Michigan State University
9-9, 1-6B1G
No. 22/21 Iowa
12-3, 5-1B1G
Michigan State Loses Tight Contest Against Iowa, 52-50
1/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP)- Aerial Powers had 16 points and 11 boards for the Spartans in a close loss to No. 22 Iowa Sunday.
The Spartans kept the high-powered Hawkeye offense (79.8 points a game) in check but couldn't come up with a final key play down the stretch.
Lexi Gussert's layup with 2:31 left pulled Michigan State (9-9, 1-6 Big Ten) within 49-45. Meanwhile the Hawkeyes (14-3, 5-1) couldn't score and Samantha Logic and Melissa Dixon missed the front end of one-and-one free throws.
Anna Morrissey hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 20 seconds left to make it 49-48 but the Spartans couldn't get the ball back until after Dixon made two free throws at eight seconds. Down three, MSU's Tori Jankoska was fouled with a half-second to go and she made both free throws.
Ally Disterhoft made a last free throw.
The Spartans travel to No. Maryland for their next match-up on Thursday night.
Post-Game Notes
• Sunday's attendance of 8,923 was a season-high for Michigan State and the most during a Big Ten Conference league game this season, as well as the second-most of any game in the B1G this season.
• Sophomore forward Aerial Powers logged her NCAA leading 14th double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds Sunday, including her second-straight and seventh in the last eight games ... Powers now has 24 career double-doubles and has 18 double-doubles in her last 25 games played ... Powers has now posted double-figure points in all 18 games this season as part of 41 times in her career ... Sunday was Powers' fifth game in a row with multiple three-pointers and seventh overall this season ... Powers now has 19 three-pointers in her last five games after making 11 total treys in the first 13 games of the season.
• Sunday was the Spartans' first time with the starting line-up of senior forward Becca Mills, senior guard Anna Morrissey, junior guard Cara Miller, sophomore forward Aerial Powers and sophomore guard Tori Jankoska ... It was MSU's third different starting line-up this season ... Mills made her 87th career start, while Powers started her 51st career game and Jankoska registered her 35th career start ... Morrissey made her 15th career start and Miller made her fourth career start ... All of Morrissey and Miller's starts have come this season.
• Powers also tied a career-high with three blocks for the second game in a row and the fourth time of her career, all this season ... With six assists Sunday, Powers dished out five or more assists for the seventh game this season, including two in the last three games after seven helpers at Northwestern (1/11) ... Powers also had three steals Sunday for her third-straight game with three or more steals and the eighth time this season.
• Mills dished out a career-high six assists Sunday, topping her previous career-best of four done twice in her career, including once this season, against Eastern Michigan in the season-opener, and it was her fourth game this season with three or more helpers ... Mills' 13 rebounds Sunday was her second-straight game with double-figure rebounds as part of the fourth time this season and eighth of her career ... With one block Sunday, Mills now has 81 career blocks, needing just one more to tie former teammate Annalise Pickrel (2010-14) for No. 8 on MSU's career blocks list with 82.
• Jankoska's first-half three-pointer gives her 100 for her career, becoming the 12th player in MSU history with 100 career treys and the first since former teammate Annalise Pickrel (2010-14), who finished her career with 138 career threes.
• Sunday was Morrissey's first start since at Michigan (1/4) ... With two three-pointers, Morrissey logged her fourth game this season with multiple three-pointers.
• MSU's 52 points allowed to Iowa was the seventh time this season that the Spartan defense held the opposition under 60 points.
• By limiting Iowa to just three three-pointers and 15.7 percent (3-19) behind the arc, the MSU defense has held opponents to three or fewer three-pointers in eight games this season and the ninth game this season by limiting the opposition to 25.0 percent or less ... Michigan State entered Sunday second in the Big Ten by only allowing 4.47 threes per game and holding opponents to 28.5 percent, which was fifth in the league.
• MSU's defense held Iowa to 52 points, which is its lowest of Big Ten play and tied its season-low in an 86-52 loss at No. 7 Louisville on Dec. 4 ... Iowa came into Sunday's game averaging 79.8 points per game this season overall and 74.6 ppg in B1G action ... The Spartan defense also limited Iowa to just three three-pointers and 15.8 percent behind the arc, also both of Iowa's lowest in B1G play and its second-fewest of the season behind one made trey and 5.9 percent in the aforementioned loss to Louisville.
• Michigan State was 87.5 percent at the free throw line Sunday, the Spartans' second-highest free throw percentage of the season, both of which have come during Big Ten action, behind the season-best 90.0 percent at Michigan (1/4) ... Sunday's eight free throw attempts were MSU's fewest in a league game and second-fewest this season behind seven at Georgia (12/7).
