Johnson goes the extra mile, had 12 points and eight rebounds over Wildcats
Senior forward Lykendra Johnson looks to pass the ball after she was able to block Northwestern’s attempt at a pass in the paint. The Spartans defeated the Wildcats 72-58 Thursday evening at Breslin Center. Anthony Thibodeau/The State News
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With the finish line looming up ahead, Lykendra Johnson is doing everything she can to be ready.
The senior forward is coming off one of the best seasons in program history — named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last year — but has spent most of this season trying to recapture the quickness that made her elite, after giving birth to a daughter in August.
The MSU women’s basketball team (15-9 overall, 7-3 Big Ten) beat Northwestern (13-11, 3-8) 72-58 on Thursday, after Johnson rebounded from a sluggish first half to finish the game with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Slow starts have started to become an issue for Johnson the past few games, and the senior forward said part of the reason is because she’s been doing extra conditioning drills she wouldn’t normally do, to return to form.
The wear and tear has caught the eye of Suzy Merchant and led the coach to have a talk with Johnson at halftime.
“(Merchant) said ‘It looked like your feet were stuck in mud,’ and I said ‘I know, I don’t feel right today,” Johnson said. “I tried to keep myself out of foul trouble, (and) it did help us a little bit, but it’s also taking away from what we can do. It’s kind of a win-lose situation.”
Foul trouble has been an issue the senior forward has dealt with for most of her career, but Merchant said the issues generated from her decreased energy have outweighed the benefit created by Johnson avoiding fouls.
“(At halftime, Johnson) just said ‘my legs wouldn’t even go,’” Merchant said. “We’ve got to get both halves out of her, and I think when she (has energy), that’s kind of how the whole team is.”
Recognizing the detriment her pregame workouts have caused, Johnson said she plans to tone it down going forward.
“Right now I’m pushing myself too much,” she said. “I’m doing more agility (drills), more footwork stuff, just getting in the gym a little more than I have (and) that can lead to fatigue in the first half. … But after I got going, I kept going. My mental state was on point and after that the sky’s the limit.”
