Matilda Ekh comes through late, helps Michigan State women's basketball upset No. 4 Michigan
EAST LANSING — The missed shots had started to get to Matilda Ekh's head a little.
But the freshman shook that off and came through when it mattered most for the Michigan State women's basketball team.
Ekh added to her strong debut season by knocking down a pair of big shots late to help the Spartans to a 63-57 upset of Big Ten leader and No. 4-ranked Michigan at Breslin Center.
Ekh, who had missed all six of her shot attempts and was scoreless entering the final quarter, knocked down two 3-pointers late in the shot clock to help the Spartans fend off Michigan for earn their first victory over a top-five opponent since beating No. 3 Oregon at home in December 2018.
"I was just very happy that I was able to make those 3s," Ekh said. "They were both (at the) end of shot clock, so I didn't have time to think, which I think was good actually because those misses kind of got to my head in the beginning. I'm just happy I was able to make those 3s at the end."
Ekh's second 3 came with 1:13 to play and right after Michigan pulled within one on a basket by star Naz Hillmon. That shot was part of seven unanswered points that helped the Spartans end a three-game losing streak to the Wolverines and pick up their best victory of the season.
"They were both daggers," Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "We had the game cut. We did amazing defense. Both of them I think she hit with under 2 seconds on the shot clock and they were just crushing. Obviously we defended our butt off the entire possession and those were the two baskets she made.
"Most people would look at the box score and say she didn't have a great night. She made two of the biggest plays in the game. She made clutch shots for them when they needed them most."
Nia Clouden had a team-high 20 points, including 16 in the second half, and Tamara Farquhar added 11 points to help MSU (13-10, 7-5) begin a challenging stretch with a significant victory. Freshman DeeDee Hagemann added nine points, nine assists and seven rebounds while contributing to the Spartans ending Michigan's eight-game winning streak.
"Whenever you play Michigan and win, it feels really good — especially when you're a Spartan," MSU coach Suzy Merchant said. "When they are rivalry games, they mean something. Does it rank more than the other? It just feels really good right now. We'll take this one."
Hillmon had 27 points and nine rebounds to pace Michigan (20-3, 11-2), which moved into the top five of the national polls for the first time in program history earlier this week.
MSU went on a 13-0 run, including seven points from Clouden, in the third quarter to build a double-digit lead. The Wolverines then pushed hard in the fourth but could never regain the lead, thanks in part to Ekh's clutch shots.
"I was just really impressed by the confidence (Ekh had) and those shots coming at the end of the shot clock," Clouden said. "... They were playing me and (Matilda) really hard and denying us the ball. Just her always staying ready was really good for us at the end."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State women's basketball takes down No. 4 Michigan
