Positives:
Rebounding - +20 on the boards is what ultimately won us the game. This was huge because MSU was bigger and more athletic in several areas.
Hardin - Her shooting really helped us get through a slow start offensively. She is what she is at this point - a solid, veteran piece that can help us win games if she gets hot from 3.
Defense - We really locked down defensively and that helped us overcome the massive amount of TOs
Overall grit and toughness: We had a bend but not break mentality. After MSU came back from 16 down to tie the game and send it into OT it would've been extremely easy for this team to give up and break in OT. Playing on the road for the first time in an hostel environment against a traditionally well-coached team, I was expecting to lose it in the OT. But to my surprised this team showed true grit and toughness in closing it out by making some really big plays. They never seemed to rattled and I credit that to the overall maturity this team has due to the plethora of veterans on the roster.
FT Performance
Huge night at the line really helped seal the deal.
Negatives
Turnovers (obviously) - The thing that frustrated me the most was the vast majority weren't really forced by MSU - they were travels, offensive fouls, plain stupid passes, fumbling the ball out of bounds. Sure there were quite a few that were forced - but that is MSU's bread and butter - that is what they are known for so that is to be expected. The unforced turnovers is what really upset me. But thankfully - this can be rectified and if not - we will lose many games because of them.
Playing time issues - Ellis and Smith should've played more IMO. They are two of our quickest/more athletic guards and provide the type of athleticism we need against teams like MSU who are extremely quick and athletic. Smith came in towards the end of the 2nd quarter and scored a quick 6 pts in like 9 minutes and she made it look easy. But she never really factored in during the 2nd half meltdown as KG opted to play Layden instead - who def has her strengths - but athleticism is not one of them. This was the type of game perfect for Smith - and she plays 11 minutes - scoring 6 pts in that time frame. Ellis was pulled after that turnover that was a clear foul due to be sandwhiched in between 2 Spartans. A mistake in my mind as she is our best ball handler and quickest overall player - something we desperately needed to survive MSU's fouling press. I believe both should have had more playing time in the second half and maybe we wouldn't of needed to squeak it out in OT.