Behind swarming defense and greedy fingers, the Spartan women’s basketball team downed Northwestern 75-58 on Sunday at Breslin Center.
Junior forward Syreeta Bromfield’s monster second half broke the game open for the Spartans (13-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten) and accounted for 15 of her game-high 22 points.
Freshman guard Kristin Haynie added 12 points, and freshman forward Joy Johnson chipped in 11.
The Spartan defense gave Northwestern (4-16, 0-9) fits all afternoon, forcing the Wildcats into 25 turnovers. MSU finished the game with 17 steals.
“Defense is what keeps us in games, and it’s what makes us a tough team to play,” junior guard Vnemina Reese said.
Spartan head coach Joanne P. McCallie said she was pleased not only with the team’s defensive tenacity, but also with how it crashed the offensive glass.
“I thought it was a great team defensive effort,” McCallie said. “Offensive rebounding was an area that was very good for us and very strong.”
The Spartans grabbed 38 total rebounds, 17 coming on the offensive glass. The Wildcats only snagged 24.
MSU was able to sew together a punishing surge in the final 10 minutes, forcing Northwestern’s search for its first Big Ten win to continue.
Behind defensive pressure and hot shooting, Northwestern got within four on a three-pointer from guard Samantha McComb with just under 10 minutes to play. But the Spartans rallied behind a Bromfield three-pointer to go on a 17-4 run, putting the win out of the Wildcats’ reach.
Haynie said the Spartans responded to the increased Northwestern defensive intensity.
“Their pressure in the second half, it kind of frustrated all of us, but we handled it well,” she said. “We’ve played enough games where we can keep our composure when it gets physical out there.”
The Spartans finished the game shooting 49 percent from the field - a percentage bolstered by a 15-of-25 second-half shooting performance.
Neither team began the afternoon with the hot hand, as each failed to tally a point in the opening four minutes.
“Early on, as long as teams aren’t scoring on us, we’re OK if our team is sluggish or disjointed,” McCallie said. “It took us awhile to get going, there’s no doubt about that.”
The Spartans struggled from the field in the early going, missing each of their seven shots. But while MSU struggled hitting shots, the Wildcats found trouble taking them.
Northwestern committed four turnovers and released one shot during the sloppy start.
“I think Michigan State had a great game plan,” Northwestern head coach June Olkowski said. “What really gave us problems was the matchups. Our post players had trouble getting a clean shot off.”
The Spartans travel to Madison, Wis., on Wednesday for another shot at upsetting No. 9 Wisconsin (16-4, 7-3). The Badgers escaped from Breslin Center on Jan. 10 with a thrilling 86-78 double-overtime win in the teams’ last meeting.
The Badgers have dropped three straight.
