MSU started the game with a defense-heavy lineup and used a full-court press for nearly the entire game. The press wasn’t always effective. Once the Hawkeyes got past half-court, they often found an open shooter in the corner or got down low for a layup.

Iowa’s aggressiveness on offense helped the team get a few early buckets, but throughout the first quarter, the Hawkeyes traveled several times and gave up a lot of turnovers. Iowa had eight turnovers in the first quarter and four in a three-and-a-half-minute period, which helped MSU keep a small lead.

The second quarter saw a tame version of what MSU has been this season. The Spartans played slower, more carelessly and couldn’t stop Iowa as frequently as they did in the first quarter. MSU had six turnovers in the second quarter — 12 in the first half — including four turnovers in four minutes during a drought in which it scored just four points in over five minutes. 

In the first half, both teams tried getting to the line as much as possible, or at least drawing fouls on the floor. With around four minutes left in the second quarter, Iowa got into bonus territory, helping the Hawkeyes cap off a few points on the scoreboard. By halftime, MSU committed 13 personal fouls to Iowa’s eight, and the theatrical responses from the Breslin often acted as the interpreter for the Spartan players’ growing frustrations with the calls.

At halftime, Iowa led 33-28 and junior forward Hannah Stuelke led the team with 12 points on 3-for-5 shooting and 6-for-8 shooting from the free-throw line. MSU graduate forward Julia Ayrault and junior forward Grace VanSlooten combined for 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, four rebounds and two assists. Junior guard Theryn Hallock helped on offense with five points, including two free throws.

"We got to the free-throw line," head coach Robyn Fralick said postgame. "When there was a segment of the game where things were hard or (Iowa) pushed it to eight or nine (points), we were getting to the free-throw line and making our free throws."

Heading into the final 10 minutes, the Spartans were down 52-49. The final quarter revealed graduate guard Nyla Hampton as the game’s hero.

MSU went on a 14-0 run in three minutes to take a 63-58 lead. Breslin ignited as Hampton scored eight during the run while Hallock hit a three-pointer and Ayrault converted a layup and-one.

In the fourth quarter, Hampton finished with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, two made free throws, three rebounds and one assist. 

The game was a toss-up until the final whistle, and the last couple of sequences were full of intensity and tough defense.

With the score at 67-66 for MSU, Hallock was on the line after a missed free throw. During her second shot, a lane violation was called against the Spartans. It was Iowa’s ball with 16 seconds left.

The Hawkeyes missed a jumper, and Iowa fouled MSU with one second left.

Hampton, the fourth-quarter hero, stood at the line. She made the first and missed the second, but Iowa couldn’t come close with a full-court heave. 

"We stuck with it, kept doing what we do, and we eventually got that breakthrough in the fourth quarter," Fralick said. "A lot of credit to Nyla Hampton. I thought she really got us going. She changed the game."

MSU will play Montana on Thursday, Dec. 19 at noon in the West Palm Beach Classic.