Spartans Handle Sooners, 80-60

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Liz Shimek scored 25 points and had a season-high 14 rebounds to lead No. 11 Michigan State to an 80-60 win over No. 16 Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

In a meeting of dominant inside players, Shimek guided her team to victory by simply staying on the court. Michigan State built much of its lead while Paris, who entered the game seventh in the nation in scoring and second in rebounding, was on the bench.

Paris scored 23 of her 29 points in the second half, but it was not enough to lead the Sooners back from a 22-point deficit.

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With Paris out of the game, the Spartans (8-2) scored the final 10 points of the first half, then continued pulling away with a 14-6 run after the break. Laura Hall hit back-to-back baskets, Shimek and Rene Haynes made 3-pointers and Victoria Lucas-Perry's layup pushed Michigan State's lead to 48-26.

Oklahoma (9-3) rallied with a 13-3 run that included 3-pointers from Erin Higgins and Chelsi Welch and a three-point play by Paris. Welch's two free throws pulled Oklahoma within 51-39.

Paris then scored 12 of Oklahoma's next 14 points, but the Sooners were unable to cut into the Spartans' lead. Consecutive baskets by Lindsay Bowen, Lucas-Perry and Haynes stretched the lead to 71-53 and put the game out of reach.

Michigan State, the national runner-up last season, won for its first time in three games against ranked teams. The Spartans' only losses came against No. 1 Tennessee and No. 6 Maryland. Their next game is at No. 3 LSU next week.

Lucas-Perry had 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Bowen also scored 15 and Haynes added 13 points.

Paris also had 12 of her 21 rebounds while playing the entire second half and was 9-for-20 from the field, while her teammates were a combined 11-for-52.

Shimek scored 18 points and had nine rebounds in the first half and was dominant when Paris wasn't on the floor.

Shimek scored six points in an 11-2 Michigan State run that started when Paris left for the first time, and capped by Bowen's 3-pointer that put the Spartans ahead 17-8.

Paris re-entered and scored back-to-back baskets as Oklahoma cut into the deficit with six straight points, but she headed to the sidelines again after picking up her second foul by ramming into Bowen on her way up the court without the ball.

After two free throws by Oklahoma's Leah Rush, the Spartans finished the first half with 10 straight points, including six from Shimek.

Oklahoma missed its final nine shots of the first half and didn't have a field goal after Paris' basket with 7:43 left.