Michigan guard Janelle Cooper looks for the pass as Spartan senior guard Courtney Davidson and sophomore center Lauren Aitch, left, guard during the second half of women’s basketball game against Michigan, Sunday afternoon at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines triumphed over the Spartans with a final score of 64-55.
—Ann Arbor — The MSU women’s basketball team dropped its fourth Big Ten matchup to crosstown rival Michigan on Sunday.
After leading by three points at half, the Wolverines (10-5 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) kept with the game plan of keeping it out of the paint, shooting outside the arc and pushing sophomore center Allyssa DeHaan out of position to take the 64-55 win.
“You just have to keep playing until the clock goes out and when the buzzer goes off you look up at the score and you just start smiling,” U-M forward Carly Benson said of the win.
At the six-minute mark, the Wolverines went on a 13-2 run to seal the deal and force the Spartans (10-8, 2-4) to send them to the free throw line.
“Michigan shot lights out today,” MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said. “They shot unusually well.”
U-M ended the game with a 40.8 shooting percentage compared to MSU’s 34.9 percent.
Benson was the star on the court, scoring a career-high 23 points. Merchant said that the team struggled when freshman forward Kalisha Keane, who was assigned to guard Benson, got into foul trouble late in the second.
This is the first Wolverine win over their last 10 meetings with the Spartans.
MSU continues on the road to play Northwestern at 8 p.m. Thursday.
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