Spartans Prepare for Lone Meeting with Hawkeyes

Feb. 6, 2010

rv/- MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (15-7, 6-5) at
IOWA HAWKEYES (11-11, 4-7)

Date: Sunday, Feb. 7
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Arena: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
TV: Big Ten Network (Leah Secondo - play-by-play; Stephanie White - analyst)
Radio: WVFN 730 AM (Rick Berkey - play-by-play)
Internet: Live audio and stats at MSUSpartans.com

|
Game Notes in PDF Format

ABOUT IOWA
The Hawkeyes enter the weekend with an 11-11 overall record and a 4-7 mark in Big Ten play. Iowa had its three-game win streak snapped on Thursday with a tough 86-82 loss at No. 9 Ohio State. Iowa is tied for second with MSU in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 68.5 points per game, but is last in the league, allowing 66.8 points. The Hawkeyes are dangerous from behind the arc, leading the Big Ten in 3-pointer made (7.5) and are second in 3-point field goal percentage (36.0%). Individually, three Hawkeyes - Jaime Printy (15.1), Kachine Alexander (14.5), Kamile Wahlin (14.0) - are averaging over 14 points per game. Alexander is also averaging 10.7 rebounds per game, but seven games earlier this season due to injury. Morgan Johnson is fifth in the conference, and leads all Big Ten freshmen, with 7.5 rebounds and is third with 2.3 blocks per game. Wahlin and Printy are one-two in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made with 2.6 and 2.3, respectively.

AGAINST THE HAWKEYES
Michigan State trails the all-time series, 31-22, and have won only eight of its 24 meetings in Iowa City. However of late, the Spartans have won six of the last seven games, including last year's lone meeting, 68-56, in East Lansing. Four Spartans have had success against the Hawkeyes in the past, each averaging over 10 points per game. Kalisha Keane and Brittney Thomas have each averaged 13.7 points in three games, while Keane has added 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals, while Thomas has chipped in 3.3 steals. Allyssa DeHaan has posted 13.2 points and 3.8 blocks in five games, while Aisha Jefferson has scored 10.0 points in six games.

DEFENSE KEYS THE FOUR-GAME WINNING STREAK
The Spartans have run off four-straight wins over the past couple weeks to vault themselves back into the top part of the conference standing. The MSU defensive effort has been key toward each Spartan win. During the streak, MSU has held its opponents to only 51.8 points per game, and has limited them to 32.2% from the field and 26.2% from behind the arc. They have increased their steal and block numbers, averaging 8.3 thefts and 7.5 rejections.

DeHAAN NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Allyssa DeHaan was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday for the second time this season and for the eighth time in her career, a MSU record. DeHaan led the Spartans to a 66-62 win at Northwestern on Thursday with 24 points, the most points by a MSU player this season, 10 rebounds and five blocks. It was her third double-double of the season and 18th of her career. DeHaan also came through in the clutch, knocking down a pair of shots in the final two minutes to break a 49-all tie and put MSU up for good.

HOW THE COMPUTERS RANK MSU
The Spartans are second in the Big Ten, behind Ohio State, in RPI this season, ranking 13th according to CollegeRPI.com, 14th in the NCAA RPI and 15th by RealTimeRPI.com. The MSU schedule is the toughest among conference foes and ranks fifth nationally, by both CollegeRPI.com and RealTimeRPI.com. In non-conference action, CollegeRPI.com has MSU fourth nationally in RPI. As a conference, the Big Ten is fourth in RPI overall, and in the non-conference schedule was second in both RPI and strength of schedule according to CollegeRPI.com.

PRODUCTION OFF THE BENCH
The depth of the 2009-10 Spartans has paid dividends this season. The MSU bench is averaging 29.1 points, 18.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists, while playing 81.3 minutes per game, compared the opposition's 14.2 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 57.6 minutes. MSU's 29.1 points off the bench lead the Big Ten, by more than 10 points per game, as Purdue is second in the conference at 18.8 points. The Spartans have received 28 double-figure scoring efforts off the bench this season, including the leading scorer eight times.

LOCKING DOWN THE OPPOSITION
Penn State was the eighth-straight team that the Spartans have held below 40% from the field, vaulting them into the Big Ten lead in field goal percentage defense. Over the last eight games, MSU has held its opponents to 31.9% from the field, improving its season mark to 34.6%, which is currently 11th in the nation.

TOP-10 SPOILER
Michigan State has been a dangerous team this season against teams ranked in the nation's top-10. Up to this point in the season, MSU is one of five teams (California, Connecticut, Oklahoma, South Carolina) to have played at least four top-10 teams, having gone 2-2. The Spartans knocked off No. 4 North Carolina and No. 8 Xavier, and their two losses (No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Ohio State) have come by a combined four points.

In all, MSU is one of five teams in the country with at least two top-10 wins, as No. 1 Connecticut has five top-10 wins, No. 4 Nebraska has three, and No. 2 Stanford and No. 10 Oklahoma State each also have two. Against teams in the current AP top-10, MSU and Connecticut are the only two teams with at least three wins.

It was the only the second time in program history that a Spartan team has beaten two Associated Press top-10 teams in the same regular season. The 2002-03 Spartans knocked off No. 7/6 Purdue on Jan. 6 and No. 10 Minnesota on Jan. 23.

HISTORIC COMPANY
Senior Allyssa DeHaan is one of only five Spartans to rank in the top-10 in both career points and rebounds. She became the sixth Spartan to score 1,500 career points vs. Ohio State on Jan. 9 and currently has 1,566 points. Maxann Reese (1996-00) is fifth with 1,589. DeHaan moved into fourth all-time with 867 rebounds at Northwestern last Thursday. Kris Emerson is third with 933. In addition, she is third with both 332 made free throws and 603 made field goals in MSU career record books.

SWATTING HER WAY INTO THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS
Senior Allyssa DeHaan entered her senior season on pace to break the NCAA Division I blocked shots record. At Indiana, she moved into second all-time and currently has 475 blocks, needing only six to surpass the record held by Sandora Irvin of TCU (2001-05).

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.

11th TO 1,000 AND 600
Redshirt senior Aisha Jefferson became 11th Spartan to total 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in their career. She is currently 16th all-time with both 1,101 points and 612 rebounds. On Dec. 6 against Indiana, Jefferson became the 20th 1,000 point scorer in MSU history, knocking in a free throw with 7:30 on the clock in the first half. In addition, she is tied for 12th with 437 made field goals and 17th with 215 made free throws.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Michigan State is fourth in the nation in blocked shots this season, averaging 7.1 blocks. Senior Allyssa DeHaan leads the charge, ranking fifth in the nation with 3.3 per game.

The Spartans are also among the nation's top-50 in three other categories, placing 11th in field goal percentage defense (34.6%), 23rd in rebound margin (+6.5) and 37th in assists (15.5).

THREE-PLUS YEARS OF SWATTING
Upon Allyssa DeHaan's arrival to East Lansing, the Spartans have been one of the effective teams in the country in protecting the rim. Since the beginning of the 2006-07 season, MSU is second in the nation with 766 blocks. North Carolina is first with 856, followed by MSU, Baylor (745), Duke (737), Connecticut (716) and St. Mary's (701).

The Spartans had been among the NCAA leaders in blocks each of those three years, finishing the season eighth in 2008-09, 11th in 2007-08 and fourth in 2006-07.

NEW LEADER EVERY NIGHT
Each night, a different Spartan has stepped up as the offensive leader, as eight different players have led MSU in scoring. Through 11 conference games, seven different Spartans have paced the team offensively. It doesn't stop there as nine different Spartans have led the team in assists this season and six different have paced the team in rebounds. In addition, Michigan State is one of two teams in the Big Ten (Northwestern) to have four different players score 20 or more points in a game.

In all, nine different Spartans have scored in double-figures in a game this season, including a school-record six in the win over Florida Gulf Coast. The last time a MSU team had six players in double-digits was Feb. 18, 1996 vs. Michigan.

AMONG BIG TEN LEADERS
The Spartans lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (.346), blocked shots (7.14), offensive rebounds (15.05), rebound margin (+6.5) and total rebounds (43.6). They are also second in scoring offense (68.5) and scoring margin (+8.1), and third in assists (15.55).

Individually, redshirt sophomore Lykendra Johnson ranks among the conference leaders in many categories: offensive rebounds (3.4; 1st), rebounds (8.4; 3rd), blocks (10th; 1.3), field goal percentage (9th; .466) and scoring (28th; 9.0). Senior Allyssa DeHaan is second in the league in blocks with 3.3, and is also 10th in rebounds (6.4), eighth in free throw percentage (.817), 11th in field goal percentage (.452) and 14th in scoring (12.2).

In conference games, the Spartans lead the Big Ten in blocks (6.27), offensive rebounds (14.91), rebound margin (+4.5) and field goal percentage defense (.341), and rank second in scoring defense (57.5), scoring margin (+4.5) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.283). Individually, Johnson leads in offensive rebounds with 3.7, and is also fourth in rebounds (8.4) and tied for fifth in steals (2.00). DeHaan is second in blocks with 2.82 and Brittney Thomas is eighth in assists (3.55). Kalisha Keane has been efficient from the field, ranking ninth in field goal percentage (.438) and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.405).

THEY ALL CAN KNOCK IT DOWN
With Lauren Aitch's 3-pointer on Thursday against Penn State, she became the 12th Spartan to knock down a trey this season, the most in the Big Ten. Michigan has had 10 different players hit a 3-pointer.

SPARTANS' DYNAMIC DUO
In their two-plus years on the court together, the Spartans know good things will happen when seniors Aisha Jefferson and Allyssa DeHaan are both playing well. When both score in double-figures, MSU holds a 20-3 record, including a 2-1 record this season.

DeHaan's scoring has shown to be a deciding factor in most Spartan games. When she reaches double-digits, Michigan State is 63-20 in her career. Also, when she leads the team in scoring, MSU is 39-7. Meanwhile, MSU is 35-15 when Jefferson tallies double-figures.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
MSU has received great production from the center position this season. The duo of seniors Allyssa DeHaan and Lauren Aitch have combined to average 19.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. The pair has been only on the floor together for 47:30 this season, but 14:30 of which was in the last game.

ON BIG TEN NETWORK
Today's game will mark the eighth of at least 10 games for the Spartans on the Big Ten Network. MSU is 18-9 all-time on BTN, including an 5-2 record this season.

ON THIS DATE
Michigan State is 6-6 all-time on February 7, including a 82-64 loss at Iowa in 2008.