After suffering a 71-64 defeat to the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday afternoon, the Spartans returned to the Breslin Center on Wednesday night eager to get another conference win under their belt.
Despite late comeback efforts from the green and white, MSU failed to bounce back, falling to the Badgers 84-80.
MSU’s starting five consisted of sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann, senior guard/forward Tory Ozment, guard graduate student guard Kamaria McDaniel, sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh and sophomore forward Isaline Alexander.
On the glass, the Badgers outrebounded the Spartans, 40-33.
MSU had a sloppy start, collecting four turnovers by the end of the first quarter. The green and white had trouble getting on the board. It wasn’t until three minutes into the game when Alexander notched the first basket for the Spartans.
Redshirt junior guard Julia Ayrault kept the Spartans on track with a second-chance layup followed by a shot from behind the arc by Hagemann.
The rest of the quarter remained neck and neck. Freshman forward Serah Williams dominated the court on offense, collecting 11 of Wisconsin’s 16 points. Head coach Suzy Merchant anticipated Williams to be a key scorer prior to Wednesday’s matchup.
Wisconsin crept ahead in the second quarter, going 7-15 from the field compared to MSU going 5-13. Despite efforts to tie it up late in the second quarter, MSU trailed the Badgers at halftime, 32-25.
The Spartans got off to a rocky start after the half as they allowed their opponent to take an 11-point lead midway through the quarter.
Senior guard Moira Joiner subbed in and immediately put the Spartans on the board with a couple of much needed three pointers. Although MSU failed to notch quite as many shots from deep that they did against Maryland, Joiner kept the green and white in the game from behind the arc.
MSU managed to cut the lead to 8 by the end of the third quarter, but the game wasn’t over yet.
The Spartans returned for their final quarter hungry for a win. Joiner continued to shine on the floor, collecting 20 game points and matching her career high.
With 1:43 to play, senior forward Taiyier Parks went 4-4 from the free throw line, and for the first time since the first quarter, it was all tied up (68-68) with 43.2 seconds in the game.
Both teams managed to pick up another basket, sending the game into overtime. With five seconds on the clock, MSU needed a three to send the game into double overtime.
Despite strong offensive efforts in the final minute, MSU was unable to capitalize suffering another Big Ten loss.
MSU will head to Ann Arbor Saturday to face the Wolverines in the first part of their home-and-home series.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and streaming will be available on Big Ten +.
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