Michigan State University
Milwaukee
No. 15 Spartans Top Panthers, 55-48
12/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2010
Box Score | Quotes | Highlights
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Head Coach Suzy Merchant
Klarissa Bell | Lykendra Johnson
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Brittney Thomas and Porsche Poole each scored 11 points and No. 15 Michigan State held on to beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 55-48 on Wednesday.
The Spartans (8-1) led by two with 3:09 left, but closed out the game on a 13-8 run to win their sixth straight since losing to No. 2 Baylor on Nov. 19.
Lindsay Laur scored a game-high 20 points for Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-5). Angela Rodriguez added 13 points for the Panthers.
Lykendra Johnson's career-high 16 rebounds helped the Spartans overcome their shooting woes. The Spartans shot 38.5 percent from the field, but Michigan State outrebounded the Panthers 40-31.
POST-GAME NOTES
With the win...
- MSU improves to 8-1 on the season and have won six straight.
- The Spartans improve to 5-0 this season at the Breslin Center and 217-78 all-time. MSU has won its last 10 at home.
- Under Coach Merchant, MSU is now 53-6 when holding its opponent under 60 points, including five of the six games during the winning streak.
Series Notes:
- The Spartans have won all three meetings all-time against Milwaukee.
Player Notes:
- Junior Porsche Poole started her first collegiate game.
- Poole scored 11 points, her third straight game in double-figures, the longest streak in her career. MSU is 12-1 all-time when she scores in double-digits.
- Junior Lykendra Johnson had a career-high 16 rebounds. The most by a Spartans since Allyssa DeHaan had 18 at Cal State Northridge on Dec. 22, 2006. It was the 16th time she has had a double-digit rebound game.
- Johnson's first rebound today was her 500th as a Spartan.
- Johnson had six offensive rebounds and has totaled 22 over the last four games (5.5 a game).
- Johnson also had a game-high four steals and has 14 over the last three games (4.7 per game).
- Freshman Klarissa Bell had season highs with seven points and four assists (also a game-high), while also adding four rebounds in 22 minutes, tying a season high.
- Senior Brittney Thomas had 11 points and has scored in double-figures in four of the last five games. MSU is now 8-0 all-time when Thomas leads them in scoring.
- Thomas had three steals, totaling 15 over her last three games. She moved into 18th all-time at MSU with 167 steals.
- Thomas played her 100th career game. She also started her 98th, tying her for eighth all-time.
- Thomas also moved into the top-10 at MSU in minutes played with 3,289.
- With her nine points, senior Kalisha Keane jumped up to 12th all-time in MSU history with 1,190 points.
- It was the first game this season that Keane failed to reach double-figures.
- Keane had two steals to give her 200 in her Spartan career and tying her for sixth on the all-time list.
Team Notes:
- MSU had 13 steals and has grabbed double-digit steals in each of the last five games.
- The Spartans were +3 in turnover margin and forced 22 Panther turnovers. MSU has had a positive turnover margin and forced at least 20 turnovers in each of the last five games.
- The 17 points allowed in the first half was the lowest for any half this season by a Spartan opponent.
- MSU is now 20-1 over the last two seasons, including 6-0 this season, when shooting more free throws than its opponent.
- The Spartans had 16 offensive rebounds and have 35 over the last two games.
- MSU held a 26-12 edge in the paint.
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