Minneapolis - It was another solid night put in by the No. 9 MSU women's basketball team, which picked up its 21st win rather easily against No. 12 Minnesota, 79-48.
The Spartans (21-3 overall, 10-2 Big Ten) led by as many as 34 points in the second half and never trailed during the game, with solid performances from the whole team.
"This was a very strong game for us," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
"We were very consistent all night against a very good basketball team."
The Spartans were led on offense by sophomore guard Rene Haynes, who had a career-high 22 points and pulled down six rebounds.
Junior forward Liz Shimek put in another gritty effort for the third-straight game, picking up her eighth double-double of the year, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
"I'm thrilled for her to play so consistent," McCallie said. "She is a hard-working player and a very tough kid. I think she is one of the best players in the country and she is starting to show it every night."
The Gophers (18-5, 8-3) were really a two-player team all night. Center Janel McCarville led the team with 17 points and forward Jamie Broback added 16. No other player had more than five points on the night.
The Spartans, meanwhile, had four total players in double figures as senior guard Kristin Haynie scored 18 points and junior guard Lindsay Bowen added 13.
The Spartans won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Gophers, 35-26, with no Gophers player pulling more than five rebounds.
The Spartans shot 52.7 percent on the night and the Gophers were only able to hit on 35.3 percent of their shots, which included no 3-point field goals, leaving them 0-17 from beyond the arc.
"We knew coming into this game that it was going to be physical and that the fans were going to be loud and into the game," Haynie said.
"We also knew that we had to play our game and just have fun, which I feel we did all night."
The Spartans forced 17 turnovers and scored 17 points off them. They took care of the ball for the most part, turning it over only 13 times.
"We played a very strong team game tonight," Haynes said. "We stuck together and put together a very solid effort all over the court."
The Spartans now continue their road trip, heading to Wisconsin on Sunday to battle the Badgers in what looks to be another tough test.
"We are on a three-game swing here and it won't get any easier for us the rest of the way," McCallie said.
"But I really liked what I saw tonight and I think we will just continue to build off what we did tonight."
Chris Barsotti can be reached at barsott1@msu.edu.
