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No. 17/21 Spartans Light Up Scoreboard In 110-52 Victory Friday
11/8/2019 9:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MSU closed it out on a 22-2 run, as Spartans score fourth-most points under Coach Merchant.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Freshman guard Alyza Winston scored a career-high 17 points, Taiyier Parks added a career-high 15 off the bench and three others scored 10 apiece as 17th-ranked Michigan State women walloped Detroit Mercy, 110-52, Tuesday night.
The Spartans (2-0) never trailed and outscored the Titans, 22-4, in the fourth quarter to win going away, surpassing 100 points for the first time in nearly a year - 102-58 versus Oakland December 5, 2018.
Sophomore guard/forward Tory Ozment, senior guard Taryn McCutcheon and sophomore forward Kayla Belles each scored 10 points for the Spartans. Belles, Parks and Julia Ayrault each pulled down seven rebounds as Michigan State dominated the boards, 52-25.
Maxine Moore scored a career-high 13 points in her first game for Detroit Mercy. The Titans were harried into 30 turnovers.
Senior forward Nia Hollie picked up a career-best seven assists in the victory. The Spartans also dominated the paint, out-scoring Detroit Mercy 54-18 there, and 24-2 on the fast break. Michigan State scored 37 points off turnovers thanks to 19 steals.
The Spartans used an early 8-0 and 13-2 run over 2:47 to take a 19-6 advantage, the opposite of the slow start in the season opener against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 5. After leading by as many as 13 in the first quarter, the Titans made their final three baskets to cut it to an eight-point MSU advantage. The Spartans scored the last three end the first period with a 28-17 lead. Michigan State had balanced scoring in the first quarter with nine different players making a bucket.
In the second quarter, the Spartans continued its strong start. Four minutes into the period, MSU scored five-straight baskets to take a 40-22 lead over the Titans. Michigan State took its first 20-point lead after an Ayrault steal and a bucket with 5:36 left in the half. The Spartans then used a 13-0 run to jump ahead, 48-22, with less than four minutes remaining in the half.
A wide-open layup by senior forward Victoria Gaines, gave MSU its first 30-point lead, 66-36 with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter. An 10-0 run upped the advantage to 70-36. The Spartans out-scored the Titans 33-16 in the period, led by five points from Ayrault.
In the final stanza, a 14-0 run pushed Michigan State over the century mark. The Titans (0-2) went without a field goal for the final 9:40 of the game while the Spartans closed it out on a 22-2 run.
Michigan State will now hit the road to take on No. 16/14 Notre Dame on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Post-Game Notes vs. Detroit Mercy
• Michigan State topped the 100-point mark for the first time since Dec. 5, 2018 when the Spartans won at Oakland, 102-58 ... The 110 points was the most points MSU scored in a game since Feb. 21, 2016 when Michigan State beat Minnesota, 114-106.
• The 110 points was the 11th time the Spartans have topped the century mark under head coach Suzy Merchant and the MSU is 10-1 when doing so ... The 110 points was also the fourth-most points scored under Merchant behind the 116 points vs. Niagara (W, 116-50) on Nov. 14, 2008, the aforementioned 114 points vs. Minnesota (W, 114-106) on Feb. 21, 2016 and 113 points vs. North Carolina A&T (W, 113-60).
• All 14 players in uniform Friday night scored at least three points, including five in double-figures, with four being underclassmen, led by freshman guard Alyza Winston's career-high 17 points ... Freshman forward Taiyier Parks also netted a career-high with 15 points off the bench ... Senior guard Taryn McCutcheon, sophomore guard Tory Ozment and sophomore forward Kayla Belles all tallied 10 points apiece.
• MSU's bench out-scored Detroit Mercy overall, as the Spartans had a 68-15 bench scoring advantage, as well as a controlling, 54-18, points in the paint.
• Michigan State improved to 22-7 all-time against Detroit Mercy, including winning the last 17 in a row ... The 110 points by the Spartans was the first time in the series that either team broke the century mark and Friday's 58-point margin of victory was the largest in the series, topping a 40-point win in an 82-42 victory for MSU on Nov. 21, 2010 in East Lansing.
• Senior forward Nia Hollie dished out a career-high seven assists.
• Nine different players netted at least one 3-pointer, led by Winston's career-best three triples, as MSU made 12 treys on the night.
• McCutcheon made two 3-pointers, for her second-straight game with multiple treys and her eighth-straight regular-season game with multiple 3-pointers as part of her 60th career game with two or more triples.
• MSU had a dominating and palindromic, 52-25, rebounding advantage, led by seven boards apiece by Belles, Parks and freshman forward Julia Ayrault ... Belles tied a career-high, while Parks and Ayrault posted new career-bests.
• Parks also had both of MSU's blocks on the night, as she now has five rejections in the two games after three swats in the season-opener vs. Eastern Michigan on Nov. 5.
• Ayrault also swiped a career-high four steals, part of the 19 swipes by the MSU defense, as she was one of five players with multiple steals ... The 19 steals was part of the 30 turnovers forced by the Spartan defense, leading to a 37-9 points off turnovers advantage, as well as a 24-2 fast break points domination by Michigan State.
• MSU has won 139 of its last 157 games when scoring at least 70 points, and MSU is 157-27 under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard.
• The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 195 of their last 207 games (.942) when leading with five minutes left, including 145 of their last 159. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State.