Madison, Wisc. - The MSU women's basketball team got into early foul trouble, but it was a Wisconsin technical foul that proved to be the game's turning point as the Spartans disposed of the Badgers 58-43 on Thursday night.

After two 3-pointers from Wisconsin guard Stephanie Rich pulled the Badgers to within five points with 13:08 left, MSU freshman forward Liz Shimek tried to respond by going to hole but was fouled by Wisconsin center Lello Gebisa. Out of frustration, Gebisa slapped at the ball, drawing a technical foul, and the Spartans (13-7 overall, 6-3 Big Ten) were awarded four free-throw attempts.

"There was definitely a switch in momentum in our favor," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "There was plenty of time on the clock at that point, any time you go to the free-throw line, it's good for our team."

MSU converted three of four from the charity stripe and used the extra shots to ignite a 12-3 run, pushing their lead to 51-37 with 7:24 remaining in the game. The Badgers (6-15, 4-6) never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

The Spartans were led by freshman guard Lindsay Bowen's 15 points, while Shimek hauled down a game-high 11 rebounds and scored nine points.

Rich tallied a game-high 16 points for Wisconsin.

"It was definitely a lot of fun banging around down low where there are people bigger than you," Shimek said. "We played hard inside and were really physical."

Thanks to a 3-pointer from Bowen and a sideline jumper from senior center Jennifer Callier to close out the half, the Spartans entered the locker room nursing a 29-25 lead.

"I thought we did a very good job of playing through it," McCallie said of her team's foul trouble. "I was very proud of the way our team played, how aggressive they were and how they responded."

MSU returns home for a Sunday matchup against Penn State (19-5, 9-1). Tip off is 2 p.m. at Breslin Center.