“It’s just one of those schools,” senior guard Brittney Thomas said after the game. “For some reason, they got our numbers, and we can’t get over that hump.”

Thursday marked OSU’s second win of the season over the Spartans, who already had clinched at least a share of the conference title. However, the loss only temporarily dampened MSU’s hope of being alone atop the Big Ten.

Following Senior Night activities after the game, the Spartans were awarded their Big Ten championship trophy and raised the 2011 championship banner.

It was during that ceremony when it was announced second-place Penn State had lost, allowing MSU to claim the outright title. The Spartans have shared the title twice before.

“We got the news that Purdue beat Penn State, and I think we all just ran around the gym like chickens with our heads cut off,” senior forward Cetera Washington said. “We were so excited.”

Before the excitement of winning a championship, though, Thursday night’s game provided a little last-second excitement of its own.
With 2:59 left to play, senior forward Kalisha Keane made a layup to tie the game at 53.

Neither team scored for the next 1:09, before OSU’s Jantel Lavender made one free throw to give the Buckeyes a 54-53 lead, and the two teams traded misses for almost the next 60 seconds.

Then, with 10.5 seconds remaining, the Spartans had the ball and a chance to win, still down just one. A well-defended Jasmine Thomas brought the ball up court, and the sophomore guard let a jumper fly from the left wing. The shot clanged off the back rim, prompting the Buckeyes to run out and celebrate on the floor.

Head coach Suzy Merchant said the final play was similar to what she drew up in the huddle, but MSU ran out of time.

“I knew (Jasmine Thomas) could get her shot off, and that’s her shot going left,” Merchant said. “I thought we had the right rebounders in the right position, but that ball just hung up there a little long.”

The down-to-the-wire finish was no surprise after what was a back-and-forth game all night. Neither team built more than a four-point lead in the first half, as each relied heavily on its big players.

For OSU, that player was Lavender, and for the Spartans, it was junior forward Lykendra Johnson.

Lavender finished the half with a game-high 12 points, but Johnson was right behind with 11. Johnson also added eight rebounds for MSU.

“Jantel is a good player,” Johnson said of her lowpost counterpart. “Going into the game, we knew it was going to be a hard fought game, and I think I did well just attacking her.”

After Johnson made a layup to tie the game at 26, Lavender scored the only four points the rest of the half, as OSU went into the break leading, 30-26.

Much like the first half, neither team was able to pull away in the second half, with the biggest lead of the game reaching just six points.

MSU found itself down, 53-50, with 3:29 to play before three straight Spartan points set up the exciting finish.

To go along with her game-winning free throw, Lavender led all scorers with 24 points. Johnson paced MSU with 16 points and 17 rebounds, marking her seventh double-double in Big Ten play.

With her piece of the net from the championship ceremony still in hand, Merchant said she might take a night to enjoy the title. But with one game left before the Big Ten Tournament, she said Friday will be business as usual — starting with a 2 p.m. film session.

“We got another game to prepare for,” Merchant said. “We want to continue to play our best basketball as we head into the postseason.”