Michigan State University
14-6, 4-3B1G
Indiana
9-12, 2-6B1G
Short-Handed Spartans Edged by Indiana on Alumni Day
1/20/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Despite a valiant second-half comeback, the Michigan State women's basketball team had its two-game winning streak snapped by Indiana, 69-65, Saturday at the Breslin Center.
PDF Box Score vs. IU
On Alumni Day, 11,950 fans packed the Breslin Center, which is the 11th-largest in school history. It was the most since 14,181 against Ohio State in 2012.
The Spartans were playing short handed due to injuries, dressing only eight players.
With the loss, MSU falls to 14-6 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten play, while Indiana improves to 9-12, 2-6 in league contests.
Junior center Jenna Allen led the Spartans with 16 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Redshirt-senior guard Branndais Agee, sophomore guard/forward Nia Hollie and redshirt-sophomore forward Victoria Gaines all added 10 points.
Indiana was led by senior Tyra Buss, who scored a game-high 28 points.
The Hoosiers started hot going 5-for-5 from the field to take an early 13-4 lead, as MSU took a quick timeout. Buss was 6-for-6 in the first quarter, scoring a game-high 16 points.
After the IU lead grew to 26 points in the second quarter, Michigan State started chipping away at the Indiana lead, out-scoring the Hoosiers, 18-12. The Spartans used an 8-0 run to trim the IU advantage to 18 points. Gaines led the way in the period with six second-period points.
In the first half, Indiana went 9-for-10 from beyond the arc. Behind 12 first-half points from Allen, MSU trailed 45-32 after 20 minutes.
Michigan State out-scored Indiana in both the third and the four period. An 8-0 Spartan run in the third quarter got the game in single digits, 54-45. At the end of the period, an Agee layup trimmed the Hoosier lead even more as MSU trailed, 58-51, with 1:26 left.
The Spartans continues their comeback in the final period. What once was a 26-point IU lead was cut to three points after a Gaines free throw with 4:10 left in the game. Despite holding Buss to only five points in the fourth quarter, MSU was unable to get any closer, as the Hoosiers held on for the win.
After one game at home, Michigan State returns to the road to take on No. 19 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.
MSU Notes vs. Indiana
• Michigan State had a season-high 11,950 in attendance on Saturday, which was MSU's Alumni Day, as the Spartans honored their alumni, with every decade of MSU women's basketball represented, as far back as the 1970s.
• The injury-ravaged Spartans started their ninth different starting lineup with freshman forward Sidney Cooks, sophomore guard Taryn McCutcheon, redshirt-senior guard Branndais Agee, sophomore forward Nia Hollie and junior center Jenna Allen.
• McCutcheon has started in all 20 games and all 53 games of her Spartan career.
• Agee made her 10th start of the season and 72nd of her career ... Allen started for the 12th-straight game and 17th of the season as well as the 20th of her career ... Cooks started for the 17th time this season, including the 15th-straight game ... Hollie made her third start of the season, all in the last three games.
• Saturday's loss snapped MSU's two-game win streak both overall this season as well as in the Indiana series, as the Spartans still hold a 47-26 all-time series, including 22-12 in East Lansing.
• MSU had four players in double-figures and the loss was the first this season when doing so, as the Spartans are now 3-1 when having four double-digit scorers.
• Jenna Allen led the Spartans with 16 points, marking the third time this season, as nine different MSU players have led the team in scoring through the 20 games this season ... It was Allen's ninth double-figure outing this season and 19th of her career.
• Allen played a season-high 32 minutes, tying her career-high, while sophomore forward Victoria Gaines played a career-high 37 minutes and Agee played a season-high minutes with 38.
• Freshman forward Sidney Cooks snared a team-best eight rebounds, marking the fourth game this season to lead MSU on the glass.
• MSU had a 34-32 rebounding advantage, as the Spartans have had the rebounding edge in 15 of the 20 games this season ... The Spartans are now 1-2 when having a +1-5 rebounding margin.
• By forcing 13 turnovers on Saturday, the Spartans' defense has forced double-digit turnovers in all 20 games ... Saturday was the 11th game that MSU has had fewer turnovers than the opposition.
