Michigan State WBB Falls to Nebraska
Michigan State women’s basketball took a tough 85-50 loss on the road to Big Ten foe Nebraska on Wednesday.
This game continued to display one of the Spartans’ biggest flaws: their lack of size and interior defense.
Cornhuskers senior center Alexis Markowski dominated the game, scoring 28 points and snatching eight rebounds on the way to victory.
With such a high-powered offense, the Spartans could cover for their lack of defense inside when they played lesser teams that weren’t equipped to score from the paint. But as Big Ten play winds up, most teams have a center that can take over a game from the paint.
Michigan State came out of the gate hot, taking a 6-point lead through the first ten minutes of play. But in the second quarter, Nebraska went on a tear, outscoring the Spartans 28-12 and taking a double-digit lead into the half.
Michigan State wouldn't back down, Spartans forward Julia Ayrault gave the Cornhuskers 21 points on an efficient 8-of-16 from the field to go along with nine rebounds and two assists.
Also, Michigan State junior guard Theryn Hallock contributed 18 points to keep the Spartans in the game.
But it wasn’t enough as Nebraska held on for the win on its home court while also jumping the Spartans in the Big Ten standings with a record of 3-2 in conference play while Michigan State fell to 2-2 with the loss.
One aspect that should irk Michigan State coach Robyn Fralick is that the Spartans shot 73 percent from the free throw line, and if they made all their shots from the charity stripe, they would have tied the game.
However, there are positives to extract from such a tough loss. In the past two seasons, Fralick’s teams have traveled well in Big Ten play. They came close to knocking off top teams like Indiana and Iowa last season, as well as Maryland and Nebraska this season.
With the loss, the Spartans will most likely lose their spot at No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 and drop out of the rankings entirely. Michigan State has been ranked since early December after starting the season 11-0.
The Spartans will be able to get back in the win column this Sunday at the Breslin Center as they host the Washington Huskies.
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