Lady Spartans Fall on the Road at Iowa, 74-57

Senior Lykendra Johnson moved into second place on the MSU career rebound list.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – A late second half run pushed Iowa past the Michigan State women’s basketball, 74-57 on Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Senior Porsche Poole led the Spartans for the fifth-straight game with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Senior Lykendra Johnson, who tallied a team-high eight rebounds in the game, surpassed Kristen Rasmussen into second place on the Michigan State career rebound list with 965.

Iowa (16-10, 8-5) went on a 10-0 run in the opening minutes to open up a 12-2 lead with 15-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half. The Spartans (15-10, 7-5) slowly chipped away, eventually taking a three point lead of their own at 26-23 with 5:21 left. Two Iowa free throws late, would bring the halftime score to 30-30. Sophomore Annalise Pickrel sparked the Spartans in the first half with eight of her season high 12 points.

Michigan State scored the first three points of the second half, but the Hawkeyes posted the next seven to take a lead they would not relinquish. Midway through the half (10:15), the Spartans trailed by only two (45-43), but Iowa blew the game open with a 16-3 run over the next five minutes to take a commanding 61-46 lead. Iowa executed down the stretch to close out the 74-57 win.

Sophomore Klarissa Bell joined Poole and Pickrel in double figures, adding 10 points and a season high eight rebounds.

The Spartans remain on the road Thursday, when they travel to Madison to face Wisconsin at 8 p.m. ET.

TEAM NOTES:

- It was the Spartans’ fourth straight loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

- MSU’s 18 offensive rebounds were its third most on the season, and the most since Nov. 27 against Oakland.

- The Spartans held a +6 edge on the glass, outrebounding the Hawkeye, 42-36.

PLAYER NOTES:

-In addition to climbing into second on the MSU career rebound list, L. Johnson jumped up into 15th on the career Big Ten list.
- It was L. Johnson’s 109th career start, tying for sixth all-time at MSU, and her 124th game played, tying for 12th.

- Bell reached double-figures for the second time in the last three games, and for only the fourth time in her career.

- Bell tied her career high with two steals.

- It was only Pickrel’s second career double-figure game, and her first in a Big Ten contest.

- Pickrel tied her season high with two 3-pointers.