Before the MSU women’s basketball team can devote its full attention and energy to finals next week, they will first have to pass tests of stamina on the court during the next five days.
The Spartans passed the first section of that exam Tuesday with a 74-60 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay at the Breslin Student Events Center - beginning a three-game stint over six days.
“It’s tough mentally because you have to be mentally ready for what you have to do in a classroom, which is the first and foremost the thing you worry about,” junior guard and co-captain Vnemina Reese said. “Secondly, you have to come out (with a) clear and level head and think basketball.”
MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said there are good aspects of having such a hectic schedule.
“It’s definitely an endurance test,” McCallie said. “I like it in the sense that the positive aspect of (gaining) that endurance is it gets you ready for (being) mentally tough.”
The win lifts MSU (4-3) above .500 and puts them back on track after Sunday’s 66-59 loss to Eastern Michigan - a game that snapped a two-game Spartan winning streak.
Senior forward Becky Cummings - the team’s leading scorer with 85 points during the first six games - injured her foot in Sunday’s game and didn’t see action Tuesday against the Phoenix.
Despite the absence of Cummings, MSU got off to a 21-4 lead in the first 10 minutes of play.
MSU’s backcourt tandem of Reese and senior guard Donita Johnson picked up the offense slack with 18 and 15 points respectively.
Reese said the two weren’t the only contributors to fill the void.
“It wasn’t just me and (Johnson), it was the whole connection,” Reese said. “The whole team picked up the slack for Becky.”
MSU went on 23-3 run in the first half, but the Spartans’ lead dwindled to 11 with 5:35 to play in the half.
The Spartans took a 39-22 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, the Phoenix slowly crept back with some easy buckets and defensive stops.
The Phoenix finally cut the lead to 10 points with 23 seconds remaining in the game, but were only able to foul the Spartans on every possession after that.
Despite the win, McCallie said the team’s free-throw shooting - 2-of-8 free throws in the final minute - needs drastic improvement.
“It is consistent right now and it’s consistently bad,” McCallie said. “We need to change that. I think that’s just another step in the process.”
Justin Rice can be reached at ricejust@msu.edu.
