MSU women's basketball: Spartans get defensive

EAST LANSING - A resurrection of defense-minded basketball has turned Michigan State's women's entire attitude around.

From energizing shot-blocking to loose ball floor-diving and the bravado-boosting bottling of Penn State's top scorer, Tyra Grant, the Spartans continued to have their recent look like last year's Sweet 16 team as they won their fourth straight game, 65-44 on Thursday at Breslin Center.

"I think our style of defense has always been to stop and contain and contest," junior guard Brittney Thomas said. "Now, it's more like in your face and deny and don't even let the best player get the ball. It's more aggressive all around, and we feed off each other."

It was the same Nittany Lions squad that, just 2 1/2 weeks ago, put up 68 points and held the Spartans to 60 and without a basket for the final eight-plus minutes in State College, Pa.

This time, however, MSU (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten) did the denying. A variety of defenders limited Penn State to just 17 points and 20-percent shooting in the second half and held Grant, the second-leading scorer in the conference, to just 3 of 13 shooting and 13 points - 6.5 below her season average.

MSU also handed the Nittany Lions their lowest scoring output of the season and worst shooting performance at 26.2 percent.

"I don't think (the Spartans) did anything differently. They pressed a little more and played with a lot more energy - almost an anger - this game," Penn State coach Coquese Washington said. "You could see the intensity."

It's also the fourth straight game the Spartans have held the opposing team to under 60 points. The last team to shoot better than 40 percent against MSU was Michigan on Dec. 31, a span of eight games.

And offensively, it was as equally a collective effort as it was on the defensive end. Three MSU players reached double figures, with 14 from senior Lauren Aitch and 12 apiece from Kalisha Keane and Aisha Jefferson. Allyssa DeHaan added eight points with six blocked shots and a feisty demeanor after getting a split lower lip early in the game and poked in the eye in the second half.

"If that (defense) is something that's going to be there every night, obviously we like our chances," MSU coach Suzy Merchant said. "We certainly feel that has been the catalyst for us to get our offense going as well, from our guards to our posts."

DeHaan now needs just seven more blocked shots to break Sandora Irvin's NCAA career record of 480, with St. Mary's junior Louella Tomlinson within 10 of the Spartan senior.

Over the final 15:25 of the second half, with its lead starting at eight, MSU outscored the Big Ten's second-place team 23-10. The Nittany Lions (15-7, 7-5) made just four of their final 24 attempts, with two of those coming in the final three minutes and the game well in hand for the Spartans.

While Brittney Thomas, Cetera Washington, Lykendra Johnson, Kalisha Keane and Jasmine Thomas all took turns in the first half on Grant, Alex Bently had 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting and kept Penn State close at intermission, 36-27.

But Merchant turned Brittney Thomas loose defensively on Bentley after halftime, and the freshman point guard didn't score again, missing all four of her shots as the Spartans' lead swelled to as many as 24.

The Big Ten race continues to be murky. The Spartans are a half-game behind a three-team logjam in second between the Nittany Lions, Wisconsin and Purdue. MSU heads back on the road for two more games, at Iowa on Sunday and next Thursday at U-M.

"Especially on the road, we have to start making a lot more layups and those open shots we have," Aitch said, "because on the road, we have to hit those shots to win."