Spartan Women's Basketball Hosts Northwood for Spartan Spooktacular

Sunday, October 31

East Lansing, Mich.

2 PM

Michigan State University

Northwood

Spartan Women's Basketball Hosts Northwood for Spartan Spooktacular

10/29/2021 5:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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The Halloween event will involve games on the concourse and trick-or-treating

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball open's the 2021-22 season with its only exhibition against Northwood on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. For the Spartan Spooktacular, fans will get a chance to see the 2021-22 team in action, while also celebrating the spooky season! Doors open at 12:30 p.m. for pre-game activities on the concourse, which will include pregame trick-or-treating, games and prizes on the concourse.

• Masks are required indoors for all individuals. Michigan State University requires all campus visitors, faculty, staff and students to wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

• Associate head coach Dean Lockwood has ties to Northwood. He was the head men's basketball coach at Northwood University from 1991-97, earning GLIAC Coach of the Year honors in 1997.

• Spartan head coach Suzy Merchant enters her 15th season at the helm the squad. She holds a 296-157 record at MSU, along with a 497-277 career record. Merchant is looking to become just the second Spartan women's basketball coach to capture 300 wins at MSU. Karen Langeland is the all-time leader with a 376-290 record at MSU. Merchant is also 12 wins away tying Langeland for the most Big Ten wins by an MSU coach with 156.

• Michigan State senior guard Nia Clouden returns to leads the Spartans, averaging 18.7 points and 3.9 assists per game last season. This week, she was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and WBCA Preseason Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award. She was also named to the Big Ten preseason All-Big Ten team.

SCOUTING NORTHWOOD
The Spartans will take on Division II Northwood who play in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Timberwolves leading scorer from last season, Makenzie Todd returns this season after averaging 11.3 points in 20 games last season. Alli Keyser also returns after averaging 9.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last season.

As a team, Northwood averaged scored 69.0 ppg, while allowing 64.0 ppg. The Timberwolves also brought down 36.3 rebounds per game.

MASK UP, MICHIGAN
Currently, masks are required indoors for all individuals. Michigan State University requires all campus visitors, faculty, staff and students to wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

MEET THE NEWBIES
MSU introduces five freshmen to the team this season, featuring Miss Basketball DeeDee Hagemann (Detroit, Mich.), Brooklyn Rewers (Coeur D'Alene), Isaline Alexander (Keswick, Ontario), Matilda Ekh (Vasteras, Sweden) and Lauren Walker (Marietta, Ga.). The Spartans also added graduate transfer Tamara Farquhar who comes to MSU from Purdue.

CLOUDEN ADDED TO LIEBERMAN WATCH LIST
Michigan State women's basketball senior guard Nia Clouden was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and WBCA Preseason Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award.

Now in its 23rd year, the award recognizes the top point guard in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates exhibit the floor leadership, playmaking and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.

Clouden, a native of Owings Mills, Maryland, was fifth in the Big Ten in scoring last season, averaging 18.7 points per game. A first-team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, Clouden also averaged 3.9 assists per game last season. She shot a career-best 46.4 percent from the field, along with 32.4 percent from beyond the arc and 78.0 percent from the charity stripe.
Last season, Clouden was one of only six players in the Big Ten with multiple 30-point games, recording three. She scored a career-high 34 points at Michigan on Feb. 16.

RINGING BACK THE NUMBERS
The Spartans return 84% of their scoring from last season, including its top seven scorers. Despite season-ending injuries to senior Tory Ozment and Julia Ayrault, MSU still brings back much of its firepower. Combined senior guard Nia Clouden and junior guard Alyza Winston averaged 29.3 points and 5.9 assists per game. Senior forward Alisia Smith averaged a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game, while adding 8.7 ppg.

PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
During the regular season, the Spartans will take on eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including B1G foes, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern and Rutgers. MSU opponents Florida Gulf Coast and West Virginia also reached the NCAA Tournament last season.

CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 223 of its last 236 games (.945) when leading with five minutes left, including 173 of their last 188. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 2587-19 (.931) when holding a lead with five minutes left. Last season, MSU was 14-0 when leading with five minutes remaining.

CLOUDEN EARNS PRESEASON HONORS
Michigan State women's basketball senior guard Nia Clouden has been named 2021-22 Preseason All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media, capturing the honor for the second-straight season.

During the 2020-21 season, Clouden was fifth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 18.7 points per game. It was the most points per game by a Spartan since Tori Jankoska averaged 22.6 ppg during the 2016-17 season. An Owings Mills, Maryland, native, Clouden earned her third-straight All-Big Ten honor after being named to the first team last season.