This time, the outcome was different.

“I thought we played hard, but we didn’t play well,” head coach Robyn Fralick said post-game.

MSU opened strong, building a seven-point lead — its largest of the game.

With home-court advantage and an electric atmosphere, graduate guard Jaddan Simmons set the tone early, scoring nine first quarter points.

The teams were more evenly matched this time around as they went back and forth in the first quarter, but during the second, the Spartans struggled to drop the ball in the hoop and fell behind by 11 points.

Michigan led 32-28 at halftime as MSU’s offensive struggles persisted. The Spartans shot 21-for-66 from the field, while Michigan outscored them 23-5 in fast-break points.

Three Spartans scored in double figures, but junior guard Theryn Hallock, usually a key spark, had a quiet night. Despite MSU’s 17 bench points, its veterans failed to step up.

“I just thought as a group, we didn’t play good enough basketball,” Fralick said.

Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate sparked an 8-0 MSU run with back-to-back baskets, but the Spartans couldn’t sustain the momentum.

MSU dominated the offensive boards 18-9 but failed to capitalize on turnovers and scoring opportunities.

In the fourth quarter, Michigan’s Syla Swords drained a three, but Hallock answered with one of her own, cutting the deficit to 59-51.

In the final two minutes, MSU stalled, scoring only a free throw from freshman center Ines Sotelo, while Michigan pulled away.

Junior forward Grace VanSlooten led MSU with 15 points and four blocks.

When the fourth quarter rolled around, she hit a layup off of a steal, and on the following Michigan possession, she fouled out and had to exit the game with a minute remaining.

“We definitely did not play up to our standards,” VanSlooten said post-game.

MSU fell to 18-5 overall and 8-4 in the Big Ten.

MSU returns to the Breslin Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, to face Wisconsin at 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.