Spartan Women Open Season Facing Ferris State In Exhibition Wednesday
10/29/2019 5:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MSU tips off 2019-20 season with in-state foe.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State women's basketball returns to action in its only exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 30 against Ferris State at 7 p.m. at the Breslin Center. Head Coach Suzy Merchant and the 2019-20 Spartans will making their debut after a stellar 15-1 record at the Breslin Center last season.
• The Spartans return three of their top five scorers from the 2018-19 team that finished 21-12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State is guided by redshirt-senior guard Shay Colley who led the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game last season. Sophomore guard Nia Clouden was third on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), while senior guard Taryn McCutcheon was fourth a year ago (9.6 ppg). MSU lost second-leading scorer Jenna Allen (12.5 ppg) to graduation and fifth- leading scorer Sidney Cooks (9.5 ppg) to transfer.
• Michigan State has now earned 43 All-Big Ten selections. MSU has had at least two players earn All-Big Ten honors in each of her 12 seasons under head coach Suzy Merchant as part of 17-straight seasons overall. Jenna Allen, Nia Clouden, Shay Colley and Taryn McCutcheon all earned All-Big Ten honors in 2018-19. Clouden also earned a spot on the All-Freshman squad.
• Senior guard Taryn McCutcheon is nearing several milestones as a Spartan. With 875 career points, McCutcheon is just 125 points away from becoming the 28th member of the 1,000-point club. She is also third in career assists with 472. She is just 103 helpers away from passing current MSU assistant coach Kristin Haynie who had 574 career assist during her Spartan career (2001-05). McCutcheon is also fourth in career 3-point field goals with 198.
• New to Michigan State are five freshmen, including Michigan native Alyza Winston (Muskegon), Moria Joiner (Saginaw) and Julia Ayrault (Grosse Pointe Woods). The Spartans also welcome Cydni Dodd (Indianapolis) and Taiyier Parks (Cleveland).
THE SCHEDULE
For the second-straight season, the Big Ten will have an 18-game schedule after two seasons of a 16-game docket. The conference played an 18-game league schedule in both 2015-16 and 2014-15. It is the seventh time in the last 13 years the conference has played an 18-game schedule.
The Spartans first televised game will be the Big Ten opener at Indiana on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. The in-state rivalry between Michigan State and Michigan will be highlighted on ESPN2 on Sunday, Jan. 5 in Ann Arbor at 12 p.m. MSU's first televised home game will be against Ohio State on BTN on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. The Spartans will also host Minnesota on BTN on Monday, Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m. and Michigan on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.
Michigan State will play four home games in November, starting with Eastern Michigan to open the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Merchant was the head coach of the Eagles from 1998-2007. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2014. The Spartans will then face Detroit Mercy in another in-state game on Friday, Nov. 8. MSU will once again take on NCAA national runner-up Notre Dame for the fourth-straight season on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
FREQUENT FLIER
Three Spartans earned international experience during the offseason. MSU head coach Suzy Merchant earned a silver medal as the head coach of U.S. Pan American team that competed in Lima, Peru. Â Sophomore guard Nia Clouden also participated in the U.S. U19 World Cup Trials in Colorado Spring in May. Redshirt-senior guard Shay Colley continues her quest for the 2020 Olympics continuing train with the Canadian National Team.
RETURN TO THE GREAT LAKES STATE
Michigan State adds two new coaches to the staff this season in Dean Lockwood and former Spartan All-American Kristin Haynie. Lockwood and Haynie come to Michigan State with extensive basketball roots in the state of Michigan, as well as highly-decorated careers. During his 15-year tenure as an assistant coach at Tennessee, Lockwood won two NCAA titles. Haynie returns to Michigan State where she earned All-American honors, leading MSU to the 2005 National Championship game.Â
FANS CONTINUE TO PACK THE BRESLINÂ
Michigan State women's basketball continued to pack the Breslin Center last season, averaging 5,496 fans per game. MSU was 15th in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in attendance. This marked the 15th-consecutive season that the Spartans have ranked in the top 15 nationally in attendance. Michigan State has had a total attendance of over 80,000 every season since 2005-06. The Spartans had their 15th-best crowd this season when 11,368 fans packed the Breslin Center as MSU defeated Michigan.
COLLEY EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
To kickoff the beginning of Big Ten Women's Basketball Media Week, the conference released the Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, in addition to the preseason All-Big Ten teams. Michigan State redshirt-senior guard Shay Colley earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors for the second-straight season.
The Spartans were voted to finish second by the Big Ten coaches and third by the media. This was MSU's highest preseason ranking since being voted to finish second by the coaches prior to the 2016-17 campaign.
During the 2018-19 campaign, Colley led the Spartans and was 12th in scoring in the Big Ten, averaging 14.1 points per game. In earning All-Big Ten honors, Colley was tied for 11th in steals per game (1.6 spg) and sixth in free throw percentage (.794).
Michigan State completed the 2018-19 season with a 21-12 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans return four starters from last season, including all-conference honorees Colley, senior guard Taryn McCutcheon and sophomore guard Nia Clouden.Â
UP NEXT
Michigan State will begin the regular season with two-straight home games. MSU opens the season hosting Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Spartans will conclude the homestand against Detroit Mercy on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Michigan State will then hit the road to take on NCAA runner-up Notre Dame on Thursday, Nov. 14 in South Bend. The Irish stopped the Spartans in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
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• The Spartans return three of their top five scorers from the 2018-19 team that finished 21-12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State is guided by redshirt-senior guard Shay Colley who led the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game last season. Sophomore guard Nia Clouden was third on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), while senior guard Taryn McCutcheon was fourth a year ago (9.6 ppg). MSU lost second-leading scorer Jenna Allen (12.5 ppg) to graduation and fifth- leading scorer Sidney Cooks (9.5 ppg) to transfer.
• Michigan State has now earned 43 All-Big Ten selections. MSU has had at least two players earn All-Big Ten honors in each of her 12 seasons under head coach Suzy Merchant as part of 17-straight seasons overall. Jenna Allen, Nia Clouden, Shay Colley and Taryn McCutcheon all earned All-Big Ten honors in 2018-19. Clouden also earned a spot on the All-Freshman squad.
• Senior guard Taryn McCutcheon is nearing several milestones as a Spartan. With 875 career points, McCutcheon is just 125 points away from becoming the 28th member of the 1,000-point club. She is also third in career assists with 472. She is just 103 helpers away from passing current MSU assistant coach Kristin Haynie who had 574 career assist during her Spartan career (2001-05). McCutcheon is also fourth in career 3-point field goals with 198.
• New to Michigan State are five freshmen, including Michigan native Alyza Winston (Muskegon), Moria Joiner (Saginaw) and Julia Ayrault (Grosse Pointe Woods). The Spartans also welcome Cydni Dodd (Indianapolis) and Taiyier Parks (Cleveland).
THE SCHEDULE
For the second-straight season, the Big Ten will have an 18-game schedule after two seasons of a 16-game docket. The conference played an 18-game league schedule in both 2015-16 and 2014-15. It is the seventh time in the last 13 years the conference has played an 18-game schedule.
The Spartans first televised game will be the Big Ten opener at Indiana on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. The in-state rivalry between Michigan State and Michigan will be highlighted on ESPN2 on Sunday, Jan. 5 in Ann Arbor at 12 p.m. MSU's first televised home game will be against Ohio State on BTN on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. The Spartans will also host Minnesota on BTN on Monday, Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m. and Michigan on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.
Michigan State will play four home games in November, starting with Eastern Michigan to open the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Merchant was the head coach of the Eagles from 1998-2007. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2014. The Spartans will then face Detroit Mercy in another in-state game on Friday, Nov. 8. MSU will once again take on NCAA national runner-up Notre Dame for the fourth-straight season on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
FREQUENT FLIER
Three Spartans earned international experience during the offseason. MSU head coach Suzy Merchant earned a silver medal as the head coach of U.S. Pan American team that competed in Lima, Peru. Â Sophomore guard Nia Clouden also participated in the U.S. U19 World Cup Trials in Colorado Spring in May. Redshirt-senior guard Shay Colley continues her quest for the 2020 Olympics continuing train with the Canadian National Team.
RETURN TO THE GREAT LAKES STATE
Michigan State adds two new coaches to the staff this season in Dean Lockwood and former Spartan All-American Kristin Haynie. Lockwood and Haynie come to Michigan State with extensive basketball roots in the state of Michigan, as well as highly-decorated careers. During his 15-year tenure as an assistant coach at Tennessee, Lockwood won two NCAA titles. Haynie returns to Michigan State where she earned All-American honors, leading MSU to the 2005 National Championship game.Â
FANS CONTINUE TO PACK THE BRESLINÂ
Michigan State women's basketball continued to pack the Breslin Center last season, averaging 5,496 fans per game. MSU was 15th in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in attendance. This marked the 15th-consecutive season that the Spartans have ranked in the top 15 nationally in attendance. Michigan State has had a total attendance of over 80,000 every season since 2005-06. The Spartans had their 15th-best crowd this season when 11,368 fans packed the Breslin Center as MSU defeated Michigan.
COLLEY EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
To kickoff the beginning of Big Ten Women's Basketball Media Week, the conference released the Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, in addition to the preseason All-Big Ten teams. Michigan State redshirt-senior guard Shay Colley earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors for the second-straight season.
The Spartans were voted to finish second by the Big Ten coaches and third by the media. This was MSU's highest preseason ranking since being voted to finish second by the coaches prior to the 2016-17 campaign.
During the 2018-19 campaign, Colley led the Spartans and was 12th in scoring in the Big Ten, averaging 14.1 points per game. In earning All-Big Ten honors, Colley was tied for 11th in steals per game (1.6 spg) and sixth in free throw percentage (.794).
Michigan State completed the 2018-19 season with a 21-12 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans return four starters from last season, including all-conference honorees Colley, senior guard Taryn McCutcheon and sophomore guard Nia Clouden.Â
UP NEXT
Michigan State will begin the regular season with two-straight home games. MSU opens the season hosting Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Spartans will conclude the homestand against Detroit Mercy on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Michigan State will then hit the road to take on NCAA runner-up Notre Dame on Thursday, Nov. 14 in South Bend. The Irish stopped the Spartans in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
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Players Mentioned
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