purdue's first lead of the game came within nine seconds of the half when Bridget Perry came out with the inbounds pass and drove it to the basket for the uncontested layup.
Perry, the 6-foot-2 guard, finished with 14-points and three rebounds. Whitney Bays was the leader for the Boilermakers, coming away with a double-double after posting 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, sophomore forward Aerial Powers has broken the MSU single-season rebounding record after grabbing her 337th of the season. It's her third record broken this year, along with points (626) and double-doubles (21).
With the win, the Spartans have secured the ninth spot in the Big Ten tournament next week in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. They will face the Michigan Wolverines for the third time this season.
The winner will go on to compete with the Maryland Terrapins, the regular-season conference champions.
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