The three seniors are Spartans to the fullest extent, and although they will graduate with their last game at Breslin Center being a loss, they can find peace in knowing they represent everything you look for in a basketball player.

They have toughness, heart, passion, energy, character and leadership. At one point or another during the battle with Ohio State, each one of them showed those qualities.

During the game, Washington drove to the basket time after time and endured every hard foul from the Buckeyes. Each time she bounced back up and went to the free-throw line without hesitation. That’s a Spartan.

After fouling out in the last game she’ll ever play at Breslin, Thomas was forced to watch from the bench as her team fell to the Buckeyes. She walked out of the tunnel to be honored for Senior Night and unlike the rest of the senior class, she stayed tough and fought back tears. That’s a Spartan.

And Keane was smacked in the face going for a loose ball and blood began pouring down her face. The Ajax, Ontario, native ran back to the locker room, got four stitches and was back out on the court within minutes. That’s a Spartan.

No player should have to endure celebrating Senior Day and a conference title after a heartbreaking loss. That’s exactly what the Spartans had to do. Regardless of the loss to Ohio State, they were Big Ten champions and a banner went up whether they still were upset about the game or not.

Junior forwards Lykendra Johnson and Taylor Alton had tears pouring down their cheeks as they were given their Big Ten championship hats.

As the team became emotional, the seniors led their team through the celebration like Spartans, as they have all season.

This is a group that leaves behind a legacy not only full of talent, but with all the intangible factors and historic accomplishments as well.

Likely not the way they wanted it to happen, the team etched its name in the record books, becoming the first women’s basketball team in Spartan history to win an outright Big Ten title.

At the exact time the team watched the championship banner being raised into the rafter, a buzzer went off in Happy Valley with Penn State falling to Purdue.

The loss meant MSU would be outright champions and cut down the nets after all.

Although many coaches will say, “This was the best group of seniors I’ve ever had,” when MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said it Sunday night, I truly believed her.

It starts with the heart displayed by Washington. Standing at only 6-feet, she quickly became the team’s best defender and replacement rebounder when Johnson gets into foul trouble — which is frequently.

Lacking the lightening-fast hands and power that Johnson has, Washington makes up for it with brain power. She knows exactly where to position herself when a teammate puts up a shot.

This gives her the opportunity for put backs, which has led her to become a master at the flex and scream.

Then there’s Thomas, who undoubtedly has logged the most minutes of the three. She is in the argument for best defender on the team and is the Spartans’ ironman at point guard.

She came in as a freshman and has been a starter since the moment she walked through the doors.

After four years, she hasn’t lost a bit of passion for the game.
On numerous occasions Thursday she jumped up and down for something as simple as a foul called against the Buckeyes.

When she fouled out, she refused to sit down on the bench and stood cheering her team on for the final 3:45.

Finally, there’s Keane, who I referred to before as this team’s Tim Duncan.

She is the glue that puts all of the pieces together and she does whatever is asked of her whether it’s score or just draw defenders.
After tonight’s game, she drew a new comparison, this time from her coach.

“She’s our Magic Johnson,” Merchant said.

A women’s basketball player was being compared to one of the best players in MSU and NBA history. And that’s saying something.

Led by the seniors, the Spartans have carried the flag this season for MSU sports. With a supportive crowd for each game — including one sell out — the Spartans put together a historic season.

Although at the end of the season Washington, Thomas and Keane will have to pack their jerseys away, they never will stop carrying the logo across their chests. They will be remembered for who they undoubtedly are — Spartans.

Anthony Odoardi is a State News sports reporter. He can be reached at odoardia@msu.edu.