“We used to pass, look at our options, pass look at our options,” sophomore guard Brittney Thomas said. “Now it’s a pass, pass, somebody will drive or pass, pass, somebody will shoot. … We just finally simplified it for ourselves.”

As a result of waiting to get into the offense, the team gave opposing defenses a chance to catch up. Soon after, the Spartans began to struggle with turnovers, at one point averaging as many as 21 giveaways a game.

“I think when you watch our offense, we’re playing a little bit better together,” head coach Suzy Merchant said.

A switch in personnel also has added to the offensive potency of the team. When sophomore forward Kalisha Keane was moved to the bench, it opened up room for her to play more at power forward, a position she played all last season in the place of an injured Aisha Jefferson, rather than small forward, a position she struggled in early this season.

“I think moving Kalisha to the four has been real helpful too,” Merchant said.

The move has created more mobility on the floor and gives MSU a size advantage in most of its games. Because of that, the Spartans have been able to use their athleticism to spark their transition offense, keeping opposing defenses on their heels.

“It’s a main option for our offense now,” Thomas said. “As long as we keep the floor spaced and we’re reading well, our transition works and sometimes we don’t even call a play on offense.”

The transition game allows MSU to utilize its depth to the fullest, letting the Spartans wear out programs who use a short bench.

“We keep running and running and wearing them out because we use a rotation with fresh legs every time,” redshirt freshman forward Lykendra Johnson said. “In most programs you don’t see them using their full bench.”