When a team makes a 10-point comeback in less than five minutes and finally ties the score in the waning seconds, it's easy to get caught up in the moment.
And when caught up in the moment, it's easy to forget some rather fundamental elements of basketball.
Like getting back on defense.
Or stopping the ball.
The No. 12 MSU women's basketball team made such a comeback Sunday against No. 7 Ohio State. The Spartans were down 10 points. They came roaring back.
And they forgot to finish the game.
With the Green and White trailing 65-64 with three seconds left on the clock, freshman forward Aisha Jefferson made a game-tying free throw, seemingly sending the game into overtime.
Before the Spartans could catch their breaths, the Buckeyes' Marscilla Packer received the inbounds pass and immediately raced up the court, throwing a soft lob toward the hoop. Center Jessica Davenport caught Packer's pass in midair and laid it up just a split-second before the backboard light came on.
The shot fell through. Ohio State escaped with a 67-65 victory.
"It's a range that I practice in every day," Davenport said of the game-winner. "I knew it was good."
The final sequence was no fluke on the Buckeyes' end. Ohio State head coach Jim Foster said his team knew exactly what to do once Jefferson's free throw tied the score at 65.
"We have a three-second play, and it involves Jessica at the other end of the floor — near the basket," Foster said. "It's not coaching genius, believe me."
It shouldn't have been any secret to the Spartans (14-6 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) that the ball was going to end up in Davenport's hands. MSU was helpless to stop the 6-foot-5 post player throughout the final 20 minutes.
Whereas Davenport was somewhat contained in the first half, scoring nine points, she exploded in the second half, hitting 11-of-12 shots from the field. If the ball touched Davenport's hands, an Ohio State basket was almost certain. She finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said she regretted not using MSU's last timeout once the game was tied.
"I had one timeout left," McCallie said. "I didn't call it. We were out of position. Those kids should have all been in front of us."
Senior forward Liz Shimek was defending Davenport on the play, but was unable to contest the shot cleanly.
"I wish that I could play it over again, maybe do something a little different, maybe back into her, maybe push her down," Shimek said.
Once MSU fell behind by 10 points, it became clear that the team wouldn't be able to get back in the game by stopping Davenport. Instead, the Spartans had to outscore her.
Senior guard Lindsay Bowen and Shimek rallied the Spartans with an offensive assault, knocking down shots from behind the arc and converting on 3-point play opportunities. MSU scored 18 points in the last 4:45 of the game, but it still wasn't enough.
Shimek led the Spartans in scoring with 18 points but only grabbed four rebounds. Junior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry had 12 points, and Bowen chipped in 11. Ashley Allen hit five 3-pointers for Ohio State (15-2, 6-1).
The Spartans head to West Lafayette, Ind. to play Purdue on Thursday. The game tips off at 8 p.m.
Ethan Conley can be reached at conleyet@msu.edu.
