Senior midfielder Jeamie Deacon struck first with close to 10 minutes remaining in the half when her rip off a penalty corner deflected off a stick and into the net, tying the score at one.

In the ensuing minutes, the Spartans had a few more chances and were awarded for their efforts when senior midfielder Floor Rijpma poked in a rebound off a penalty corner with roughly 1:10 left, to give a Spartans a 2-1 lead.

While the crowd still was cheering about the Spartans’ second goal, Deacon struck again with 22 seconds remaining in the opening frame to give the Spartans a 3-1 halftime lead that would have seemed improbable just minutes before.

“We didn’t want to stay out of their face and we really wanted to pressure them,” Rijpma said. “I think that made us go out there and create more possession for ourselves.”

The second half saw a lot of up-and-down play as both teams traded scoring chances, but a diving stop by Spartan senior goalie and Big Ten Tournament MVP Elissa Unger with about 22 minutes remaining kept the score at 3-1.

However, a fast-developing Indiana scoring break was converted into a goal, and the Spartans saw their lead cut to 3-2 halfway through the second half.

The intensity level picked up for the remaining 17 minutes, but a determined Spartan defensive effort didn’t allow Indiana many great chances the rest of the way, and despite generating several scoring opportunities throughout the game, the Hoosiers were unable to score the tying goal.

Unger was called upon to step up more often Sunday than in most of the Spartans’ previous Big Ten victories, but her play — as well as having the tournament at home for the first time since 1998 — added to MSU’s effort on the field.

“I said to one of the girls that when we scored, I actually heard a large crowd here, which is cool,” Unger said. “When we play on our field, we always play well.”

Indiana scored on a penalty stroke to take a 1-0 lead, and had a few near misses in the early going. MSU responded when freshman forward Manouk Vernij and sophomore forward Chantae Miller created a few chances, but MSU was unable to get on board until Deacon’s goal later in the period.

MSU wrapped up the Big Ten regular season championship two weeks ago with a 2-1 win against Michigan, but earned its first conference tournament championship since 2003 on Sunday.

All three Spartan senior leaders made significant contributions in the victory, as Unger’s play was recognized, Rijpma’s goal provided a big lift and Deacon’s two tallies proved to be irreplaceable.

“The first one, I ripped it as hard as I could,” Deacon said of her first goal.

“It hit off that rung and went up into the net, so that was good. The second one kind of came out to me, and I saw no pressure so I went in and took a short backswing and put it right in the corner.”

The three seniors were named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team. Additionally, Rijpma last week was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and van de Kerkhof was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

MSU now prepares to compete in next weekend’s NCAA Tournament, for which it has earned an automatic bid.

The Spartans also hope Ralph Young Field will be one of the host sites for the first two rounds, enabling them to avoid having to travel next weekend.

Selections will be announced Tuesday evening for the 16-team tournament.

Last season, the Spartans were defeated in the second round and fell just shy of reaching the Final Four.

This season, the Spartans already have accomplished two of their major goals and will have an opportunity to push deep into the postseason, but players said they’re not focused on more than the next game.

“Our biggest goal was Big Ten Conference, then the Big Ten Tournament, then the Final Four, which is what we are really going for, but we take it one game at a time,” Rijpma said.

“We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, that’s why now we have a half hour of fun, then we’re back to business.”