A glance at the Spartan women’s basketball team’s spot in the Big Ten conference standings might not fairly portray where the team is at.

At least not according to Spartan head coach Joanne P. McCallie.

“We’d love for (positive) outcomes to come left, right and center, but I think that’s being a little disingenuous to the process of rebuilding a program with a lot of young kids in a conference that’s really strong this year,” she said.

“I think it’s important to keep that perspective in mind.”

It’s just too bad the harsh, unfortunate, reality is there is no column for moral victories in the standings. And that is not an oversight.

For example, freshman guard Kristin Haynie’s three-point jumper gave the Spartans a 66-65 lead against Illinois with just more than four minutes left to play Sunday in Champaign, Ill..

The jumper completed an amazing comeback from a seven-point deficit after the first half.

Most impressively the come-from-behind surge came on the road, in a hostile environment.

But, no more shots would fall. The Spartans managed to sink a single free throw in the game’s final 4:19 while the Illini pushed through the final buzzer, recording a 72-66 victory.

The Spartans have lost three straight by an average of five points.

So, apparently the Spartans struggle in tight games, and that is to be expected from a young team.

But what is unexpected is how the Spartans have led in each of these last three contests, then crumbled down the stretch.

It is in the final minutes when the Spartans look like the young team they are.

“To think that a lot of young kids can have a lot of experience immediately is naive in a lot of ways,” McCallie said.

“Obviously, we want to see a lot more ‘W’s’ for Michigan State, but you can’t deny the process to the kids. “

More disappointing still is how the Spartans blossomed as a team Jan. 5, in their 70-49 trouncing of then-ranked No. 8 Georgia in the Spartans’ first national television appearance.

The absolute pounding was arguably the biggest win in the program’s history, and certainly was the biggest win in McCallie’s two-season tenure.

But instead of capitalizing on the momentum created from the shocking upset, the Spartans seemed to have regressed, even though McCallie would argue otherwise.

“I don’t think we’re on a slide at all,” she said.

“As a matter of fact, I think we’re getting better every game. We’re very happy and we’re very excited.”

And yes, getting better is important, but winning conference games, especially conference games in which you hold a lead, is every bit as important, if not more.

Basically, winning is the bottom line - especially for the Spartans.

Why? Because they are capable of winning. The potential for success is there and it’s frustrating for their potential to be overshadowed by inconsistencies.

There is going to come a time when playing teams tough and coming up just short will no longer be a silver lining for the Spartans.

That time should be sooner than later.

Dan Woike, women’s basketball writer, can be reached at woikedan@msu.edu