"We knew coming in, Michigan’s a good team, it was going to be a battle of toughness and possessions, and I thought our kids competed really well," MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. "The margin’s small, and there’s a few possessions that we’re going to be able to learn a lot from."

Before the game tipped off, it was clear on paper that both teams would need to be prepared for a battle from start to finish — an expectation that quickly became reality. From the opening minutes, it was evident the teams had met their match, playing nearly identical styles: aggressive defense paired with a fast-paced offense. The result was a back-and-forth clash that produced just a 25-22 Michigan lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Spartans kept the game close despite seven turnovers in the opening frame, partially due to Michigan’s full-court press that forced two 10-second violations. The strategy briefly disrupted Blair, who had three turnovers in the quarter, but she steadied herself and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

"Those will be some good lessons," Fralick said regarding Blair’s turnovers. "But her spirit, her competitiveness, her toughness — she wills a lot to happen, and the reason we got back in the game to tie it up."

Coming into the game, the question loomed: which aggressive defense would force more turnovers? While it appeared Michigan had the advantage early, the battle eventually evened out. Michigan finished with 20 turnovers compared to MSU’s 18, while the Spartans won the steal battle, 13-11.

"It’s hard to deal with each other, we both force as many turnovers as possible," Blair said. "We expected it, we’re used to it, but just they clearly did a little bit of a better job than us."

Neither team folded in the second quarter, as both sides continued trading blows. Michigan built its largest lead of the period at six points with 2:41 remaining, but the advantage vanished by halftime. A second-chance layup from senior forward Grace VanSlooten and senior guard Jalyn Brown’s second 3-pointer of the half set the stage for Blair to bank in a layup with three seconds remaining, giving the Spartans a 42-41 lead heading into the locker room.

Brown was the heart of MSU’s offense through the first 20 minutes, scoring 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and making a major impact in her first taste of the rivalry.

"Most people scout me as a driver. I do love to drive, but honestly, I’m gonna do whatever you give me. So if you back up, I’m just gonna shoot it," Brown said regarding her 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc. "It was really cool for me to adjust my game today and realize those open 3s really early, to just let it go and be confident in myself."

It looked as if one team might finally pull away early in the third quarter, as Michigan opened the half on an 11-2 run while MSU struggled to find rhythm. But the Spartans continued to fight back.

After falling behind 52-44, MSU responded with a 7-0 run sparked by a layup through contact from junior guard Rashunda Jones and a deep 3-pointer from senior guard Emma Shumate. Blair followed with a layup on the next possession to cut the deficit to one.

From there, neither team gained an inch as the quarter wound down. A 6-0 MSU run to close the third gave the Spartans a 65-64 lead entering the final quarter, once again stealing momentum in the closing seconds.

The story remained the same in the fourth quarter. Michigan attempted to pull away once more, leading 77-72 with 3:56 remaining. The arena grew tense as fans dressed in green and white felt the game slipping away — until a steal by Sotelo led to an easy, fast-break layup. A minute later, Jones drilled a corner 3-pointer to tie the game at 77 with 2:15 remaining.

It all came down to the final possession. With nine seconds left and Michigan leading 81-79, Blair drove into the paint and finished through contact to tie the game with five seconds remaining. Michigan had one last chance out of a timeout, but Blair poked the ball loose, and Sotelo narrowly missed a half-court attempt at the buzzer.

The sequence sent the 11,635 fans in attendance into a frenzy, trying to process what they had just witnessed.

"I mean it’s what it’s about. Women’s basketball has never been better. And I keep saying it, our league’s (The Big Ten) never been better. The rivalry has never been better," Fralick said. "Our crowd tonight was awesome. They willed us back, I thought a number of times when Michigan went on a run."

Overtime proved to be a different story. After VanSlooten opened the scoring with a layup, Michigan rattled off 10 unanswered points — the first run MSU could not match. The Spartans went over four minutes without a made field goal following VanSlooten’s basket, and the surge became the dagger.

Despite the frustration, Blair believes the loss could be beneficial in the long run.

"You win this, you walk out of here and you’re like, 'Oh, cool. We beat the No. 9 team in the country.' Like, yeah, but we wouldn’t have the same film to watch," Blair said. "Same thing from Wisconsin. If we wouldn’t have lost that game, we wouldn’t have won as many games as we have right now."

The Spartans remain in East Lansing, where they welcome No. 16 Maryland (17-6, 5-6 Big Ten) to Breslin Center on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.