Spartan Women’s Basketball Stopped by No. 7/10 Maryland Thursday

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In the second meeting of the season, Michigan State women's basketball was dropped by No. 7/10 Maryland, 92-52, Thursday at the XFINITY Center.

In a game that was originally scheduled for Feb. 10, the contest was re-scheduled due to COVID-19 pandemic issues.

With the loss, Michigan State falls to 9-3 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten action. Maryland rebounded from a loss earlier in the season to improve to 12-2 and 8-1 in league play.

Junior guard Nia Clouden, playing in her home state, led the Spartans with 15 points to go along with four rebounds. Redshirt-senior forward Mardrekia Cook was also in double figures with a season-high 11 points. Sophomore guard Moira Joiner led MSU with six boards and four assists. MSU was hampered by a season-high 24 turnovers.

After a fast Michigan State start, Maryland used a 17-0 run to take a 20-7 lead. Turnovers haunted the Spartans early on with five turnovers in the first four minutes. Michigan State responded with a 6-0 run of its own to trim it to a 24-15 game. Keeping Clouden off the scoresheet, Maryland took a 27-15 advantage into the second period.

The Terps scored the first seven points of the second quarter before Smith split a pair of free throws. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Clouden came to life for a perfect second quarter. She was 2-for-2 from the field and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the period. Despite Clouden's effort, Maryland to a 50-30 advantage into the locker room at half time.

Cook gave the Spartans a spark with six-straight points in the third quarter. Junior guard Janai Crooms also added five of her seven point in the third period, but the Terps always found an answer.

Michigan State was held off the scoreboard for over four minutes in the final period before a Kendall Bostic 3-pointer stopped the streak. Despite being held to only nine points in the quarter, the Spartans held Maryland to a game-low 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Michigan State concludes its three-game road swing at No. 16/15 Indiana on Sunday, Jan. 31.

Post-Game Notes vs. Maryland

• Michigan State's starting line-up of junior guard Nia Clouden, sophomore guard Alyza Winston, sophomore guard/forward Julia Ayrault, junior forward Alisia Smith and junior guard Janai Crooms was the second-straight game this season that the Spartans have had that starting five after debuting that lineup last time out at Wisconsin.

• Clouden is the only Spartan to have started all 12 games this season ... Clouden made her 75th career start in playing in her 75th career game.

• Crooms and Smith both made their second-straight starts of their Spartan career, as the duo both transferred to MSU from Ohio State and Penn State, respectively, in the offseason ... Crooms played in her 10th game in a Green & White jersey, while Smith was playing in her sixth Spartan game on Thursday.

• Ayrault and Winston made their ninth starts of their careers, all in the last nine games this season ... Thursday was Ayrault's 40th career game played, while Winston logged her 41st career game.

• Redshirt-senior forward Mardrekia Cook netted a season-high 11 points and her second double-digit scoring outing of the season, both coming in her last four games and both coming against Maryland, with 10 points in this season's first match-up with the Terps on Jan. 7 in East Lansing ... Cook now has 13 double-figure scoring outings in her career.

• Clouden led MSU with 15 points, her second-straight game with 15 points, as she continues to net double-figures in every game this season, now with 12 double-digit games, as part of 23-straight contests in her career, netting double-figures in 39 of her last 42 games played, tallying double-figures in all but three games last season ... in her career, Clouden has now scored in double-figures in 62 of 75 career games played ... by leading MSU in scoring Thursday, Clouden has led MSU in scoring in 10 of the 12 games this season as part of 32 times in her career.

• With 15 points Thursday, Clouden now has 1,062 points, still at No. 27 on MSU's career scoring list, closing in on the No. 26 spot held by Jamie Wesley (1994-98) with 1,075 points.

• Clouden drained three 3-pointers Thursday, tying a season-high for the third time this season, matching not only hitting three triples vs. Detroit Mercy (12/2/20), but also draining three treys in the last meeting with Maryland (1/7/21) ... Clouden is second on the team in 3-pointers with 16, trailing teammate Winston's team-leading 23 treys.

• Clouden was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line, her fifth perfect 100 percent outing at the charity stripe this season and the second-most in doing so only trailing 9-of-9 outing vs. Iowa (12/12/20) ... Clouden's six makes at the free throw line is also tied for the second-most this season, behind the nine vs. Iowa and matching six vs. Central Michigan (12/18/20), going 6-of-7.

• Sophomore guard Moira Joiner collected a season-high six rebounds to lead MSU on the boards, the first time this season and fourth of her career that she was the Spartans' leading rebounder ... Joiner also dished out four of MSU's 10 assists on the night, for her fifth contest this season with three or more helpers ... Joiner's four assists is a season-high for her in a B1G contest.

• Crooms swiped an MSU career-high three steals ... she also swatted a season-high tying two shots, matching the two blocks she had vs. Oakland (12/22/20).

• After posting a season-low five turnovers last time out vs. Wisconsin (1/24/21), MSU committed a season-high 24 miscues Thursday, just the second time this season with 20 or more turnovers.

• MSU's 52 points were not only a season-low but the first time this season the Spartans have been held under 64 points, as their previous season-low was 53 points in 68-64 loss to Nebraska (1/10/21) ... further proof of the anomaly of the Spartans' off-night Thursday was that along with season-low points, MSU was limited to season-lows for field goal makes (16), field goal attempts (47), field goal percentage (.340), assists (10), rebounds (27).

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Team Stats

Nia Clouden

Mardrekia Cook

Janai Crooms

Moira Joiner

Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

Kendall Bostic

Nia Clouden

Mardrekia Cook

Janai Crooms

Moira Joiner

Alisia Smith

Alyza Winston