Michigan State University
6-2
Davidson
5-4
Powers, No. 25 Michigan State Beat Davidson 73-44
12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) Aerial Powers had 23 points and 12 rebounds to help No. 25 Michigan State beat Davidson 73-44 on Wednesday night.
It was the first double-double of the season for Powers and the 35th of her career.
Tori Jankoska added 13 points for Michigan State (5-2) and Branndais Agee had 11 points and six rebounds. The Spartans had 18 assists on 26 field goals. Michigan State improved to 5-1 when three players score in double figures.
Michigan State outscored Davidson 14-7 in the decisive second quarter to tie its season-best for fewest points allowed in a period. The Spartans led 29-22 at halftime.
Davidson only made one field goal in the first nine minutes of the third quarter as Michigan State stretched its lead to 43-27 and led by double figures the rest of the way.
Hannah Early led Davidson (5-3) with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Justine Lyon added 12 points for the Wildcats, who were limited to 15-of-57 shooting.
The Spartans remain on the road but return to the Great Lake State to take on Oakland on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. The contest will be televised on ESPN3.
Michigan State Post-Game Notes vs. Davidson (Dec. 9)
Freshman forward Hana Vesela made her first Spartan start, while sophomore guard Lexi Gussert made her first start of the season. Sophomore guard Morgan Green is the only Spartan to start all eight games this season, while senior forward Akyah Taylor has started five games this season. Junior forward Aerial Powers has now started four-straight games.
The seven points allowed in the second period tied for the least an opponent has scored in a period this season. MSU gave up only seven points in the first period against Western Michigan in the season opener on Nov. 15.
With 23 points and 12 rebounds, Aerial Powers recorded her first double-double of the season. She now has 35 career double-double in the Green and White.
Michigan State improved to 5-1 when three players score in double figures as Powers (23), Jankoska (13) and Agee (11) all scored in double figures. Powers has scored in double figures 57 times during her MSU career and six times this season. This was her third 20-point game of the year and was a season high.
The Spartan bench out-scored the Wildcat reserves 37-10 led by 11 points from Branndais Agee and 13 from Tori Jankoska.
Davidson led by five points with 8:06 left in the second period, and the game was tied 20-20 with 6:41 remaining in second quarter. From that point on, the Spartans never trailed.
Senior forward Akyah Taylor had a career- high four assists. She was tied with Lexi Gussert for the team high. The four assists was just one shy of her career high.
Eleven different Spartans scored a point in the game, while 14 MSU players got into the game for the second-straight contest.
The Spartans have won 73 of their last 77 games when scoring at least 70 points, and MSU is 90-9 (.909) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. So far during the 2015-16 season, the Spartans have scored at least 70 points seven times in eight games, improving to 5-2 when scoring at least 70 points.
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 124 of their last 128 games (.969) when leading with five minutes left, including 75 of their last 78. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 160-7 (.958) when holding a lead with five minutes left.
MSU is now 6-1 on Dec. 9, winning for the fifth-straight time on this date, as well as improving to 2-1 in road games on Dec. 9.
The Spartans are 161-93 (.634) all-time in the month of December. Under Coach Merchant, Michigan State is 44-23 (.657) in the 12th month of the calendar year. The Spartans have won 16 of their last 26 games in December.
