West Lafayette, Ind. - Two straight games against Top 10 opponents started off on the wrong foot for the No. 20 MSU women's basketball team.
The Spartans dropped their second game in a row with a 59-56 loss to No. 5 Purdue.
"The game could have gone either way," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "We still have to become more mature, we made some immature plays down the stretch."
It was a tale of two halves as the Spartans controlled the first half, outplaying the Boilermakers in nearly every aspect of the game.
Junior guard Kristin Haynie led the Spartans for the game with 19 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Haynie scored on the drive, from the 3-point line and with mid-range jump shots.
McCallie said she was frustrated that other players didn't feed off the energy created by the gritty guard.
"We're a well-balanced team, and when one person is on, people have to follow," Haynie said. "I think we were attacking, but we just missed open shots, shots that should have gone in."
MSU wanted to play a slow-paced game and was able to accomplish just that in the first half. The Spartans led 26-22 at halftime, a lead capped off by a short jump shot from Haynie with six seconds left in the half.
Haynie was a lone ranger for most of the game - from 11:20 remaining in the first half to more than five minutes into the second, she was the only Spartan to score. Haynie had 13 points during the stretch, but could not stop the Boilermakers from taking over the game.
Purdue forward Shereka Wright was a main focus of MSU's defense, and it contained the National Player of the Year candidate, holding her to only eight points in the first half. However, in the second half, she took over, scoring 14 of her game-high 24.
"She's an excellent player and she's had a very good year," McCallie said. "I think she has a good shot at Big Ten Player of the Year."
MSU got major contributions from sophomore forward Liz Shimek, who finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds. Shimek was the only player to pull down more than three boards, which McCallie said was another key to the Spartans' loss.
Aggressive plays were the difference, McCallie said, specifically offensive rebounds and free throws. The Boilermakers outrebounded the Spartans 36-26, with a 12-5 advantage on the offensive glass. Also, Purdue shot 19 free throws to MSU's 10, making more than the Spartans attempted.
Purdue head coach Kristy Curry knew what her team was getting into and wasn't surprised, just thankful to come away with the win.
"We were walking into a hacksaw and it was just a matter of us being able to withstand them," Curry said. "I just felt we won the game in the second half by being more aggressive."
The Spartans return home Thursday night to play No. 7 Penn State at Breslin Center.
