Michigan State University Athletics
No. 25 Spartans Depart for Junkanoo Jam
11/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2009
No. 25/25 MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (2-2)
vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON (2-1)
JUNKANOO JAM • GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND
Date: Fri., Nov. 27
Time: 1:15 p.m. ET
Location: Freeport, Grand Bahama Island
Arena: St. Georges High School Gym
TV: none
Radio: WJIM 1240 AM (Rick Berkey - play-by-play)
Internet: Live audio at MSUSpartans.com; Live video at http://www.junkanoojam.com/content/game-webcast
vs. MARIST (2-1) or OKLAHOMA STATE (3-1)
JUNKANOO JAM • GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND
Date: Sat., Nov. 28
Time: 5:45/8 p.m. ET
Location: Freeport, Grand Bahama Island
Arena: St. Georges High School Gym
TV: none
Radio: WVFN 730 AM tape-delayed (Rick Berkey - play-by-play)
Internet: Live audio at MSUSpartans.com; Live video at http://www.junkanoojam.com/content/game-webcast
ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON
The Colonials enter the Junkanoo Jam with a 2-1 record, but are coming off a 70-58 loss at Ohio on Sunday. GW has wins over Coppin State (68-64) and at North Texas (84-82). Tiana Myers leads the Colonials with 15.0 points per game, while Sara Mostafa is the lone other GW player in double-figures at 10.3. Mustafa and Booker are tied for the team lead with 6.3 rebounds, and Danni Jackson paces the team with 6.7 assists per outing.
ABOUT MARIST
The Red Foxes go to the Bahamas with a 2-1 record, having knocked off Bowling Green, 70-65, and North Carolina A&T, 80-64, both at home. Marist's lone loss was at West Virginia, 55-50. Rachele Fitz averages a double-double with 25.7 points and 10.0 rebounds, while shooting 65.9% from the field. Erica Allenspach is second on the team with 15.7 points, while also adding a team best 4.3 assists.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowgirls opened the season with three-straight wins, but fell at No. 3 Ohio State on Sunday, 93-72. Oklahoma State opened the season with wins over Arkansas-Little Rock, 67-58, Georgia Tech, 70-64, and New Mexico, 70-56. All-American candidate Andrea Riley leads the Cowgirls with 25.0 points and 4.8 assists per game. Tegan Cunningham is second on the team with 19.0 points, while shooting 64.3% from the field. Precious Robinson leads with 7.5 rebounds.
AGAINST THE FIELD
Michigan State has never faced George Washington or Marist in program history, and trail the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 2-1. The Spartans and Cowgirls last met on Dec. 2, 2003, a 62-60 OSU win in Stillwater.
IN REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS
Michigan State is 69-40 all-time in regular season tournaments. The Spartans are 14-4 over the last six seasons, including winning the TD Banknorth Classic last November in Burlington, Vt.
PLAYING OUTSIDE THE U.S.
The Spartans are 4-4 all-time when playing outside of the United States. MSU went 1-2 at the 1994 San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico, 1-2 at the 2005 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Island and 2-0 at the 2007 Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico.
APPROACHING 1,000
Redshirt senior Aisha Jefferson is approaching a historic milestone, needing only 33 points to become the 20th Spartan to reach 1,000 career points. Jefferson is currently 23rd all-time with 967 points. In addition, she is also climbing the career rebounds list, sitting in 20th-place with 535.
HISTORIC COMPANY
Senior Allyssa DeHaan is one of only five Spartans to rank in the top-10 in both career points and rebounds. She is currently ninth all-time with 1,341 points and seventh with 755 rebounds.
SWATTING HER WAY INTO THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS
Senior Allyssa DeHaan enters her senior season on pace to break the NCAA Division I blocked shots record. Recently, she moved into sixth all-time with 419 blocks and needs only 62 rejections to surpass the record held by Sandora Irvin of TCU (2001-05). DeHaan is also third on the NCAA list with a 3.91 blocks per game average.
DeHaan became the Big Ten's all-time blocked shots leader during MSU's Big Ten Tournament game against Wisconsin on March, 6, 2009. She surpassed Ohio State's Jessica Davenport (384) for the record. In addition, in last season's win over Stony Brook (Nov. 16, 2008), she became the fastest in conference history to reach the 300-block plateau, needing only 72 games.
STEPPING UP HER GAME
Sophomore Lykendra Johnson has stepped up her play since the Spartans lost leading scorer and rebounder Courtney Schiffauer for the season last week. In the two games since Schiffauer's injury, Johnson has averaged 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals, while shooting 13-of-16 ( .812) from the field and 3-of-5 (.600) from the 3-point line. She tallied her fourth career double-double vs. No. 5/6 Notre Dame with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and came back with a career-high 21 points vs. Western Michigan.
Johnson has improved her outside shooting early in the 2009-10 season, having already matched her made 3-point field goal total from last season. This season, she is 5-of-9 (.556) from the arc, while last year she went 4-of-20 (.200) in 33 games.
TURNING THEM OVER
Michigan State forced Western Michigan into 30 turnovers on Sunday. The total was the most by an MSU opponent since Central Connecticut committed 34 turnovers on Nov. 20, 2004.
ON THIS DATE
Michigan State is 5-3 all-time on November 27 and 6-2 all-time on November 28.
