Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick said Tate stepped up tonight and did great on offense, especially helping during Michigan State's dominant second quarter where the Spartans outscored the Wolverines 21-7.

“She was really doing a good job of posting up on some mismatches and getting the ball and fouled," Fralick said. "I thought her first half (performance) helped us get so much momentum and her energy, being able to score and rebound." 

Tate played aggressive and was not afraid to fight for the ball and get physical. Tate said that she is used to the pressure of having a rivalry and trying to perform well during those games and gets excited in intense games like this one.

“I would say in high school I had a big rivalry kind of like this,” Tate said. “So, the loudness was something that I am used to and something that really excites me. I could see how excited my teammates are, this is my first one so I’m so excited."

Three other Spartans scored in double-digits to help Michigan State remain in control of the game: junior guard DeeDee Hagemann scored 20 points, graduate guard Julia Ayrault scored 19 points and graduate guard Moira Joiner scored 12 points. Ayrault also led the team in rebounds and finished the game with nine and Joiner led the team in assists with five. 

The Spartans have shown that they have the ability to pick each other up in the game, even during times when Michigan continued to lock down on Joiner and other players that were playing well throughout the game.

"Once Mo saw (her drives) weren't working, she opened her eyes to everybody on the floor and she made great passes," Tate said.

Michigan State excelled offensively and made junior guard Laila Phelia from Michigan receive three fouls by halftime. She was sat on the bench for most of the game which negatively impacted the Wolverines. Because of this, the Spartans were able to keep their momentum and energy high throughout the game. 

Looking ahead into the next game against the Minnesota Rutgers, Fralick said the team is playing for something so that mindset will stay around. 

"This team is playing for something so we got to have a mentality around that," Fralick said. 

The Spartans will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 30 as they look to take on Rutgers in an away game. Tip-off for the Rutgers game is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.