EAST LANSING — Nyla Hampton made her mark in the fourth quarter.
And she helped the Michigan State women’s basketball team add to what has been the best start in program history.
Hampton sparked a fourth-quarter charge that helped the No. 19-ranked Spartans to a 68-66 victory over No. 24-ranked Iowa on Sunday afternoon at Breslin Center in their Big Ten opener.
Hampton had eight points during a 14-0 run that helped the Spartans (10-0, 1-0) overcome a nine-point deficit and take the lead for good.
The Spartans managed to hang on in the final minutes despite a pair of empty trips at the free-throw line in the final minute. MSU then got a defensive stop in the closing seconds while clinging to a 67-66 lead with Julia Ayrault getting a block on the possession that ended with the defensive rebound in Hampton’s hand.
Hampton split a pair of free throws in the final second to close out the win.
Hannah Stuelke led Iowa (9-2) with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Ayrault had 19 points to lead the Spartans, who held Iowa more than seven minutes without a field goal during the final quarter. Grace VanSlooten added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Nyla Hampton leads MSU women’s basketball past Iowa in Big Ten opener
