Friday, December 20
Orlando, Fla.
1:30 PM
Michigan State University
7-3,0-0Big Ten
63
vs
77
Syracuse
6-4,0-0ACC
1
2
3
4
F
Syracuse
27
11
21
18
77
Michigan St.
13
17
16
17
63
Team Stats
Syr
MSU
FG%
.448
.362
3FG%
.263
.250
FT%
.741
.593
RB
46
32
TO
22
17
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's BasketballForward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell/MSU Athletic Communications
No. 19 MSU Drops Florida Sunshine Classic Opener to Syracuse
12/20/2019 5:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Nia Clouden captures her fourth 20-point game of the season.
WINTER PARK, Fla. - Despite a 20-point game from sophomore guard Nia Clouden, the No. 19 Michigan State women's basketball team could not overcome an early deficit, falling to Syracuse 77-63 in the first game of the Florida Sunshine Classic in Winter Park, Florida on Friday,
MSU trailed by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, but were able to cut it to as few as three in the fourth. Down the stretch, Syracuse was 9-for-11 from the charity stripe to preserve the win.
Michigan State falls to 7-3 with the loss, while Syracuse improves to 6-4.
The Spartans were led by the fourth 20-point performance of the season from sophomore guard Nia Clouden who had a game-high 20 points. She also added a career-high six rebounds and five assists. Redshirt-junior forward Mardrekia Cook had a season-high 15 points, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Emily Engstler led the Orange with a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 17 boards.
The Orange used a 6-0 run to take an early 7-2 lead over the Spartans, which was halted by a Clouden jumper. The MSU started slow and an 11-0 spurt gave Syracuse a 20-6 lead with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter. The Syracuse offense was too tough shooting 73.1 percent in the first quarter.
In the second period, the Spartans looked to chip away at the Orange lead. MSU hit three-straight buckets including a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Tory Ozment to cut it to a single-digit game at the half, 38-30. After a tough first period, MSU out-scored Syracuse 17-11 in the second period, and the pesky Spartan defense kept them in the game with six steals in the first half.
Early in the third quarter, MSU cut it down to a three-point game, before a 7-0 run pushed it back to a double-digit lead 50-39.
Michigan State wasn't done yet with a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut the Orange lead to 61-58 under 5 left after a Moira Joiner layup. Syracuse re-established control from there to earn the double-digit win.
The Spartans will head South once against to the Florida Sunshine Classic before taking a break for the holidays. Michigan State will take on Syracuse on Dec. 20 and No. 22 West Virginia on Dec. 21. The two games will conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Post-Game Notes - vs. Syracuse
• With 11 points against Syracuse, senior guard Taryn McCutcheon inches closer to becoming the 28th member of the Michigan State 1,000-point club. She is now just 11 points shy of 1,000 points. She registered her eighth double-figure scoring game of the season and 46th of her career.
• For the first time this season, the Spartans were held to under 10 steals in a game with seven. Michigan State has now earned double-digit steals in nine of the 10 games this season. Senior forward Victoria Gaines and sophomore Nia Clouden led the way with two takeaways apiece. MSU is now averaging 13.1 spg.
• Redshirt-junior forward Mardrekia Cook scored as season-high 15 points, just two points shy of her career high of 17 points set against Detroit Mercy in 2017. She set a new career high with two 3-pointers, leading the team. Cook has now scored in double figures twice this season, scoring 15 against Oakland on Nov. 19.
• Senior guard Taryn McCutcheon dished out four assists against Syracuse on Dec. 20 and now has 505 career helpers. She became just the second player in MSU women's basketball history with 500 career assists, against Morehead State on Dec. 15. McCutcheon needs just 69 more helpers to tie current Spartan assistant coach Kristin Haynie for the all-time assists record with 574.
MSU trailed by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, but were able to cut it to as few as three in the fourth. Down the stretch, Syracuse was 9-for-11 from the charity stripe to preserve the win.
Michigan State falls to 7-3 with the loss, while Syracuse improves to 6-4.
The Spartans were led by the fourth 20-point performance of the season from sophomore guard Nia Clouden who had a game-high 20 points. She also added a career-high six rebounds and five assists. Redshirt-junior forward Mardrekia Cook had a season-high 15 points, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Emily Engstler led the Orange with a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 17 boards.
The Orange used a 6-0 run to take an early 7-2 lead over the Spartans, which was halted by a Clouden jumper. The MSU started slow and an 11-0 spurt gave Syracuse a 20-6 lead with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter. The Syracuse offense was too tough shooting 73.1 percent in the first quarter.
In the second period, the Spartans looked to chip away at the Orange lead. MSU hit three-straight buckets including a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Tory Ozment to cut it to a single-digit game at the half, 38-30. After a tough first period, MSU out-scored Syracuse 17-11 in the second period, and the pesky Spartan defense kept them in the game with six steals in the first half.
Early in the third quarter, MSU cut it down to a three-point game, before a 7-0 run pushed it back to a double-digit lead 50-39.
Michigan State wasn't done yet with a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut the Orange lead to 61-58 under 5 left after a Moira Joiner layup. Syracuse re-established control from there to earn the double-digit win.
The Spartans will head South once against to the Florida Sunshine Classic before taking a break for the holidays. Michigan State will take on Syracuse on Dec. 20 and No. 22 West Virginia on Dec. 21. The two games will conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Post-Game Notes - vs. Syracuse
• With 11 points against Syracuse, senior guard Taryn McCutcheon inches closer to becoming the 28th member of the Michigan State 1,000-point club. She is now just 11 points shy of 1,000 points. She registered her eighth double-figure scoring game of the season and 46th of her career.
• For the first time this season, the Spartans were held to under 10 steals in a game with seven. Michigan State has now earned double-digit steals in nine of the 10 games this season. Senior forward Victoria Gaines and sophomore Nia Clouden led the way with two takeaways apiece. MSU is now averaging 13.1 spg.
• Redshirt-junior forward Mardrekia Cook scored as season-high 15 points, just two points shy of her career high of 17 points set against Detroit Mercy in 2017. She set a new career high with two 3-pointers, leading the team. Cook has now scored in double figures twice this season, scoring 15 against Oakland on Nov. 19.
• Senior guard Taryn McCutcheon dished out four assists against Syracuse on Dec. 20 and now has 505 career helpers. She became just the second player in MSU women's basketball history with 500 career assists, against Morehead State on Dec. 15. McCutcheon needs just 69 more helpers to tie current Spartan assistant coach Kristin Haynie for the all-time assists record with 574.
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