The Big Ten opener win on Sunday pushed the Spartans to a program-best 10-0 record and 1-0 start to conference play.

Throughout the first third of the season, the Spartans have proven themselves as a team to beat in college basketball, using tough defense and a deep, yet experienced lineup to remain one of a few unbeaten teams in Division I.  

There’s still a lot of basketball to be played this season, but here’s what MSU showed in the comeback victory.

Don't count out this MSU team, no matter the deficit

In what was their first true test in the Acrisure Classic over Thanksgiving week, the Spartans showcased a sense of resilience when it came time to play Power 4 teams, coming back to defeat Cal and Vanderbilt to bring home the in-season trophy. In these two comeback victories, MSU fans saw that Fralick’s squad is not the team to let a deficit pull it out of a game.

This remained true in MSU's first game of conference play. For most of the game Sunday, the Spartans had to fight back while trailing, eventually sealing the win after a 9-0 run in the final minutes of play.

The Spartans started the game with a 16-12 lead after one quarter, but numerous turnovers and missed opportunities allowed the Hawkeyes to take a lead as large as nine points in the third quarter. It wasn’t until the final quarter of play that MSU started to make a run.

It seems as if Fralick and her team thrive when the pressure is on. They kept a calm composure despite 10 lead changes and numerous offensive stall-outs against Iowa.

Much of this composure came down to a "next play" mentality for MSU.

"To be effective, you have to be able to get to the next play anytime you let multiple plays slip away," Fralick said postgame. "We see in a game like this, it came down to two points, the margin changes so we talk all the time about 'do the next thing right.'"

This mentality seems to be shared throughout the whole organization. Graduate guard Nyla Hampton, the catalyst of MSU's last-minute comeback, understands the emphasis on this shared mindset as one of the experienced veterans on the team.

"I think one big thing about our team so far is that we’re never going to stop fighting, through and through," Hampton said. "Ideally, we don’t give up those threes in the third quarter, but we’re never shaken by it, you know, we stay composed."

After coming back from two double-digit deficits in California and a nine-point disadvantage at home Sunday, the Spartans made it clear that they're able to focus on the next play and not give up or lose effort when the game isn’t going their way. That perseverance has allowed them to start 10-0, and although trailing is never ideal, MSU's early play has told opponents to take it seriously for all 40 minutes. 

MSU is a momentum-driven team

Most teams thrive with momentum on their side, but great teams can push through and win when that’s not the case.

If the Spartans want to play at a championship-caliber level, they will have to become a team that isn’t so reliant on momentous runs to get the offense going.

Throughout Sunday’s game, the Spartans found a spark only when they had the momentum, whether after a transition score following a turnover or a big three. When momentum swung the other way, however, MSU grappled with how it would generate offensive looks.

This was mostly showcased in the second and third quarters, when Iowa had numerous three-point opportunities that seemed to confuse the Spartan defense, resulting in a low-composed offensive possession to follow. MSU went on small scoring runs, but once a timeout was called or a shot was missed, it would stall out and allow the Hawkeyes to regain a comfortable multi-possession lead.

Fralick noticed this, too, pointing out how the team lost control of the game when lacking momentum. 

"I thought, really, we didn’t have much momentum at all throughout the middle of the game, but we stuck with it," Fralick said. "We kept doing what we do, and we eventually got that breakthrough in the fourth quarter."

In this fourth-quarter momentum breakthrough, the Spartans surged back, feeding off a loud Breslin Center atmosphere and a number of Iowa misses.

Riding the momentum worked out in the end for MSU, but moving forward, the Spartans will have to find a way to not lose control when lacking an edge at any point.

When limited inside, the Spartans often stall out

All season so far, the "double-trouble" duo of graduate forward Julia Ayrault and junior forward Grace VanSlooten have been the heart of the Spartan offense. MSU's strength comes in the paint. 

The Hawkeyes came into East Lansing with a counter strategy inside: pack the paint. As a result, the Spartans lacked the free-throw opportunities they're used to and had to rely on a rather inconsistent three-point shot.

MSU tried to power through the stacked paint. More times than not, it led to a forced inside shot or failed attempt to draw a foul. Shooting 4-for-9 from the charity stripe also didn’t help that the Spartans, who were unable to capitalize on the few opportunities at hand, a rarity for the NCAA's leader in free-throw attempts per game.

In the second half, MSU found a way to create primarily in transition and saw the three-pointers fall, but it came at the expense of playing from behind due to the opportunities lost earlier in the game.

With only 28 points in the paint of 68 total, Fralick spent most of the game figuring out how to get her offense going in ways it hadn't before. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how this ascending Spartan team will create opportunities when limited inside.

Michigan State will travel to West Palm Beach, Florida to compete in the West Palm Beach Classic on Dec. 19, looking to stay undefeated.