"The first half was very disappointing basketball. The second half I saw a much better version of our squad, but it's a 40-minute game," MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. "We have to finish plays. I thought especially early, we get stops or almost steals and it would turn into a three for them, because we wouldn't finish the play."

Extended time off between games can lead to two outcomes — teams either return energized or fall flat. On Sunday, the Spartans fell flat.

MSU didn't score its first field goal until seven minutes into the first quarter, having scored just two points off free throws before junior guard Rashunda Jones drained a 3-pointer.

Jones came off the bench, still recovering from injury, and helped spark the offense. She scored five of the team's nine first-quarter points as the Spartans were dominated 23-9.

It was a promising performance in her first time playing 20 minutes since Feb. 15.

She finished with 16 points on an impressive 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, just behind senior forward Grace VanSlooten, who led the team in scoring with 17.

"I felt okay. Felt a little bit of pain, but nothing I couldn't manage," Jones said. "I was kind of overwhelmed yesterday, just trying to figure out how to get back into my groove, attacking the basket, not being scared to go off this foot. And I just think it was a lot of mental stuff that I had to go through."

The opening struggles carried into the second quarter as the OSU lead ballooned from 14 to 23 by halftime, with the score sitting at 49-26.

The reason for the score differential was simple — one offense couldn't miss while the other couldn't find anything. MSU shot 28% from the field and 33% from 3-point range in the first half while the Buckeyes shot 50% from the field and a red-hot 61% from three. 

That level of efficiency is difficult to overcome. It becomes nearly impossible when the team across from them can't find a rhythm.

"It's so deflating to do so many things right and then give up a three," Fralick said. "They shot the crap out of the ball tonight, but we got to do a better job defensively with multiple efforts [on shot attempts] so those aren't just open."

On paper, it is clear how OSU built its lead. Questionable out-of-bounds calls in favor of the Buckeyes and physical defense against the Spartans drew an uproar from fans repping green and white.

But there was one part of OSU's success that was undeniable — sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge. She entered the contest ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring at 23 points per game, an average that will only climb after she dropped 33 while shooting an impressive 7-of-12 from beyond the arc.

"I think arguably you can say she's the best point guard in the country," Fralick said. "She's really hard to contain. She's a dynamic mix of being able to score and create for her teammates."

There wasn't much for MSU fans to be excited about headed into halftime, but a 7-0 Spartan run capped by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from senior guard Emma Shumate ignited the Breslin crowd.

That late momentum carried into the second half as MSU came out looking more like itself, opening the third quarter with a full-court trap that produced three steals in the first three minutes and sparked a 7-2 run.

The moment reenergized the building. Every Spartan basket or defensive stop in the second half drew a roar from the crowd, even as the Buckeyes' lead never dropped below 13.

Despite the final score reading 87-68, MSU looked like a different team in the second half, picking up seven steals and forcing 10 turnovers while shooting 54% from the field and 67% from three. That formula allowed them to outscore Ohio State 42-38 after the break.

"We just can't be so easily discouraged, like I just see us get discouraged over the things that happen in the game," Fralick told her team at halftime. "The best players, the best teams, are not easily discouraged. They have a belief. They stick together. And you have to adjust."

Matchups against top-ranked opponents offer experience that is difficult to replicate. 

The Spartans will be counting on that experience as they chase their postseason goals.

"There's three parts to a season, non-conference, conference season and then postseason," Fralick said. "Now we're in the third part, so our response needs to be changed in learning from this, because everyone we play the margin is going to be small."

MSU will now set its sights on the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The Spartans (22-7, 11-7 Big Ten) are set to secure the No. 7 seed, meaning their journey begins Thursday — another opportunity to face top-tier competition and build their case for a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.