Matilda Ekh leads Michigan State women's basketball to road win over Wisconsin

Freshman Matilda Ekh put together a strong second half Wednesday.

And her performance helped the Michigan State women's basketball team push its way to a 74-67 Big Ten road victory over Wisconsin.

Ekh had a game-high 25 points, which included 18 in the second half, to lead the Spartans. She had her fourth game with at least 20 points this season while helping MSU pick up a win while playing without starting guard DeeDee Hagemann, who was out due to concussion protocols.

Nia Clouden and Alisia Smith each added 12 points for MSU (14-11, 8-6 Big Ten).

Krystyna Ellew led Wisconsin (7-18, 4-11) with 19 points.

Wisconsin outscored MSU in both the first and second quarters and had a 35-30 advantage at halftime. Ekh helped MSU turn the game in its favor in the second half. She had 13 points during a third quarter where the Spartans outscored Wisconsin, 23-11.

MSU led by as much as 13 in the second half.

"I kind of got into them at halftime, maybe for the first time really all year," MSU coach Suzy Merchant said. "I was disappointed in how they played mostly because of their effort. Everybody is tired this time of year and I know we're down four people. At the end of the day your effort can still be there.

"I thought our second half was much better. They came out with great energy."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Women's basketball: Matilda Ekh leads Michigan State past Wisconsin