Taya Reimer bright spot for MSU in win over Wyoming

EAST LANSING - Taya Reimer is still getting a feel for her new teammates.

She’s also trying to get her rhythm back on the basketball court after appearing in just five games last season while playing at Notre Dame.

But the early stages of the 6-foot-4 forward's career at Michigan State have featured some positives in both areas as she gradually works towards settling in at her new home.

Reimer was one of the bright spots to Spartan women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant in what she thought was a flat performance by her team in a 63-51 victory over Wyoming on Sunday afternoon at Breslin Center.

Reimer had 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds to help MSU gain some separation in the non-conference victory.

“Taya needs the ball more and we need to get her more shots,” Merchant said. I thought to the team’s credit, we watched some film and talked about some things. Number one, I think we got her the ball more. Number two, I think she was more aggressive when she got it to, which made a big difference. It was good to see her be aggressive like that.

“We try to move her around so it’s not the same every time, but she does a really, really good job I think of being a mismatch, especially when we have her at the (center) position. I was proud of the fact that she really stepped up and was aggressive offensively.”

Reimer had 14 points in the second half to help the Spartans (2-0) gain control after they led by just two at halftime. She and senior guard Tori Jankoska combined to score 40 points to help MSU get past Wyoming (1-1).

Reimer, who is averaging 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, thought Sunday was a step in the right direction for her as she gets back accustomed to the flow of the game and figures out ways to help a Spartan team that has several other newcomers and numerous players adapting to new roles this season.

“Rebounding and being able to be a defensive stopper – I think those are things that I’m definitely trying to focus on,” Reimer said. “(I want to) make sure I kind of get the intangible things done before I try to focus on being a scorer and getting to Tori’s (Jankoska) level. I think all of us, we’re just trying to grow and progress every game and every practice.”

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