No. 12 Michigan State Runs Past Illinois 72-61

Jan. 19, 2006

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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Lindsay Bowen came out firing, then fired up her Michigan State teammates with defense.

Bowen led all scorers with 16 points, including the first eight of the game, and contributed six assists and five steals in the Spartans' 72-61 win over Illinois on Thursday night.

"It was so incredible for Lindsay to get her team off to that start," Michigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "With her attacking and shooting, it was an All-American kind of thing to do."

Bowen moved into a second-place tie among Big Ten players with 270 career 3-pointers as the Spartans (14-5, 4-2 Big Ten) won their 23rd straight game at Breslin Center.

"We wanted to jump on them right away," Bowen said. "Our focus is always defense and rebounding. And after losing twice on the road last week, we wanted to get back to playing that way. It's all about communicating."

Liz Shimek, the conference's No. 2 scorer and rebounder, had 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Michigan State in its fifth straight win over the Fighting Illini (12-5, 4-2).

"This team still needs to grow," Shimek said. "It's all about the fight in us. But when nothing else works, Lindsay really takes over. She's not afraid to pull the trigger."

Erin Wigley led Illinois with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Chelsea Gordon added 12 points off the bench.

But Maggie Acuna, who had 16 assists for the Illini against Wisconsin on Sunday, managed just four points and five assists while committing six of her team's 20 turnovers.

"When Lindsay Bowen came out and hit those first eight points, that was a key," Illinois coach Theresa Grentz said. "But we were doing some good things defensively, too. Shimek only had two points in the first half. The problem was connecting on the offensive end. It was all one-and-done."

Rene Haynes and Aisha Jefferson also had 12 points for the Spartans, who used a pair of 8-0 runs to lead 27-17 at halftime, then stretched their lead to 57-32 midway through the second half.

"My teammates helped me not to look like a freshman," Jefferson said after a career-high in points in her first start. "That's the advantage of having leaders like Lindsay and Liz. But we can't stop now. We get (No. 7) Ohio State here Sunday. If we want to repeat as Big Ten champs, we can't afford to lose another game."

Michigan State had a 46.8 percent shooting from the field, an 18-10 edge in assists and a 41-31 advantage on the boards, including Maggie Dwyer's career-high nine rebounds.

The Illini drew within seven in the closing minutes but couldn't overcome 39 percent shooting from the field.

"We got great team defense from our guards and saw some great things in the first half," McCallie said after her team's best start on defense this season. "The second half will be a great teaching tape. But without Victoria Lucas-Perry (hip) in the lineup, it was a very strong showing."