For five MSU women’s basketball seniors, today marks the beginning of the end.

Guards Christie Pung and Donita Johnson and center Erin Skelly will have at least one more chance to finalize their career totals and make a mark in Spartan history, as MSU begins Big Ten Tournament play today against Ohio State.

But no matter what the outcome will be, all three, along with forward Becky Cummings, have ended their careers listed in the top 10 in at least one category.

And after midseason struggles threatened to permanently taint their last year at MSU, all four seniors can be satisfied knowing they were integral parts of the turnaround the team finally found.

The team’s improvement resulted in the Spartans winning two of their last five games, after losing nine straight. MSU lost the other three games in that stretch by a total of seven points.

“It was a nice tribute to be able to send them off on a high note,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said after the team beat Minnesota on Sunday, 58-50. “They’ve really been a neat bunch to coach.”

That bunch will not be soon forgotten.

Pung finishes sixth on the all-time career three-pointer chart, with 42 treys going into the tournament.

“It’s really been a dream come true to play here, so close to home,” the Pewamo, Mich., native said. “I’m sure I’ll always come back to see the team play.”

Pung said she not only improved her play at MSU, but that being a part of the team has transformed her in a way.

“I think I’m a different type of person now,” she said. “I’m more outgoing and more vocal now.”

Skelly’s 106 blocks earned her the second-place position on MSU’s all-time block chart. She tied a career high Sunday with five swipes.

The 6-foot-5 center started the season playing awkwardly in the low post, but as the season progressed and Skelly saw additional minutes with Cummings sitting out, her game strengthened. While she averaged 5.3 points and five rebounds for the season, she’s averaged 7.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in the last four games.

Ending her career at the height of that peak makes things a little bittersweet, Skelly said.

“It’s disappointing to see it end now,” she said. “The (coaches) are going to do really big things here. I hope the tradition they’ve started carries.”

With 330 assists, Johnson is seventh on the all-time career list. She is also tied for seventh place on the three-point chart, with 38 career long ones.

The Mount Clemens High standout is known on the court for her blue-collar aggressiveness, her defensive leadership and her overall in-your-face style.

Moving on from Spartan hoops won’t be easy, she said.

“It’s all just happening so fast,” Johnson said. “Every day I look back and it seems like just yesterday we were freshmen. And now it’s all coming to an end.”

And although it hasn’t been the easiest trek through the four seasons, Johnson said her lasting memories will all be positive.

“It’s been successful in some ways, and not in others, but I’m gonna take the good out of the experience,” she said.

Cummings was the Spartans’ leading scorer before an additional tear to her plantar fascia - a muscle in the bottom of the foot - left her on the injured list.

She missed five preseason games, returned to Big Ten action Dec. 31, and then reinjured the muscle at practice Jan. 17. Since then, she has played in four out of 14 games, always off the bench.

But despite all that time off the court, Cummings finishes her career at eighth on MSU’s all-time scoring chart with 1,108 points and ninth place on MSU’s all-time rebounding list, with 645.

A solid 57.2 percent shooting from the field (392-of-685) also makes her the second most accurate shooter in school history.

“It’s sad when you play at a school like this; it’s just very hard to say goodbye,” she said. “I’ve had a great career here - basketball is always a life-changing experience.”

The final senior, forward Nikki Davis, has been a sideline supporter of the team all season. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament last year, but has still been a major emotional key to the team, McCallie said.

Last year Davis averaged two points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

“When you go through everything with a team, you can’t just walk away,” Davis said. “You make a commitment and you go through with it.”