With the team’s loss against Northwestern on Sunday women’s basketball lost their fifth straight conference game. It’s a record the Spartan women’s basketball team is not too familiar with.
At least not in the last decade.
Holding the longest streak, MSU has won 10 or more Big Ten games in the last 12 seasons, with a record of 140-58, second only to Ohio State during that span. During that time MSU won conference titles in 2005, 2011 and 2014.
MSU’s defeat against Northwestern on Sunday was not their first of the season. The then-ranked No. 20 Spartans had previously lost to the Wildcats, 61-57, earlier this season in their Big Ten opener Dec. 28.
Northwestern outscored the defending conference champions in nearly every category, such as shot percentage and free throws.
On Dec. 31, only three days later, MSU fell to Indiana in their first road Big Ten game, 70-51. The Spartans were outrebounded 49-34, although they came into the game ranked 10th nationally in rebound margin.
The Spartans’ next two games came with career accomplishments and milestones, but no wins.
Senior Becca Mills reached 1,000 career points with her first basket of the game against Michigan on January 4. She accumulated seven points, but it was not enough to top the Wolverines’ 74-65win against MSU.
Redshirt sophomore Aerial Powers scored 26 points and had 10 rebounds, leading the Spartans against rivals Michigan.
Powers continued to lead the team when she put up a career-high 35 points in MSU’s 71-67 loss against Nebraska on Thursday, Jan. 8. Her performance ties her for second most points, behind Maxann Reese’s 41 points in 1999. She had seven 3-pointers and 11 rebounds.
The team’s fifth Big Ten loss was against Northwestern once more. On Sunday, the Spartans fell 77-70 against the Wildcats, despite catching up and decreasing a 20-point deficit to only two points.
Powers scored 24 points, once more topping everyone else in the team.
Unless the team wins 10 of their 13 games left this season, MSU’s 12-year streak will be broken.
They won four of the last five Big Ten championships, but with 13 games left, the Spartans might have to make some changes to make a comeback to the top.
MSU will have a chance to break their five-game losing streak when they host Illinois on Thursday at 7 p.m.
