Michigan State University Athletics
Women's Basketball to Face Ohio State This Weekend
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 24, 1998
Game Data
Feb. 27-March 2 -- Big Ten Tournament -- Indianapolis, IN Fri., Feb. 27 Ohio State 4 p.m. EST
The Michigan State women's basketball team heads to Indianapolis, Ind., this weekend for the 1998 Big Ten Tournament.
The ninth-seeded Spartans will face eighth-seeded Ohio State in the first round of the tournament on Friday, Feb. 27. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., at the RCA Dome.
If Michigan State can win its first game against the Buckeyes, it will face regular-season champion Iowa in the quartefinals on Saturday, Feb. 28. That game is scheduled for 11 a.m.
The Records
MSU dropped its fourth-straight game in an 83-75 loss to Indiana on Sunday, Feb. 22. The loss left the Spartans with an overall record of 11-15 and a final standing of ninth in the conference with a 5-11 mark.
Ohio State finished the regular-season with a 14-11 overall record and in eighth place in the Big Ten with a 7-9 mark.
The Buckeyes snapped a four-game losing streak with an 88-80 win over Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 23. Ohio State took Big Ten champion Iowa to the wire before falling, 74-71, in its other game last weekend.
PROBABLE STARTERS Michigan State Spartans (11-15/5-11) PPG RPG APG F 31 Bella Engen, 6-1, Sr., Hoenfoss, Norway 13.2 6.1 1.6 F 32 Becky Cummings, 6-3, Fr., Walled Lake 4.4 3.8 C 52 Kristen Rasmussen, 6-4, So., East Lansing 11.8 8.3 1.5 bpg G 21 Maxann Reese, 5-8, So., Highland Park 12.0 1.9 3.2 G 30 Jamie Wesley, 5-8, Sr., Morrice 12.0 3.6 2.7 OFF THE BENCH F 14 Pernille Dalgaard, 5-11, Jr., Horsholm, Denmark 7.7 2.8 1.9 C 45 Erin Skelly, 6-4, Fr., Maple Grove, MN 3.2 2.6 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-11/7-9) PPG RPG APG F 00 Marrita Porter, 5-11, Jr., Louisville, KY 18.7 7.2 3.0 F 34 Larecha Jones, 6-1, Jr., Flint, MI 18.9 6.7 1.6 C 24 Kylee Bogott, 6-4, Fr., Sterling, IL 3.1 3.1 G 12 Jamie Lewis, 5-5, Fr., Oak Hill, OH 9.4 2.7 6.0 G 25 Roslyn Barker, 5-8, Jr., Chicago, IL 5.2 3.2 1.3
MSU On The Air Friday's game against Ohio State will be aired live on WJIM Radio (1240 AM). If the Spartans win, Saturday's game will be broadcast on WVFN (730 AM).
The Coaches Karen Langeland is in her 22nd year at Michigan State. The Spartan mentor, who has a career record of 340-263, guided MSU to a share of its first-ever Big Ten title last year. MSU posted a 22-8 overall record last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season. The Spartans have made three NCAA Tournament appearances overall under Langeland's guidance. The Grand Rapids native has led the Spartan program to 15 winning seasons and four 20-win campaigns.
Ohio State's Beth Burns has a record of 14-11 in her first season with the Buckeyes. Burns spent eight years as the head coach at San Diego State prior to taking over in Columbus. She has a nine-year coaching record of 165-93.
The Series Record
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 31-13, but the Spartans have won five-straight against the Buckeyes. MSU has defeated Ohio State twice this season and three times last year.
In the first meeting of this season (Jan. 9), an 85-56, Spartan win, MSU shot 54 percent from the field and forced 25 Buckeye turnovers en route to the victory.
Senior Bella Engen scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the second half to break open a tight ball game. Kristen Rasmussen added 15 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman Becky Cummings came off the bench to score 14 points.
Junior Larecha Jones was the only Buckeye to reach double-digits with 15 points.
Three weeks ago (Feb. 8), the Spartans pulled out another win over the Buckeyes, 74-72, in Columbus.
Cummings sank two free throws with four seconds remaining to give MSU the victory and extend its winning streak to a season-high three games.
Engen's two free throws with 4:41 left in the game gave MSU its biggest lead of the contest at 68-58. OSU's Jones and Marrita Porter sparked a comeback, leading the Buckeyes to a 13-2 run and a 71-70 lead with 2:27 left in the game.
MSU intentionally fouled freshman Jamie Lewis with 17 seconds remaining and the Buckeye guard made one of two free throws to increase Ohio State's lead to 72-70. Engen then inbounded the ball to Jamie Wesley, who went coast-to-coast for a layup and the foul to knot the score a 72-72 with 11 seconds remaining.
Wesley missed the free throw, but sophomore Maxann Reese kept the ball alive, setting up Cummings' winning free throws.
Engen, Wesley and Rasmussen combined for 60 of MSU's 74 points with 20 points each.
Jones ended the contest with a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Porter had 22 points and seven rebounds.
Michigan State Comeback Falls Short Against Hoosiers
Indiana senior Quacy Barnes tied her career-high with 29 points as the Indiana Hoosiers held off a valiant second-half comeback by Michigan State in an 83-75 victory at the Breslin Center on Feb. 22. The loss was the fourth-straight for the Spartans and they finish the regular season with an 11-15 overall record and in ninth place in the Big Ten with a 5-11 conference record.
The Hoosiers shot a blistering 71 percent from the field in the first half and built a commanding 43-28 halftime lead.
The Spartans didn't falter and opened the second half in a full-court press and went on 8-0 run to cut Indiana's lead to 43-36 at the 18:05 mark.
Indiana increased its lead to 10 points (59-49) on a layup by Summar Maines with 9:40 left in the game.
Junior Pernille Dalgaard scored six points to help the Spartans outscore the Hoosiers 13-3 over the next three minutes to tie the game at 62-62 with 6:09 remaining. Barnes went to work over the next five minutes of the game, scoring 12 of Indiana's 16 points to give the Hoosiers a 78-72 advantage with 59 seconds remaining.
Dalgaard's two free throws with 49 seconds left pulled MSU within six points, but the Spartans were forced to foul down the stretch and Kristi Green and Maines iced the win at the free throw line.
Senior Jamie Wesley paced the Spartans with 20 points, including 13 in the second half, in her final game at the Breslin Center. Fellow senior Bella Engen scored 18 points and pulled down six rebounds, while Dalgaard added 18 points off the bench.
In addition to Barnes, Indiana got 17 points from Kameelah Morgan and 16 from Maines.
Penn State Extends Spartans' Losing Streak To Three Games Penn State sophomore Andrea Garner scored a career-high 27 points to lead Penn State to a 76-60 victory over Michigan State at the Breslin Center on Friday, Feb. 20.
The Spartans dropped their third-straight game and fell to 11-14 overall and 5-10 in the Big Ten. MSU failed to take advantage of an opportunity to move up in the Big Ten standings after eighth-place Ohio State dropped a 74-71 contest to Iowa.
Penn State shot 52 percent in the first half and scored 15 points off of 11 Spartan turnovers to go up by 20 points (43-23) with 2:32 left in the period. Pernille Dalgaard capped a 7-0 run with a three-pointer to cut Penn State's halftime lead to 43-30.
Bella Engen's jumper with 11:51 remaining in the game cut the Lady Lions' lead to 10 points at 52-42, but Penn State extended its advantage to 15 points following a layup by Christine Portland at the 8:46 mark.
The Spartans made one last run, outscoring Penn State 10-3 to pull within 10 points (70-60) on a driving layup by Engen with 2:03 left in the contest.
Sophomore Helen Darling canned a jumper with 1:32 remaining and made two free throws with 49 seconds left to secure the win for Penn State.
Darling was the only other Penn State player to score in double figures with 10 points. Michigan State had four players score in double figures, paced by Engen's 19 points. Dalgaard came off the bench to add 14 points and four assists, while Jamie Wesley added 12 points.
In The Big Ten Tournament
The Spartans have posted a record of 3-3 in the Big Ten Tournament since it was reinstated in 1995.
Friday's game with Ohio State marks the third time in four years, the Spartans and Buckeyes have met in the conference tourney. Last season, MSU knocked off the Buckeyes, 85-79, in the quarterfinals, while Ohio State got the best of the Spartans in 1995 with a 70-63 win in the semifinals.
MSU received a first-round bye in the previous two seasons of the tournament, losing to Purdue (74-66) in the quarterfinals in 1996 and dropping a 77-66 decision to Illinois in the semifinals last season. In 1995, MSU was seeded sixth and knocked off the 11th-seeded Michigan Wolverines, 81-59, in the first round. The Spartans then upset the third seeded Wisconsin Badgers, 87-79, before falling to the Buckeyes in the semifinals, 70-63.
BIG TEN STANDINGS (as of 2/23/98) Big Ten Overall 1. Iowa 13-3 .812 16-9 .640 2. Illinois 12-4 .750 18-8 .692 3. Michigan 10-6 .625 18-8 .692 Indiana 10-6 .625 19-10 .655 Purdue 10-6 .625 17-9 .654 6. Wisconsin 9-7 .563 20-8 .714 7. Penn State 8-8 .500 14-12 .538 8. Ohio State 7-9 .437 14-11 .560 9. Michigan St. 5-11 .313 11-15 .423 10. Northwestern 3-13 .187 10-20 .333 11. Minnesota 1-15 .063 4-22 .154Three Times The Charm
Michigan State has beaten the same team three times in one season five times in program history.
MSU defeated the Buckeyes three times last season, posting wins in Columbus (66-63) and East Lansing (72-64) before picking up a victory in the Big Ten Tournament, 85-79.
The Wisconsin Badgers were three-time victims to the Spartans in 1994-95. MSU downed the Badgers in East Lansing (78-68) and in Madison (78-62) before knocking them out of the Big Ten Tournament (87-79).
Michigan was a three-time loser to MSU in 1983, while Central Michigan dropped three games to the Spartans in 1976-77 and 1973-74.
Engen/Wesley Join 1,000 Point Club In Same Weekend
Seniors Bella Engen and Jamie Wesley made history by becoming the first two Spartan teammates to reach the 1,000-point mark in the same season.
Engen and Wesley accomplished the feat in back-to-back games.
Engen, a native of Hoenfoss, Norway, became the 8th player in program history to score 1,000 points with her 21-point effort against Minnesota on Feb. 6. Engen ranks 6th all-time with 1,074 points.
Wesley became the 9th player in Spartan history to reach the historic mark with her 20-point effort in a thrilling win over Ohio State on Feb. 8. The Morrice native stands 7th all-time with 1,065 points.
All-Time Scoring Chart 1. Kisha Kelley 1,668 2. Kris Emerson 1,590 3. Eileen Shea 1,401 4. Mary Kay Itnyre 1,189 5. Julie Polakowski 1,143 6. Bella Engen 1,074 7. Jamie Wesley 1,065 8. Brenda Jezowski 1,030 9. Jill Prudden 1,012
MSU Against Nationally Ranked Teams
Michigan State is 0-5 against nationally ranked teams this season after dropping a 98-51 decision to No. 9 Illinois on Feb. 15.
MSU has dropped games to No. 5 Vanderbilt (63-51), No. 13 Illinois (82-67), No. 24 Purdue (70-60) and No. 18 Wisconsin (72-65).
Tough Year At The Bres
After posting a 12-1 mark at home in 1996-97, the Spartans finished with a 5-6 mark at the Breslin Center this year.
It is the just the second time in program history the Spartans have finished with a losing record at home and the first time since the 1975-76 campaign (0-6).
Michigan State's loss to Michigan in the Felpausch Classic on Nov. 22, snapped the Spartans' school-record 13-game home winning streak.
MSU has an all-time mark of 77-37 (.675) at the Breslin Center. The Spartans are 27-10 (.730) at home since 1995-96.
The Road Is Just As Tough
The Spartans have struggled on the road as well this season. MSU is 6-9 in all road games and 2-6 in Big Ten road contests.
The Spartans picked up their first two conference road wins with victories over Minnesota (68-60) and Ohio State (74-72) on Feb. 6 and 8, respectively.
Earlier this season, the Spartans played nine-straight road games from Nov. 29 to Dec. 30.
Rough Big Ten Campaign
Michigan State ended the year in ninth place in the Big Ten with a 5-11 mark, tying its lowest finish ever in the conference. The Spartans also finished ninth in the conference in 1984-85 after posting a 4-14 record.
Bella Engen Notes
Senior Bella Engen averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in MSU's two contests last weekend. In addition, she shot 64 percent (16-of-25) from the field and had four steals. Engen played all 40 minutes in Friday game with Penn State and 39 minutes in Sunday's contest with Indiana.
Overall, Engen is averaging a team-high 31.0 minutes per game. She has played 40 or minutes in five games.
Engen has been MSU's most consistent player this season. She is the team's leading scorer and is 15th in the Big Ten with a 13.2 points per game average.
The Hoenfoss, Norway has scored in double figures in 17-of-25 games and has five 20-point efforts to her credit this season. Engen scored a career-high 27 points in the win over Texas on Nov. 29 and added 26 against Central Michigan (Dec. 14).
She has 3 double-doubles this season and a total of 6 in her career.Engen is third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.572) and 10th in free throw percentage (.791). She is also averaging a career-high 6.1 rebounds per game.
During her four-year career, Engen has played in 109 games and started 63 contests. She has scored 1,074 points (9.8 ppg) and pulled down 437 rebounds (4.0 rpg).
She will end her career ranked among the top 10 all-time in games played, points, field goals (433/6th), field goal percentage (.550/3rd), free throws (205/10th) and free throw attempts (279/11th). Jamie Wesley Notes
Senior guard Jamie Wesley is tied for 18th in the Big Ten, averaging 12.0 points per game. She has scored in double figures 16 times this season, including a season-high 26 against Illinois on Jan. 2.
Wesley is tied for 5th in the Big Ten with a 2.23 steals per game average. She ranks 5th all-time with 196 career steals and is 4 shy of becoming just the 5th player in Spartan history to record 200 steals in a career.
The Spartan co-captain will end her career ranked among the top 10 all-time in games played (110/T-3rd), points (1,065/7th), field goals (398/6th), field goal attempts (1,011/5th), three-point field goals (99/4th), three-point field goal attempts (301/4th) and three-point field goal percentage (.329/4th).
Rasmussen's Block Party
Sophomore Kristen Rasmussen had one blocked shot in Friday's game with Penn State to surpass her own single-season record with 40 blocks.
Rasmussen is 4th in the Big Ten with a 1.54 blocks per game average.
The East Lansing native ranks 2nd on the MSU all-time chart with 79 blocks.
The Spartan co-captain leads MSU and is 3rd in the Big Ten with an 8.3 rebounds per game average. She has pulled down double-figure rebounds in 9 games this season, including a career-high 20 against Penn State on Dec. 30. She has collected 8 double-doubles in 1997-98 and has a total of 11 in her career.
Rasmussen is fourth on the team with an 11.8 points per game average. She was held scoreless for just the second time this season in Friday's loss to Penn State.
Rasmussen also ranks among the Big Ten leaders in free throw percentage (.816/8th).
Rasmussen has scored in double figures in 19 games this season, including five of the last seven overall. She has been MSU's leading scorer six times this season and the team's leading rebounder 15 times.
Maximum Performance
Sophomore guard Maxann Reese is tied for second on the team and tied for 18th in the Big Ten with a 12.0 points per game average. She has topped the 20-point mark five times this season, including a career-high 32-point effort against Central Michigan on Dec. 14. During a four-game stretch from Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, Reese averaged 22.7 points per game and earned Big Ten Player of the Week (Feb. 2) for the second time this season.
Reese canned two triples in Sunday's game with Indiana to become the third player in Spartan history to connect on 50 or more three-pointers in a season. Her 51 treys is good for second on the MSU single-season chart. Reese stands 5th all-time with 92 triples. Reese is among the Big Ten leaders in three-point field goal percentage (.375/5th) and three-pointers per game (1.96/4th). Reese has hit at least one three pointer in all but five games this season and has had four or more triples in six games.
The Highland Park native has scored in double figures in 10 of her last 13 games and in 17 contests overall.
Reese, who made the switch to point guard this season from her natural off-guard position, dished out 8 assists and had just one turnover in against Purdue (2/13) three weeks ago.
MSU Single-Season Three-Point FG Leaders
1. Tanya Place (1992-93) 59
2. Maxann Reese (1997-98) 51
3. Eileen Shea (1990-91) 50
Eileen Shea (1989-90) 50
5. Tanya Place (1993-94) 46
6. Chris Powers (1994-95) 42
7. Maxann Reese (1996-97) 41
Dalgaard Stepping Up
Junior Pernille Dalgaard has been solid for MSU off the bench in the last four games. During that stretch, she is averaging 12.2 points per game and has scored in double figures in three of the four games.
Last weekend, she averaged 16.0 points per game, including an 18-point effort in Sunday's contest with Indiana.
After starting the first 15 games of the campaign, she has been coming off the bench since the Northwestern contest on Jan. 25.
Overall, Dalgaard is averaging a career-high 7.7 points per game. She has scored in double-digits in nine games, including a career-high 20 points against UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 19).
Spartans Tough At The Charity Stripe
The Spartans are 2nd in the Big Ten and among the national leaders with a .742 free throw percentage. MSU shot 80 percent from the free throw line in the win over Ohio State (Feb. 8) and 75 percent from the charity stripe against Minnesota (Feb. 6).
Free throws played a crucial role in both of those MSU wins. Against the Gophers, Pernille Dalgaard and Maxann Reese combined to make 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
In the thrilling victory over Ohio State, freshman Becky Cumming stepped to the line and sank two free throws with four seconds left to give MSU a 74-72 win over the Buckeyes.
Overall, the Spartans have shot 70 percent or better from the line in 19-of-26 games, including a season-high .895 (17-of-19) against the Hoosiers on Sunday.
Against the Gophers on Jan. 11, MSU hit a school-record 30 free throws in a season-high 40 attempts.
As The Starters Turn
Head coach Karen Langeland has used seven different starting combinations this season, including five in the last 13 contests. Langeland began the season with Pernille Dalgaard, Bella Engen, Kristen Rasmussen, Maxann Reese and Jamie Wesley in the starting lineup. She went with that group of players until she replaced Maxann Reese at the point guard position with Christie Pung in the game with Kentucky on Nov. 25.
Pung started four games for the Spartans before Reese went back into the starting lineup against Central Michigan on Dec. 14.
Langeland went with the same starting five for six-straight games until Jan. 2, when sophomore Whitney Winberg made her first collegiate start for Pernille Dalgaard. Winberg started the next game against Purdue, while freshman Donita Johnson made her first collegiate start, replacing Bella Engen, who sprained her finger in the game with the Illini.
The original starting five opened the next three games against Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan before giving way to three new lineups in the last six contests.
Langeland went with a smaller lineup against perimeter-oriented Northwestern, thus starting Donita Johnson for Pernille Dalgaard. Rookie Erin Skelly earned her first career starts against Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio State.
Freshman Becky Cummings joined the starting five against Purdue (2/13) and has remained in the starting lineup for the last four games.
