The MSU women’s basketball team finally came to play in the first half.
Sophomore guard Allyssa DeHaan’s layup 45 seconds in paired with freshman guard Brittney Thomas’s underhand layup in the midst of a 19-7 run would set the pace for a comfortable 12-point lead heading into the locker room.
The Spartans forced 19 Tiger turnovers while only giving up 15 in the 68-51 victory against the ACC in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
“I think we are real inconsistent in regard to our turnovers,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said.
The Spartans are now 1-0 in the annual conference challenge and 1-1 in their series against the Tigers.
“Everyone was really clicking tonight, it was a great team win,” DeHaan said.
The Spartans collected a season-high 19 offensive rebounds against the Tigers, an aspect of the game Merchant has been stressing all week in practice with the use of plastic bubbles over the rims.
DeHaan posted a double-double with 13 rebounds and 26 points, which she said couldn’t have been done without her “post buddy,” sophomore center Lauren Aitch – who posted 9 rebounds and 16 points.
“I was just trying to be aggressive and be an offensive threat,” DeHaan said.
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