The No. 18 MSU women's basketball team wins with team defense and team rebounding.
The numbers sometimes can be deceiving, but not so with the Spartans this season. The team leads the Big Ten in four categories: defensive rebounds, rebounding margin, scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
"It's about intensity, ball pressure - and keeping them out of the paint," sophomore forward Liz Shimek said. "We try to tuck in our defense, trust each other and do what we need to do to stop our opponents."
The Spartans collect 25.7 defensive rebounds a game and, even more impressive, do so by playing a zone defense. The players' understanding of positioning and where the ball is going to come off have been the keys to MSU's success on the defensive boards.
Defensive rebounding, as well as crashing the offensive glass, has helped lead MSU to a +8.8 rebounding margin.
"I think it's been being aggressive, determined and wanting it more," freshman guard Rene Haynes said. "We just pride ourselves on our rebounding.; It's a big part of our game."
MSU allows only an average of 53.4 points per game, more than one point better than any other Big Ten team, despite giving up 69 against Minnesota on Sunday. The team prides itself on defense, and the numbers and record support how much the Spartans' efforts are paying off.
Part of good defense is contesting each shot and not letting your opponent have easy baskets. The Spartans have done those things, holding their opponents to 36.1 percent shooting from the floor.
Among the team defense and rebounding, two individuals shine - one in each area.
Junior point guard Kristin Haynie leads the Big Ten with 3.17 steals per game and is very effective in getting her hands on the basketball from any defensive spot in the Spartans' matchup zone.
Shimek is third in the conference in rebounding, averaging 8.9 boards per game. Shimek is one of the tougher players in the league and is a very powerful and smart rebounder.
"I think it's about focusing on where the ball is going to come off," Shimek said. "If it's a long shot, it's going to be a long rebound, and if it's a short shot, it will be a short rebound.
"It's all about heart and pursuing the ball."
Close, but no record
Despite two wins for the week and a huge road upset at then-No. 9 Minnesota, MSU jumped up just two spots to No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday.
The Spartans still sit four places behind the Golden Gopher team they just beat. The ranking left MSU shy of their all-time high ranking, which was No. 17 in 1977. The No. 18 ranking, however, is the highest they've been since that season.
The 60s stink
MSU is 3-3 when scoring between 60-69 points, including an overtime win at Northwestern last week.
On the other hand, when the Spartans score 70 or more points, they are 7-0, and when they score 59 or less points they are 5-0.
Underclassmen rule the team
With only two seniors on the team, MSU gets most of its points and rebounds from the freshman, sophomore and junior classes.
Combined, the three classes make up 89.6 percent of the Spartans' points and 87.3 percent of the team's rebounding. The class breakdown is three juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen.
MSU has a bright future, but by the percentage breakdown, the Spartans look like the future is now.
