Friday, March 29, 2024

Women's basketball blows out U-M in the Big Ten tournament 69-49

March 5, 2015

It was exactly one month ago today when the Spartans were obliterated in East Lansing by the hands of their instate rivals by a 13 point margin, begin swept in the regular-season for the first time in over a decade. 

It's always a difficult task to beat a team three times in a row, especially when that opponent is riding a three game winning streak at the conclusion of the season. 

That was seen at the Sears Centre Arena Wednesday when something finally clicked for MSU,  as they defeated Michigan in the second round of the Big Ten tournament 69-49.

Their run towards the blowout win in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, began as early as the 16:37 mark in the first half, by jumping out to an early 12-4 advantage, thanks to an uncontested layup by freshman guard Lexi Gussert underneath the basket. 

Things got worse from there, as the Spartans went on a 10-2 run.

Gussert tied with Aerial Powers for a team-high 16 points on the afternoon. Powers also finished with 15 rebounds to complete the double-double. 

Turnovers continued to be a problem for head coach Suzy Merchant's squad, changing possessions 20 times, compared to U-M's 11. 

But the stat was trumped due to in a large part by the Wolverines' dreadful shooting, knocking down just 16 percent from their shots from the three-point line and 27 percent from the floor. 

Cyesha Goree, the third leading scorer on the U-M roster with 14.1 per game, was virtually inexistent on the offensive side of the glass, posting just five points and seven rebounds. 

Katelynn Flaherty led U-M with 14 points, while Shannon Smith would finish with a double-double after recording 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

With the win, the Spartans get an opportunity to exact revenge on the Big Ten regular-season champions and first-year conference participant, No. 4 Maryland, in the quarterfinals Friday at 12:30 p.m.

The last time these two teams met MSU missed a whopping 11 free throws, failing to pick up the upset in front of the home crowd. The Terrapins are riding an 18-0 streak in conference play, having only lost twice this season.

Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Women's basketball blows out U-M in the Big Ten tournament 69-49” on social media.