The first quarter had a very fast start with Michigan State being able to convert another three-pointers. The Spartans continued to excel offensively but Minnesota came biting back and made MSU fall behind 8-6. Minnesota’s lead was short-lived with a hot three-pointer from Ayrault which brought the score to 9-8. The Spartans did not fall behind again for the rest of the quarter and ended with a 20-14 lead going into the second quarter.

Minnesota kicked off scoring in the second quarter, but graduate guard Moira Joiner responded with a deep three-pointer. The Spartans made Minnesota play on their pace and had great defense throughout the entire game; the Spartans finished with 14 steals and made Minnesota turn over the ball 18 times. With 4:45 to go in the second quarter, the Spartans outscored Minnesota 13-6 and added to the large lead. After that, the Golden Gophers could not get a stop and continued to fall behind.

In the first half, Ayrault led scoring for the Spartans with 13 points, followed by Joiner with 10. Additionally, junior guard DeeDee Hagemann and Joiner tied with four assists each. With great play on both sides, the Spartans ended the first half with a monumental 47-24 lead.

The third quarter started off hot for Minnesota with a 9-0 run which caused MSU to call an early timeout. After the timeout, the Spartans came back onto the court with some new energy and confidence, which ultimately led to junior guard Jocelyn Tate getting two consecutive steals and a major block, which created a 4-0 run for the Spartans. Minnesota tried to find a response but Joiner got another steal for MSU to make it a 6-0 run, making the score 53-33 with the Spartans ahead.

Both teams went back-to-back with scoring and played aggressively on both ends. Minnesota outscored MSU 20-10 with under two minutes remaining but MSU’s defense was able to pick up their skills and make Minnesota turn the ball over multiple times. The Spartans ended the third quarter with a lead of 60-46.

Minnesota got the first points of the fourth quarter but quickly, both teams began to go flat with empty buckets until Michigan State's sophomore guard Theryn Hallock hit a deep three-pointer which made the crowd go crazy. The Spartans and the Golden Gophers continued to score on the floor but Minnesota became more aggressive and chipped away at Michigan State's lead. With under two minutes remaining in the game, Minnesota only had a deficit of 9 points, 73-64. Joiner came down the court and hit a game-breaking three-pointer and brought the crowd to its feet. The Spartans fought from start to finish to keep their lead and win the game. The Spartans finished the game with a 76-65 win as Joiner finished the game with 21 points and nine rebounds, team leaders in both areas. 

Michigan State women's basketball will face off against Indiana University on Thursday, Feb. 8 away at 7:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on Peacock.