Spartans Say Opponent Indiana Will Be 'Headache' in Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Michigan State Spartans are moving on in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament after defeating Nebraska 67-64 Thursday. Now, the Spartans will have the daunting task of playing top seed Indiana on Friday.
"I feel like we just knocked out Frazier and now we've got Ali waiting for us," Michigan State acting head coach Dean Lockwood said in the post game press conference. "It's just like holy cow."
The Spartans were one of just two teams to hand the Hoosiers a loss this season. On Dec. 29, Michigan State won 83-78 in East Lansing. However, the Hoosiers were without star point guard Grace Berger, who was nursing a right knee injury at the time.
"Indiana is a very, very good team I think without Grace Berger," Lockwood said. "We've got the Indiana with Grace Berger now. That's another task. Once we can enjoy this for another five or 10 minutes, we're going to think about that and get right back to more headaches."
Lockwood said when the team faced Indiana earlier this season, the Spartans stayed consistent. It's easy when playing a prolific team like the Hoosiers to get swept under the current quickly and get sucked into a game you don't want to play, but that didn't happen.
"We pressed," he said. "We pressured. Obviously you've got to make shots. Defense and rebounding can certainly keep you in games, but you also have to make some shots. You have to score points. We had some people produce in that game, and again I thought our shot selection was pretty good."
The Spartans shot 55.6 percent from the field as graduate student guard Kamaria McDaniel led with 24 points followed by three others in double-figure scoring. While the shots were falling, Michigan State took a page out of Indiana's book and locked in on defense grabbing 13 steals.
"That's why the games got close and we pulled out with a win," senior guard Moira Joiner said. "It was honestly defense and sticking together."
Joiner had a quiet game that match not scoring any points, but sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann had a solid outing with 15 points.
"Unity of purpose — that's how we beat Indiana," Hagemann said.
In Thursday's matchup versus the Cornhuskers, the Spartans did just that as they threw a full-court press at Nebraska and started the game with a 7-0 run. Husker junior guard Jaz Shelley got hot from beyond the arc with five three-pointers and helped cut a 13-point deficit, but Michigan State unified and stayed the course.
"We're really hard to beat, and I think tomorrow I'm excited to play [Indiana] again," Joiner said.
Related stories on Indiana women's basketball
- TERI MOREN SAYS FIRST BIG TEN TOURNEY GAME IS MOST IMPORTANT Friday, the No. 1-seeded Indiana Hoosiers will take on No. 9 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Head coach Teri Moren said the first game is the most important to gain momentum and lead Indiana to a tournament title. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TRACKER Check out the game-by-game results of the 2023 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn. from March 1-5. This story will be updated after every matchup. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA'S POTENTIAL BIG TEN TOURNAMENT SLATE The 2023 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament starts on March 1 in Minneapolis, Minn. No. 1 seed Indiana will automatically advance to the quarterfinals on Friday. Here's a look at who the Hoosiers might face in their three games or less. CLICK HERE
