The Illinois women’s basketball squad came off of a deflating loss against Indiana on Sunday, and yesterday had to face confident No. 20-ranked Michigan State riding a six-game winning streak.

The Spartan’s streak ended yesterday. The Illini (18-9, 8-7 Big Ten) defeated MSU (21-7, 12-3 Big Ten) 56-46, and Theresa Grentz felt that victory was a statement win.

“This is the win that we’ve been looking for all year,” Grentz said. “The (NCAA) committee obviously will look to see how we’re playing down the stretch.”

Illinois got off to a slow start and went down 12-8 after MSU guard Victoria Lucas-Perry drained a three-pointer with 15:19 left in the first half.

Illinois sophomore Erin McCarthy played more minutes than usual, and she threw a smooth entry pass to junior forward Danyel Crutcher, who went on to make a layup to put Illinois up 16-12 with 10:10 left in the first half.

Illinois freshman center Jenna Smith got into foul trouble early, leading to more minutes for McCarthy and freshman Danielle Gratton. With Smith a vital defender for the Illinois, it was important to play tough defense against MSU freshman Allyssa DeHaan, a 6-foot-9 center averaging 12.3 points per game.

“It was important for everyone to pick up their slack in order not to fall behind in the game with (Smith) being out,” McCarthy said.

Illinois sophomore guard Lori Bjork had a team-high 12 points and continued the nation’s longest streak of at least two three-pointers made in a game. Her streak is now at 27 games.

The Spartans cut their deficit to four points with 6:19 left in the game after guard Rene Haynes drilled a jumper.

“We’ve been in these games, and we know what it’s like to come back to that locker room knowing you just threw it away,” Bjork said. “I think we just rallied around each other . We just came together as a group and decided to get it done.”

Crutcher was part of the intense effort, as she dove on the floor to go for a loose ball with 7:34 left in the game, though she was called for the foul. Grentz was feeling that same intensity when a questionable foul was called on senior center Erin Wigley with 2:07 left in the game. Grentz pumped her fist on the sideline in reaction.

Still, with 2:33 left in the game things continued to go well for the Illini. Sophomore Chelsea Gordon hit a jumper, assisted by McCarthy, to put the Illini up 50-38. The crowd cheers grew louder. Fans began to file out of the arena, not because the game was lost, but because it was well in hand.

With one game left in the season, Bjork can smell the NCAA tournament but knows there is work to be done.

“You kind of feel like you’re running for president,” Bjork said. “You’re trying to get enough electoral votes to get in, and tonight, we just won Florida.”

Joanne P. McCallie, the head coach for the Spartans, added that Illinois “played much better as a team than we did” during every minute of the game.

“They showed they wanted it more,” McCallie said.