Bowling Green forward Tara Breske guards sophomore center Lauren Aitch on Saturday at Breslin Center during the second round of the WNIT.
The MSU women’s basketball team has the ability to lose its next game or take it all the way.
Head coach Suzy Merchant said the Spartans have used, and will continue to use the pent up anger and disappointment that came with missing out on the NCAA Tournament to fuel their way to a WNIT championship.
“I think the (disappointment) will always be there, I think it just becomes part of who you are,” Merchant said. “You just have to manifest it in a way that’s healthy, and our goal is to continue to be the best we can be. (Not making the tournament) was a tough pill to swallow and in some respects (the feelings are) still there.”
Sophomore center Lauren Aitch and sophomore guard Mandy Piechowski said anything short of a WNIT championship would not be acceptable to them or the team. The anger Aitch personally felt after missing the NCAA Tournament bid is motivating her to play hard every game, she said.
K Factor
Freshman forward Kalisha Keane stepped up in the second round of the WNIT against Bowling Green, scoring a team-high 20 points. Keane is playing smarter and not taking as many ill-advised shots — she stopped rushing her shot selection, Merchant said.
“We’ve talked to her about (3-point shooting), that’s not what we need her to do, we have players for that,” Merchant said. “Her mid-range game is the biggest difference she’s made. She’s a guard we made a post, and I think she has done a nice job of playing north-south and being powerful in using her speed and size.”
The Spartans play Kansas on Thursday. This will be the first time the two teams meet this season.
“Honestly, we’re not worried about Kansas,” freshman guard Brittney Thomas said. “We’ve seen that when we figure ourselves out, we win.”
Although the Spartans won their first WNIT game against Bowling Green, Merchant said it wasn’t a flawless performance. She said the team was lackadaisical at times and their spacing was off on the offense and sometimes the defense.
Merchant said she hopes Piechowski’s 3-point shooting success continues through the rest of the WNIT as well as Keane’s improved performances.
“Today we’re just going to keep focusing on ourselves and righting out wrongs,” she said.
While the pit in the team’s stomach is still there from being brushed aside in the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans expect it to make them better in the long run and give them a fighting mentality.
“The best thing we can do is keep it within us and use it to fuel our fire and be the best we can be so next year we’re not in this position,” Merchant said.
The Spartans take on Kansas at 7 p.m. Thursday at Breslin Center.
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