MSU gave its second straight dominating performance of the preseason, shooting 42.4 percent from the floor and 30.8 percent from three while holding the Lakers to 0-for-27 in the first half. The Spartans entered halftime with a commanding 40-7 lead, shooting 45.5 percent from behind the arc.

Grand Valley did not hit a field goal until about two and a half minutes into the second half.

Despite the strong showing, the Spartans weren’t completely satisfied with their defensive performance. Head coach Suzy Merchant said she was concerned with some open shots the Lakers were able to take, and her players agreed.

“There is always room for improvement,” senior guard Taylor Alton said. “We never want to be complacent with where we’re at defensively. If we play a flawless game, we’ll always find something that we can tweak or fine tune.”

Fine tuning is what the preseason is all about, and although the Spartans weren’t flawless Sunday, they came pretty close. Alton was 4-for-4 from 3-point range, and MSU also saw production out of redshirt freshman center Madison Williams who missed the 2010-11 season after injuring her leg in practice. Williams had a breakout performance, grabbing 11 boards, racking up five blocks and scoring seven.

“She’s just a game changer, a program changer because of her ability to cover ground, block shots and rebounds,” Merchant said about Williams. “Regardless, if you ever give her a post up, she’s going to do things like she did today.”

Freshman forward Becca Mills was the game’s leading scorer, netting 17 points for the Spartans. Alton finished second on the team in points with 12 and junior forward Courtney Schiffauer in with eight. Freshman guard Kiana Johnson directed the players on the court, dishing for a game-high tying four assists and making her presence known on defense, forcing two steals.

Johnson only scored two points, but they might have been two of the most exciting points in the game.

About midway through the first half, Johnson cut to the left, dribbled behind her back and, splitting two defenders, took the ball to the rim. After the game, she said the move was indicative of more fancy plays to come.

“I just have to know when to use (my style),” she said. “So on the plays that we have, if it’s time for me to be finesse, then I’ll be finesse and make something happen for the team.”

Johnson said her style wouldn’t always have to lead to points for herself, and if needed, she can disperse the ball around to one of the post players for an easy lay up.

The Spartans open the regular season Friday, in New Rochelle, N.Y., against Villanova in the Iona Tournament.