Coaches always say defense will win games, but in a heart-wrenching loss to Michigan on Thursday, the women’s basketball team learned a hard lesson in just how important offense can be.
With their leading scorer, senior forward Becky Cummings, on the bench, the Spartans couldn’t muster up enough offense and Michigan (12-7 overall, 5-4 Big Ten) won 58-49 after trailing by six at halftime.
“We have a bad habit of getting tired and digging ourselves into a hole,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
A crowd of 7,323 filled the entire lower bowl of Breslin Student Events Center, giving the women their fifth largest home game in history.
And when Michigan went to halftime with only 15 points on the board, it looked like the Spartans’ defense might be enough to win.
But while the game was poor offensively for both teams in the first half, the Wolverines stepped up in the second half. When MSU racked up 12 fouls in the latter stanza, Michigan stole the game at the line, hitting nine free throws in the last five minutes.
MSU (8-10, 2-5) shot only barely more than 33 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from the line, while Michigan improved from a 21.7 percent field goal percentage in the first half to finish with 40 percent and 65.4 from behind the arc.
Michigan junior guard-forward Heather Oesterle hit a three to start the Wolverines on top two minutes into the game. Spartan center Erin Skelly responded with MSU’s first basket after four minutes of play, leaving Michigan up by one, 3-2.
The score bobbled meagerly back and forth throughout much of the first half with three lead changes. Senior guard Christie Pung put the Spartans up 14-9 on two nothing-but-net three-pointers that lit up the Breslin crowd.
Pung finished with a career high three-three pointers and five assists.
Michigan almost took the lead on the next play, after they sunk a basket, went to the line, got the rebound and went to the line again. They trailed by two, 14-12, after that possession with 5:00 left.
Sophomore guard Vnemina Reese scored MSU’s next five points with a long three and a lay-up, and she led the Spartans with 23 points.
Pung added one more layup to finish the half tied with Reese with eight points, and coasted MSU to the locker-room on top, 21-15.
But Michigan started the half on a 6-0 run that tied the score at 21. After two time-outs, MSU got the ball back to Pung for another three.
Again the game stayed close most of the half, leading the MSU fans to turn to Izzone-like antics of bouncing and chanting for the first time at a women’s game this season.
But as time wore out, U-M ended up in the double bonus, and saved their game with free throws.
Krista Latham can be reached at lathamkr@msu.edu.
