Northern Iowa center Lizzie Boeck, left, battles and Michigan State forward Taylor Alton during Sunday's game. WICHITA, KAN. — Taylor Alton, fresh off one of the most crucial performances of her career, walked into the postgame interview room at INTRUST Bank Arena and quipped, “I’ve never done this before.”
The lighthearted remark represented just how vital Alton has become for Michigan State. The junior, who averaged 5.9 points per game entering Sunday’s 69-66 win against Northern Iowa after appearing in just 10 games as a sophomore, has since emerged as a key cog for the Spartans.
But her 14 points in fourth-seeded Michigan State’s first-round NCAA Tournament victory may have been her most important yet.
“It was a great experience, my first NCAA game, and to be in a position to contribute,” Alton said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
Twice, toward the end of the second half, the 13th-seeded Panthers made passes at Michigan State’s lead by cutting it to two possessions. But Alton, a 36 percent 3-point shooter, knocked down key deep balls in both instances.
“Those shots were huge, obviously,” said senior Cetera Washington. “They made a run, but we answered with Taylor’s huge 3. We were in a drought for a while getting the ball in the hole and she drained another one.”
Alton — a Highlands Ranch, Colo., native but whose parents live in the Grand Rapids area — has started the Spartans’ past 14 games, but averaged just 3.4 points during the last five.
“I’m just trying to mentally have a short memory, to always take another shot and not worry if I miss or not,” Alton said. “I just have to focus on finishing high and using my legs because, when I don’t do that, I miss.”
Panthers win rebounding battle
Entering Sunday's game, Northern Iowa emphasized the importance of keeping up with Michigan State — the Big Ten's best rebounding team — on the glass.
They followed through, out-doing the Spartans, 35-34.
“That was a big key for us,” said Panthers junior Erin Brocka, who pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. “We knew if we could keep that close, we could keep the game close. That was exactly what we did. We knew we had to limit them to one shot and done and we did that.”
Northern Iowa’s success was largely due to Michigan State junior Lykendra Johnson’s foul trouble, which limited her to just 22 minutes.
Johnson, the Spartans’ leading rebounder, grabbed just seven boards. The Spartans, still, are 4-1 when out-rebounded this season.
“We were trying to get to the offensive boards, but maybe we got some over-the-back calls just because they were doing such a good job of boxing us out,” said Michigan State senior Kalisha Keane. “Whenever you have a team they’re going to come in with a game plan and they did a good job of executing that side of the game plan.”
An unlikely presence in the post
Washington doubled her season scoring average Sunday with an 11-point evening. But the most remarkable aspect of it may have been how she came across those baskets.
The 6-foot guard, Michigan State’s best perimeter defender, had eight of her points come in the paint. Another basket came on a short jumper, and the 11th was a free throw.
“They were face-guarding (Keane) and playing off me a little bit,” Washington said. “Without versatility, we put me inside and could play backwards. That’s one of our advantages and we did that tonight. It opened up stuff for me.”
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