Winston’s Six Treys Push MSU Women Past Iowa, 86-82

Saturday, December 12

East Lansing, Mich.

4 PM ET

Michigan State University

4-0,2-0Big Ten

Iowa

4-1,1-1Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Iowa	16	12	27	27	82
Michigan St.	24	20	19	23	86

12/12/2020 8:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Post-Game Quotes MSU 86, Iowa 82 (PDF)MSU Combined Stats (PDF)Photo Gallery

For the second-straight game, Winston and Clouden score 20+ points.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - For the second-straight game, sophomore guard Alyza Winston surpassed her career-high as the Spartan women's basketball team edged Iowa, 86-82, Saturday in MSU's home Big Ten opener at the Breslin Center.

The Spartans improve to 4-0 for the fifth time in the last six seasons. This is also the first time since the 2013-14 season that Michigan State has won its first two Big Ten contests. Iowa suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 4-1 and 1-1 in B1G action.

After scoring a career-high 20 points in a win against Minnesota on Dec. 9, Winston improved on that scoring 25 points to go along with a career-high three steals. Junior guard Nia Clouden added 21 points, including six in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Julia Ayrault fell just short of a double-double with a career-high 19 points and a season-high nine rebounds.

Earning their first career starts, Winston and Ayrault scored MSU's first 12 points as MSU jumped out to an early 12-2 start, leading to an Iowa timeout with 8:08 left in the first period. Iowa responded scoring the next five before Winston drained another trey. After an offensive lull, an old-fashioned three by Clouden put MSU back up by double figures, 24-14 with less than a minute left in the quarter.

Michigan State scored the first five points of the second quarter, including another trey by Winston. The Spartans continued to be disruptive on defense and efficient on offense. MSU took as big a lead as 18 points before Iowa was able to chip away at the lead. MSU ended the half with six steals and forcing 13 Iowa turnovers. Behind Winston's 17 first-half points, the Spartans led at the break, 44-28.

Iowa was hot to start the second half scoring the first seven points of the third quarter before a pair of Ayrault free throws made it a 46-35 game. Turnovers plagued MSU in the third quarter as three in less than two minutes cut the lead to nine points midway through the quarter. Clark came on strong in the third period with 16 points.

Iowa cut it two five points 65-60 with a basket by McKenna Warnock before MSU scored five-straight to re-take the double-digit lead. The Hawkeyes would not go away, getting as close as 84-82, but Clouden was clutch from the free throw line to seal the win.

After a break for finals, the Spartans return to non-conference play, taking on in-state foe Central Michigan on Friday, Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. MSU's next Big Ten game will be against Ohio State in Columbus on Thursday, Dec. 31.

Post-Game Notes vs. Iowa

• The 28 first-half points were a season low for Iowa. Their previous low was 36 against Iowa State on Dec. 9. The 12 second-quarter points were also a season low.

• MSU opened Big Ten play 2-0 for the first time since 2013-14 season, which was the Spartans' last Big Ten title.

• Sophomore guard Alyza Winston netted six 3-pointers Saturday, which is tied for No. 7 on MSU's single-game 3-point list, marking the 11th time that a Spartan has made six triples, and the first since former teammate Taryn McCutcheon at Penn State on Feb. 4, 2018 ... of those 11 times, Winston's six treys Saturday at home was the first time in last four occurrences that came in the Breslin Center and first since Tori Jankoska vs. Colgate on Dec. 29, 2013 and the first time in a home Big Ten game since Tanya Place vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 14, 1993.

• Winston tallied a career-high 25 points Saturday, posting her career-high for the second-straight game and second game in a row of 20+ points after 20 points last game Wednesday at Minnesota ... Winston also drained a career-high six 3-pointers, also marking her career-best behind the arc for the second game in a row, after four triples last game at Minnesota ... Saturday was Winston's third double-digit scoring outing of the season and fourth of her career.

• Junior guard Nia Clouden netted 21 points Saturday, also for her second-straight game with 20+ points.

• After not having a pair of 20-point scorers in the same since Feb. 3, 2019 vs. Purdue when Shay Colley and Sidney Cooks netted 20 points apiece before Winston and Clouden did it last Wednesday after Minnesota, the Spartan duo has now reached that feat in back-to-back games with Winston's 25 points and Clouden's 21 points Saturday.

• Clouden and Winston's back-to-back 20-point games marks the first time that the Spartans have had two 20-point scorers in consecutive games since the 2016-17 season, when Aerial Powers (27) and Branndais Agee (20) did so on Feb. 3. vs. Michigan, then Powers (31) and Agee (22) on Feb. 5 vs. Maryland.

• Winston and fellow sophomore guard Julia Ayrault both made their first career starts.

• Clouden made her 67th career start in playing in her 67th career game ... redshirt-senior forward Mardrekia Cook made her 18th career start, in playing in her 89th career game, which leads all active Spartans ... junior guard Tory Ozment started for the 16th time of her career in playing her 52nd game.

• By going 9-of-9 from the free throw line Saturday, Clouden is now 17-of-18 from the charity stripe this season, in registering her third game with a perfect percentage at the free pitch stripe.

• Along with making the first start of her career, Ayrault tallied a career-high 19 points and snared a season-high nine rebounds ... Ayrault also tied a career-high two 3-pointers and a career-best five free throws ... she also tied a season-high with two blocks.

• Ozment dished out a career-high seven assists, bettering her previous mark of six at Oakland on Dec. 5, 2018.

• Freshman forward Kendall Bostic snared a career-high nine rebounds, topping her previous high of six boards vs. Saint Francis (PA) ... Bostic also netted eight points, for her third game this season with eight or more points.

• The Spartan bench out-scored the Hawkeye bench, 12-6, as MSU has out-scored the opposition bench in all four games this season, now by a total of 111-35, an average of 27.8 - 8.8.

• Michigan State netted a season-high 86 points Saturday night, as MSU has hit 80 or more points in each of the last three games.

• The Spartans have topped the 70-point plateau for the fourth game in a row this season ... the Green & White have won 150 of their last 169 games (.888) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 168-28 (.857) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard ... Michigan State is now 4-0 this season when reaching the 70-point mark.

• The Spartans have won 213 of their last 226 games (.942) when leading with five minutes left, including 163 of their last 178. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 248-19 (.929) when holding a lead with five minutes left ... MSU improved to 4-0 this season when leading with five minutes remaining.

• Michigan State improved to 4-0 this season when leading at halftime ... through four games, MSU has out-scored the opposition, 170-112, in the first half, an average of 42.5-28.0.