“It feels great,” junior guard Porschè Poole said. “We knew this was going to be a big week for us. It started with Florida State; it carried over to practice; and it carried over to this game.”

The crowd was happy to see their Spartans return after a two-week stretch of road games. From junior forward Lykendra Johnson’s opening layup, the stadium erupted with every basket its home team made.

On the other hand, the players exhibited just as much energy, especially Johnson who, after hitting a layup and getting fouled in the process, nearly outmatched the roars of 13,375 in attendance.

“This is a big week for us,” Johnson said. “It was two ranked teams — it was one on the road, one at home. I mean, it was just a great atmosphere today, and just getting it done feels amazing.”

MSU head coach Suzy Merchant agreed with Johnson and said the atmosphere was something very special.

“I marvel at it,” Merchant said. “I know our players appreciate it. There’s a lot of people that put a lot of effort into making this a special place to play for women’s basketball, and we appreciate them. We appreciate our fans getting behind us. It made a difference.”

After getting off to a slow start against No. 15 Florida State on Wednesday, the Spartans had the same trouble Sunday, falling behind, 5-0, three minutes into the game.

“That was like watching paint dry,” Merchant said.

However, the team got things going and put together a 7-0 run, highlighted by a double give-and-go between Johnson and Poole to put MSU up, 20-12.

With 20 points and 11 rebounds, Johnson recorded a double-double number in her second straight outing. Johnson said the key to her recent success has been just staying aggressive.

“I could’ve became that passive person coach Merchant was talking about,” Johnson said. “But just staying aggressive, looking for my teammates and playing great (defense), that was my focus.”

After a free throw from freshman guard Annalise Pickrel, the Longhorns settled down defensively and held MSU scoreless for the next four and a half minutes while, putting together their own 6-0 run. The Longhorns cut the score down to a 1-point lead at 21-20.

For the remainder of the half, the score stayed close, and MSU held a 31-27 lead at the first buzzer.

When both teams took the floor again, it was Poole who helped her team pick up the fight where it left off. She drilled a 3-pointer that gave MSU its largest lead of the game 40-31.

“Poole has kind of proven that she belongs out there, gives great energy and creates shots for other people as well as herself,” Merchant said.

The Spartans were helped further by Texas forward Ashley Gayle, who became overwhelmed with frustration and spiked the ball after a foul call from the referees.

MSU senior forward Kalisha Keane capitalized on the technical foul and hit both free throws.

Keane finished the game with 20 points and six rebounds. Her double-digit point total means she has reached the mark in each of the team’s eight games this season.

As the Longhorns tried to stay in the game, the Spartans continued to pull away.

After senior guard Brittney Thomas hit a basket and got to the foul line, making the score 50-39, it was evident the Spartans just wanted it more.

“When you see Thomas coming outside of herself and screaming, fist pumping, I just know it’s going to be a great night,” Keane said.

The Spartan defense forced 27 turnovers and held Texas to 22 percent shooting from 3-point range. Texas was led by guard Kathleen Nash’s 17 points. The Spartans outrebounded the Longhorns, 43-40.

“It was really important to get steals and rotations,” Keane said. “It was a really physical game from the get-go, and I think we responded well to it.”