Spartans hold off Chippewa women in physical battle
EAST LANSING -- Last time CMU and Michigan State met in women's basketball was in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The season was on the line.
When the teams met Friday in a fan-less Breslin Center, the stakes were not a high -- but don't tell the players.
The intensity and physicality in Friday's game gave the game a March-like atmosphere.
Michigan State won the hard-hitting battle -- the 44th between the schools -- 79-70.
Sophomore guard Molly Davis put the Chippewas on the board with a 3-pointer just 44 seconds into the first quarter.
CMU and battled back and forth through the first quarter, with the Chippewas leading by as many as six points. The Spartans went on a 7-0 run to take their first lead at 20-19, but the lead was quickly erased with a 3-pointer from Kelly.
The Chippewas (3-2) carried a 22-20 lead into the second quarter.
MSU (5-0) opened the second with an 10-3 run to take a 30-25 lead and held CMU at bay for the most part through the quarter.
That was when the combination of senior guard Micaela Kelly and sophomore guard Annika Weekes took over to give CMU a lead when Weekes hit a 3-ball from the corner. Weekes later hit a layup to give her five points in the first half. Kelly poured in a team-high 13 points in the first half.
When the buzzer sounded after the first 20 minutes, MSU had a 40-39 lead.
In the second half, CMU started fast by scoring eight points in the first two-and-a-half minutes to take a lead -- fueled primarily by Kelly and senior forward Kyra Bussell.
Smith put together a four-point flurry of her own with a pair of layups to push CMU ahead by five midway through the third.
MSU's sophomore guard Alyza Winston cut CMU's lead to one with 4:25 to go in the third with a pair of made free throws. Sophomore forward Taiyler Parks tied the game just over a minute later with a free throw of her own.
The Spartans opened the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run, led primarily by junior guard Nia Clouden as she knocked down the first three points and added a steal. Junior guard/forward Tory Ozment added a fast-break layup following a steal to put her team ahead by four.
Michigan State pulled away in the games final minutes as Clouden hit a jumper to put the Spartans by 10.
Kelly finished with 26 points to lead all scorers. Bussell had 14 and seven rebounds, Davis scored 11 and team-highs five assists and two steals. Junior center Jahari Smith scored 10 points and had seven rebounds.
Clouden finished with 21 points for the Spartans. Winston had 17 to supplement the offense.
The Chippewas knocked down 15 3-pointers and shot 40.7 percent (15-37) but shot 24-of-61 (39.3 percent) from the field. MSU, on the other hand, shot 48.2 percent from the field (27-of-56) but just 33.3 percent from 3-point range (4-of-12). CMU was outrebounded 35-34.
CMU is back in action on Jan. 2 against Ohio on the road.
