Michigan State University
Northwestern
Women's Basketball Upends Northwestern, 75-58
1/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Junior Syreeta Bromfield collected game-highs of 22 points and six rebounds and keyed a second-half surge that allowed Michigan State (13-7, 3-6 Big Ten) to pull away for a 75-58 victory against Northwestern (4-16, 0-9) Sunday in the Breslin Center.
MSU led just 48-44 with 9:32 remaining when a three-pointer by Bromfield ignited a 14-2 run that gave the Spartans a comfortable 62-46 advantage with 3:46 left. Bromfield had nine points during the stretch, while Northwestern made just one of nine field goal attempts during the decisive run.
"That was a great team defensive game," said MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie. "We did a lot of nice things although Northwestern shot a high percentage. I'm very proud of our team, and I'm proud of our effort.
"I just love how hard Syreeta played," added McCallie. "She played really hard on defense to the point of exhaustion."
Freshman Kristin Haynie totaled 12 points and a team-high five assists for MSU, while freshman Joy Johnson added 11 points and four rebounds.
The Spartans never trailed, although it took a while for them to get going. Neither team scored until a Haynie bucket gave Michigan State a 2-0 lead 4:23 into the ballgame. Northwestern tied the score at four, but baskets by Bromfield and Johnson put MSU ahead to stay.
Michigan State led by as many as 11 in the opening half at 28-17, before settling for a 30-22 halftime lead. Northwestern was its own worst enemy in the opening period, committing 18 turnovers. The Wildcats would end the game with 25, although the Spartans coughed up 18 turnovers of their own.
The lead grew to 40-29 in the second half before Northwestern cut the margin to four points on two occasions. But after Michigan State's big spurt, the Wildcats were able to get no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
MSU had a whopping 38-24 advantage on the boards, including 17 offensive rebounds. The Spartans also held a large edge in free throws, sinking 17 of 27 compared to just 5-8 for Northwestern.
The Spartans shot 49.1 percent from the field for the game, including 60 percent (15-25) in the second half. Northwestern finished the game making 46 percent of its shots.
Michigan State will return to action when the Spartans visit Wisconsin on Wednesday, Jan. 30.
Spartan Notebook
MSU tied a season-high with 17 steals, including four each from Bromfield and freshman Kelli Roehrig.
Michigan State had a season-best 48 points from its bench, including 22 from Bromfield, 11 from Johnson, nine from freshman Cortne Ellis and six from Roehrig.
The 75 points scored by MSU was its second highest point total of the season, trailing only the 78 points scored against Wisconsin.
The Spartans matched their second highest field goal percentage of the season, sinking 49.1 percent of their shots.
Bromfield reached double figure scoring for the fourth straight game and 16th overall. She has now led MSU in scoring 12 times this season, and was the leading rebounder for the 13th time.
