Madison, Wis. — Just three players carried the MSU women's basketball team through nearly the duration of the Spartans' game against Wisconsin on Thursday night.
It took a fourth player to join the fray and contribute down the stretch for MSU to walk away from the Kohl Center with a victory.
Liz Shimek, Lindsay Bowen and Victoria Lucas-Perry kept the No. 9 Spartans just close enough to make a run down the stretch of a game that MSU had trailed since 5:44 remained in the first half.
The three combined for 49 points on the night, while the rest of the team struggled to make any sort of contribution.
Enter Aisha Jefferson.
The freshman forward was the difference maker as the Spartans rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes. After Shimek and Bowen brought MSU to within one point of the Badgers, Jefferson stepped up to the plate.
Taking a pass from Rene Haynes, Jefferson nailed a 10-foot jumper with about a minute remaining, giving MSU a 64-63 lead. Bowen forced a tie-up as Wisconsin inbounded the ball, and the possession arrow pointed in the Spartans' direction.
Jefferson was eventually fouled, and made both free throws to give MSU a 66-63 lead that they would carry until the final buzzer. After four more insurance free throws, the Spartans (13-4 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) escaped with a hard-fought 69-63 victory.
"It's always nice when a freshman can come in and be such a difference maker, and she really was," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said, referring to Jefferson.
Shimek said she wasn't surprised with Jefferson's performance down the stretch. She and her teammates know that Jefferson has the ability to make important plays when it matters, Shimek added.
"When she comes into the game, she has a big heart, and she's willing to work hard," she said. "She makes plays like that in practice, and we have all the confidence in the world in her."
McCallie said the abilities of Shimek, Bowen and Lucas-Perry kept MSU in the game until others were able to contribute. Without those three players, MSU would have been blown out.
"We're just not playing 40 minutes right now," McCallie said. "It's just life in the Big Ten. There are some great teams and some great coaches and great players, and you can't be whiny about it."
Lucas-Perry and Shimek combined to score the Spartans' first 19 points, while the bulk of Bowen's scoring came at the beginning of the second half.
Shimek led the Spartans in scoring with 18 points, and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Lucas-Perry added 16 points and Bowen contributed 15, including 3-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. Jefferson finished with nine points in 13 minutes on the floor.
Ashley Josephson paced the Badgers (6-10, 1-4) with 15 points, with all five of her field goals coming from 3-point distance. Jolene Anderson notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.
MSU will finish up its three-game road trip at 2 p.m. Sunday against No. 17 Minnesota.
