West Lafayette, Ind. — Having already lost three of its last five games, the No. 16 MSU basketball team's struggles continued Thursday night, as the Spartans played one of their worst games of the season.
Despite a strong showing in the opening minutes, the Spartans were blown out by No. 8 Purdue, 73-53. MSU trailed by as many as 27, but was able to score enough points in the final minutes to avoid their largest losing margin of the year.
As if a 1-5 record against top 10 teams and 5-7 record in games away from Breslin Center weren't enough, the Spartans (14-7 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) now find themselves in an even more unfamiliar situation: they're sitting at .500 in the Big Ten conference. Purdue has yet to lose a conference game.
The Spartans actually jumped out to a 14-9 lead at the start of the game but fell midway through the first half when they began to play poorly in nearly every aspect.
Post feeds were knocked away and stolen by Purdue defenders, layups were missed and attempts from beyond the 3-point arc were air-balled. The Spartans committed 11 first-half turnovers and dished out just five total assists.
MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie credited the Boilermakers for being able to take the Spartans off their game.
"Purdue played excellent defense," McCallie said. "It was great team defense — it wasn't just one player."
Unlike Purdue (16-2, 8-0), MSU's defense looked like a sieve. The Spartans allowed the Boilermakers to thrive from both inside and outside. Purdue's players found uncontested looks from 3-point distance and knocked their shots down. The Boilermakers hit six 3-pointers in the first half, including two apiece from guards Katie Gearlds and Cherelle George.
"We were letting their go-to players get the ball and get wide-open shots," senior forward Liz Shimek said. "That's pretty much it. It's all in our defense."
Only a surprise first-half performance by freshman guard Tiffanie Shives, who scored seven points on 3-for-3 shooting from the floor, kept the Spartans remotely competitive. MSU trailed by 12 points at the half, 38-26.
"Tiffanie was great," McCallie said of the Spartans' lone bright spot. "I loved her confidence off the bench, and I loved her attack."
The Green and White looked to be primed for a late comeback, as they started the second half on a 6-0 run. The momentum dissipated quickly, and the poor play on both ends of the court resurfaced. The Spartans were outscored in the second half as well, 35-27.
Shimek led the Spartans in scoring with 14 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Shives and junior guard Victoria-Lucas Perry tied as the second-leading scorers for the Spartans, each chipping in nine points in the losing effort. Shives' nine points were a career high.
Gearlds paced the Boilermakers with 23 points, including 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Forward Aya Traore wasn't far behind, putting 17 points on the board for Purdue.
Ethan Conley can be reached at conleyet@msu.edu.
