"I thought our team did a good job," head coach Robyn Fralick said postgame. "We had much better pace and togetherness, especially on the offensive end. A lot of good things, a lot of things also we know moving forward that we’ve got to clean up."

From the tipoff, MSU looked comfortable, attacking the paint and shutting down Wisconsin’s strong post play. On the first defensive possession, the Spartans forced a turnover and converted it into a fastbreak layup.

The Spartans scored their first 22 points in the paint and forced six first-quarter turnovers, two by graduate guard Jaddan Simmons. That’s no small feat, as Wisconsin features reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, junior forward Serah Williams.

Junior forward Grace VanSlooten matched up against Williams and led the Spartans with 22 points, using her presence in the paint to give MSU the edge.

"A lot of credit to Grace for being really efficient," Fralick said. "She had Williams on her a lot, who was the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year last year, so a tough matchup. But I just thought she did a good job picking her spots, getting balanced, getting good angles and finishing, which was important for us to be able to score at the rim."

VanSlooten acknowledged the challenge of her matchup, crediting Williams' strong play this season.

"I wish I could say (it was) fun," VanSlooten said. "It was physical. I mean she’s a really great player, so she really challenged me tonight."

Beyond their dominance inside, MSU’s all-around performance was the biggest bright spot after struggling in that area last game.

The Spartans tallied 31 assists, a major improvement from just 11 against Michigan. The ball moved well on offense, and the defense played with cohesion. It was one aspect that Fralick noted she wanted the team to improve in, and they did just that. 

Even with leading scorer Julia Ayrault having a quiet night, Fralick emphasized the team’s collective effort.

"Balanced basketball," Fralick said. "You know, Jaddan (Simmons) and Nyla (Hampton) had 14 assists, one turnover. There are so many ways to impact the game. The reality is, with our team when we’re playing well, we have a full team effort. I thought we had good balance tonight."

Fralick’s description of "balanced basketball" was reflected in multiple key aspects of the win. Four Spartans scored in double-figures, with junior guard Theryn Hallock (18), freshman center Inés Sotelo (17) and senior forward Jocelyn Tate (13) all putting in a major effort on the offensive end.

Outside of scoring, the game was won by the efforts off of the ball by a number of Spartans. Graduate guard Nyla Hampton dished out eight assists, while Jocelyn Tate and Jaddan Simmons combined for five steals and six assists.

The all-around basketball was the story of the game, and for Fralick, it’s this ideology that she wants the program to be defined as.

"One of our favorite lines in our program is, 'be a star in the role you have and work towards the one you want, and when you’re called on, be ready,'" Fralick said.

Now 19-5 overall (9-4 Big Ten), the Spartans head west to face No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 USC, starting Sunday, Feb. 16.