A Great Senior Night

Written by Courtney Wills

Neither senior guard Lindsay Bowen nor senior forward Liz Shimek, two of Michigan State’s top scorers, could have imagined a more perfect way to end their senior year.

Shortly after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes 73-71, Bowen and Shimek thanked their fans, teammates and family members for all of their support and dedication to the women’s basketball program.

This win against Iowa had a special meaning for Bowen now that she is MSU’s all-time leading scorer with 1,670 points followed by her teammate Shimek with 1,654 points. Bowen broke former Spartan player Kisha Kelly’s career record of 1,668 points.

“I never looked at the record and dreamed of it,” said Bowen, “but I always dreamed of coming here to play and giving all I could to the team. That makes it a dream come true.”

Bowen is now also Michigan State’s all-time leader in three-point field goals with 283, three-point field goal percentage with 40.7 and free-throw percentage with 87.6. Shimek leads the school in rebounds with 1,076 and field goals with 660.

“I’m thrilled for Lindsay Bowen. We really want this to continue. We want Lindsay to set the record, and then Liz to break it, then Lindsay to reset the record and continue down this path until the end of the season,” said MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie.

“What Lindsay and Liz have done for this program, for Michigan State, for the community...I can’t even tell you. They are just amazing people.”

“She’s tremendous (Bowen),” said Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, “but she has been fabulous since she set foot on the floor here. Even as a freshman, she was never a true freshman. She has given every ounce of energy she has had and been a lot of fun to watch.”

The Spartans remained relentless from start to finish as both teams fought hard to control the pace of the game. Even though the lead changed eight times in the second half, the Lady Spartans weren't intimidated. They received their 20th win of the season and 10th overall in the Big Ten.

Combining for 30 points, Bowen and Shimek have solid performances for the night. Freshman forward Aisha Jefferson also impressed her teammates with her career-high 20 points. Jefferson made nine of her 14 attempts in the game.
The Lady Spartans also took it the ball to the hoop as junior guard Rene Haynes made all four of her foul shots in the final minutes of the game to clinch the victory.

Unfortunately, Iowa came up short as freshman forward Wendy Ausdemore missed a three-point attempt to win at the buzzer. On the lighter side, Iowa received great performances from senior guard Crystal Smith, who had 19 points, senior forward Tiffany Reed, who had with 20 points, and freshman center Megan Skouby, who had 17 points.

The Spartans face the ferocious Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on Monday, February 20.