“The first half was what really hurt us. We got in foul trouble, and I thought we were just a little out of sorts. We needed to play smarter,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said following the game.

While the final score snapped the Spartans’ winning streak, the performance revealed several takeaways for the setback.

Early foul trouble

By the end of the first quarter, two of MSU’s key contributors had already picked up two fouls, forcing their minutes to be restricted for most of the second quarter.

Junior guard Rashunda Jones committed her second foul at the 4:26 mark of the first quarter, sending her to the bench until the start of the second. That ultimately placed all of the point guard responsibilities on redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair, eliminating the Spartans’ advantage of having two crafty playmakers on the floor.

Jones’ absence hurt, but it was not the biggest blow. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten picked up her second foul with 22 seconds left in the first quarter and did not return until the 8:51 mark of the second. Soon after checking back in, she played just 1:50 before being whistled for her third foul, forcing her to sit until halftime.

Because of the foul trouble, MSU’s leading scorer logged just nine minutes in the first half, though she still led the team with eight of the Spartans’ 29 points at the break.

With Jones and VanSlooten each playing just nine minutes in the opening half, the Spartans were forced to search for different offensive outlets with two of their three top scorers on the bench. That played a major role in MSU’s largest deficit of the season at halftime, 41-29.

Jones’ and Blair’s performance is critical in ranked matchups

Jones and Blair form the two-headed monster in the Spartans’ backcourt that makes the offense go while elevating those around them. Like any successful team, strong point guard play is vital, and for MSU, that responsibility falls squarely on this duo.

Blair still contributed defensively with two steals, two blocks and five rebounds, but her offense struggled. She finished with four points and three assists in 28 minutes — her lowest scoring output in nearly two months — while committing four turnovers. The opportunity was there for Blair to step up as the primary offensive facilitator with Jones and VanSlooten sidelined for much of the first half, but it never materialized.

Jones’ struggles stemmed from a different issue, as foul trouble limited her to just nine first-half minutes and prevented her from finding any rhythm.

Once she returned for the second half, the Spartan offense improved. Michigan State outscored Iowa 39-34 after halftime, with Jones playing 18 of the final 20 minutes. In the fourth quarter, Jones helped cut the deficit to five, scoring five points and adding two steals.

In the Spartans’ last ranked road matchup against then No. 23 Washington, Jones and Blair combined for 38 points, further highlighting their importance in big games.

Iowa’s post players were as good as advertised

After earning a win over Nebraska on Thursday, MSU secured the best start in program history at 17-1. When asked about the milestone, Fralick’s response was telling.

“I’m just thinking about how we’re going to guard Iowa’s post players,” she said.

That concern proved warranted. Iowa senior forward Hannah Stuelke and sophomore center Ava Heiden combined for 42 points.

Stuelke was the star of the night, scoring 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting while adding nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. Heiden contributed 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

More than half of Iowa’s scoring came from its two starting post players, a matchup Fralick anticipated but could not counter consistently enough.

The Spartans moved to 17-2 overall with their second Big Ten loss of the season. Michigan State returns to action at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Breslin Center, where it will host USC (11-7, 3-4 Big Ten).