Michigan State Women’s Basketball: Spartans fall to Purdue 69-59

The Michigan State Spartans were back in action on Sunday, as the Purdue Boilermakers came to East Lansing. The game marked a return to the hardwood for the Spartans after a long pause following the Northwestern game scheduled for this past Monday getting postponed. MSU last played a game on Dec. 30, which resulted in a win over visiting Nebraska. The rust showed as the Spartans fell to Purdue 69-59.

Michigan State had a number of players make a return to the court, including junior guard Moira Joiner who has been out since Dec. 9. Freshman point guard DeeDee Hagemann and redshirt senior guard Laurel Jacqmain also returned to the floor after having to miss the game against Nebraska on Dec. 30.

Junior forward Taiyier Parks led Michigan State in scoring with 16 points. Parks also tied for second in rebounds with forward Alisia Smith, both grabbing six. Graduate forward Tamara Farquhar, who transferred to MSU from Purdue, was second on the team in scoring with 11 points and led on the glass with nine boards, including seven on the offensive end. Smith was the only other Spartan to reach double-figures in scoring with 10 points.

For the first time this season, senior guard Nia Clouden failed to reach double-figures in scoring, as she finished the game with seven points and four rebounds. Clouden did become just the sixth Spartan ever to reach the 1,600 career points mark, as she finished the game with 1,603 now in her career.

Brooke Moore led the Boilermakers in scoring with the game-high of 22 points, coming in off the bench.

Former Boilermaker turned Spartan, Farquhar, helped Michigan State jump out to a 9-8 lead late in the first quarter with just 4:22 remaining. However, Purdue went off from deep and ended the period up 19-13, as Madison Layden made all three of her shorts from behind the arc.

The second quarter started to go more the Spartans way late. MSU chipped away at Purdue’s lead to bring the deficit within three, trailing 25-22 with 5:38 left in the half. Later, Clouden hit a pair of free throws with 1:14 left to retake the lead and managed to extend it to 33-30 before heading into the locker room. Michigan State shot just 38.7 percent from the field in the first half.

The third quarter was much the same as how the second ended. Michigan State pushed its lead out to as high as five points with 5:51 left in the period. Purdue made a run of its own after that, though, and took the lead 41-38 with under three minutes remaining in the quarter. The Spartans refused to fold, though, and ended the third quarter up 44-43.

The fourth quarter saw MSU’s offense sputter out. The Spartans went over four minutes without a basket at one point. Turnovers were also an issue during a key stretch in the quarter. Purdue was able to capitalize and went on a 12-0 run, opening the lead up to 55-46. Michigan State never recovered, falling by a final score of 69-59 at the final buzzer.

The Spartans next take the court in Columbus on Wednesday to take on Ohio State. The game will stream on B1G+ and tips off at 7 p.m. EST.

Suzy Merchant’s Post-Game Remarks

Tamara Farquhar’s Post-Game Remarks

Taiyier Parks’ Post-Game Remarks