Spartans Seek 20th Win Of Season Thursday Against Northwestern

Feb. 14, 2007

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EAST LANSING, Mich. - Head coach Joanne P. McCallie's Michigan State women's basketball team will look for another accolade when it hits the floor on Thursday at 7 p.m. to face Northwestern. The four Spartan seniors could become the first group in school history to win 20 games in all four of their campaigns.

The Spartans, who are 19-6 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten, are coming off an emotional win over No. 13 Purdue on Sunday, as sophomore Mia Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to lift the Spartans to a 54-52 win.

Sophomore Aisha Jefferson led the team with 15 points and 12 rebounds for her first career Big Ten double-double and her fourth of the season.

Northwestern is also coming off a hard-fought 64-61 win over Penn State, its first Big Ten win of the season, improving the team to 7-19 overall and 1-12 in the conference.

Freshman Beth Marshall led the team with 14 points thanks to a 3-for-6 performance from beyond-the-arc.

Sophomore Kristin Cartwright continued her outstanding play, joining Marshall in double figures with 13 points. Senior A.J. Glasauer scored 11 points while also dishing out a game-high six assists.

Spartan Notables

• Head coach Joanne P. McCallie has led the Spartans to 26 wins over nationally-ranked teams in her seven years at MSU.

• Michigan State's 17-point comeback (35-18, 2:08 left in first half) against Purdue is a school-record.

• The Spartans are 7-2 since senior Myisha Bannister reentered the starting lineup at Iowa on Jan. 14.

• Five Spartans average in double figures in conference games (Victoria Lucas-Perry, 12.3; Mia Johnson, 11.2; Allyssa DeHaan, 11.1; Rene Haynes, 10.5; Aisha Jefferson, 10.4).

• Sophomores Aisha Jefferson and Mia Johnson have each scored 10 or more points in the last three games.

• Sophomore Aisha Jefferson and freshman Allyssa DeHaan are the only set of teammates in the Big Ten with four double-doubles each.

• Freshman Allyssa DeHaan blocked five shots at Purdue, giving her 110 on the season, which is six shy of Ohio State's Jessica Davenport's Big Ten season third-best mark set in 2004-05.

• Sophomore Mia Johnson has hit 11 of her last 17 (64.7 percent) 3-pointers.

• Head coach Joanne P. McCallie is 8-1 against her alma mater. She has led the Spartans to six straight wins, with the team winning by an average of 24.2 points.