In no time, the Fighting Illini shot out of the gate at Michigan State on Thursday. Sophomore forward Lacey Simpson, and guards Lori Bjork and Rebecca Harris made the first three shots of the game – all three-pointers. Simpson then returned to the hoop for a layup, quickly putting Illinois ahead 11-0 in the first four minutes.

But the Spartans took a quick timeout, and proved that 20 seconds of straight-up communication was all they needed to turn the tide. Michigan State fought back to ensure themselves a better position going into the Big Ten Tournament, beating the Illini 54-46 in a defensive battle.

“I think there was a let down when (Harris) went to the bench in the first half,” head coach Jolette Law said regarding Michigan State’s resurgence. “We got up early and maybe got a little comfortable.”

At halftime, Illinois still led the game but only by a score of 26-21. In the middle of the second half, though, the team found itself down by as many as 11 points. During a 23-minute span beginning in the middle of the first half, Michigan State went on a 32-8 run, during which the Illini went 3-for-25 shooting from the field and committed nine turnovers.

“In the first half we were attacking and then in the second half when Lacey had to go out they started trapping,” Law said. “I felt we were prepared for it, but we didn’t execute and stopped attacking. In the second half, MSU looked to attack and we started settling for jumpers.”

Illinois (7-10, 15-13 Big Ten) has now dropped nine of its last 10 meetings with Michigan State (8-12, 10-8), and has not won in East Lansing since 2003.

Sophomore center Jenna Smith looked closer to her normal form after scoring only six points against Michigan on Sunday, putting up 15 points and going 6-for-8 from the free-throw line on Thursday. Harris was the only other player to score in double figures for Illinois, putting up 12 points.

To make up for its lack of players in double figures, the team held Michigan State’s starters to only 24 points and Allyssa DeHaan, the 6-9 Spartan star who is averaging 15.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, to just seven points and three rebounds.

“We knew she was the focal point of their offense so we tried to be physical with her and give her different looks,” Law said. “I think both Jenna and Audrey (Tabon) did a good job of forcing her out of her comfort zone.”

But it was the Spartan bench that got the job done on its Senior Night.

Michigan State’s senior guard Courtney Davidson came off the bench to put up a career-high 20 points, while freshman forward Cetera Washington had five points and grabbed nine boards.

“Her two threes in the second half were daggers,” Law said about Davidson’s play. “Tonight was senior night and she refused to go out with a loss. She had that swagger. Tonight she put her team on her back and willed them to a win.”

The Illini retained their ninth-place position in the conference, and now will most likely remain in that spot going into the Big Ten Tournament on March 6. The team will play its final game of the regular season Sunday when it hosts Purdue.