The Panther women’s basketball team knew going on the road to face No. 12 Michigan State would be difficult. And 40 minutes of basketball proved it would be, as the Spartans dominated the Panthers 85-45 Thursday night at the Breslin Center.

The Spartan defense forced Eastern into shooting 28.6 percent from the floor. MSU (7-1) also had 16 steals, compared to six for the Panthers (3-3).

The Panthers trailed 17-6 a little over five minutes into the game and never cut the lead back into single-digits.

Sophomore forward Meagan Scaggs and junior guard Megan Sparks led the Panthers with 11 points each. Scaggs also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

However, the night belonged to the Spartans, with five players scoring double-digits. MSU also pounded the Panthers on the boards, out-rebounding Eastern 57-to-25. The Spartans owned a 27-to-11 edge on the offensive glass.

The Panthers return to the court back in hostile territory, as they take on Butler at 2 p.m. Saturday.