Thursday, December 2
East Lansing, Mich.
6 PM
Michigan State University
71
vs
76
No. 24/25 Notre Dame
MSU Edged by No. 24/25 Notre Dame in Big Ten/ACC Challenge
12/2/2021 9:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Four Spartans score in double figures in the loss.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Despite four players scoring in double figures, the Michigan State women's basketball team was stopped by No. 24/25 Notre Dame Thursday in the 14th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge at the Breslin Center.
Michigan State had its two-game winning streak halted by Notre Dame and fall to 6-3, while the Fighting Irish improve to 7-1 with the win. The Spartans have lost two-straight in the Challenge, falling to 6-8 overall. Notre Dame now leads the all-time series against Michigan State, 12-10.
MSU suffered its first loss of the season when four players score in double figures, falling to 4-1. Senior guard Nia Clouden once again led the way with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds. She now has recorded six-straight 20-point games. Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh tied her season high with 17 points, while junior guard Moira Joiner scored 14 off the bench. Junior guard Alyza Winston returned to form with 12 points and five assists.
Notre Dame was led by Sonia Citron who scored 29 points off the bench.
The Spartans jumped out to an early 12-6 lead before the Fighting Irish scored nine straight to take a 15-12 lead with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. Michigan State responded well with an 8-0 run of its own to take a five-point advantage. Winston led all scorers with seven points in the first period.
Both teams started the second period cold going over two minutes with out baskets. The Irish offense got hot opening up a 34-27 lead before Joiner layup stopped the surge. The Spartans battled their way back in it and kept Notre Dame off the scoreboard for the final 3:24 of the half. Behind nine points from both Winston and Clouden, the Spartans only trailed 36-34 at the break.
Notre Dame scored nine of the first 10 points of the second half to take its first double digit lead of the game 45-35 before MSU called timeout with 6:27 left in the third quarter. The Spartans battled back to make a 49-47 game after a Joiner bucket at the 3:21 mark. The Irish always had a response to any Spartan run, and MSU could not get closer than three points at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Irish were able to pull away for the final time, taking a 65-55 lead with under five minutes remaining. A pair of Clouden free throws halted a 6-0 Notre Dame run to get it back to a five-point game. Despite never backing down, the Spartans were never able to get it closer than a five-point deficit.
Michigan State will now open Big Ten action at No. 9/11 Iowa on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
Post-Game Notes vs. Notre Dame
Michigan State had its two-game winning streak halted by Notre Dame and fall to 6-3, while the Fighting Irish improve to 7-1 with the win. The Spartans have lost two-straight in the Challenge, falling to 6-8 overall. Notre Dame now leads the all-time series against Michigan State, 12-10.
MSU suffered its first loss of the season when four players score in double figures, falling to 4-1. Senior guard Nia Clouden once again led the way with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds. She now has recorded six-straight 20-point games. Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh tied her season high with 17 points, while junior guard Moira Joiner scored 14 off the bench. Junior guard Alyza Winston returned to form with 12 points and five assists.
Notre Dame was led by Sonia Citron who scored 29 points off the bench.
The Spartans jumped out to an early 12-6 lead before the Fighting Irish scored nine straight to take a 15-12 lead with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. Michigan State responded well with an 8-0 run of its own to take a five-point advantage. Winston led all scorers with seven points in the first period.
Both teams started the second period cold going over two minutes with out baskets. The Irish offense got hot opening up a 34-27 lead before Joiner layup stopped the surge. The Spartans battled their way back in it and kept Notre Dame off the scoreboard for the final 3:24 of the half. Behind nine points from both Winston and Clouden, the Spartans only trailed 36-34 at the break.
Notre Dame scored nine of the first 10 points of the second half to take its first double digit lead of the game 45-35 before MSU called timeout with 6:27 left in the third quarter. The Spartans battled back to make a 49-47 game after a Joiner bucket at the 3:21 mark. The Irish always had a response to any Spartan run, and MSU could not get closer than three points at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Irish were able to pull away for the final time, taking a 65-55 lead with under five minutes remaining. A pair of Clouden free throws halted a 6-0 Notre Dame run to get it back to a five-point game. Despite never backing down, the Spartans were never able to get it closer than a five-point deficit.
Michigan State will now open Big Ten action at No. 9/11 Iowa on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
Post-Game Notes vs. Notre Dame
- Michigan State is now 6-8 all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
- Notre Dame now leads the all-time series against Michigan State, 12-10.
- It is Michigan State's first loss of the season when scoring 70 or more points.
- The 10 3-pointers by the team are its second game with double-digit long balls behind a season-high 17 against Morehead State on 11/9.
- It is Michigan State's first loss this season when four players score in double figures. Nia Clouden (20), Matilda Ekh (17), Moira Joiner (14) and Alyza Winston (12) each finished with 10 or more points for the Spartans.
- Clouden has knocked down 10 or more free-throws in back-to-back games, finishing Thursday night's game with 11 makes from the charity stripe.
- With six assists, Clouden led the team in helpers for the sixth time this season. Michigan State is 4-2 when Clouden leads the team in assists.
- Clouden has scored at least 20 points in six consecutive contests.
- Clouden has led the team in scoring in seven straight games and in seven of the team's nine games.
- Matilda Ekh matched her career-high in scoring with 17 points, which included a four-of-five performance from beyond the arc. Ekh's four 3-pointers is a new career best.
- Moira Joiner's 14 points represents a season-high for the junior guard, while her three 3-pointers match her season best.
- Alyza Winston finished in double figures for the seventh time this season.
- Junior forward Taiyier Parks posted a season-best three blocks to match her career-high set against Oakland on Nov. 19, 2019.
- It is the fourth time Parks has finished with eight or more rebounds this season.
- Clouden's 20 points give her 1,457 for her career, holding down the No. 11 spot and closing in on the No. 10 spot on the MSU career points list, held by Kristen Rasmussen (1996-2000) ... her six assists gives her 374 helpers for her career,passing Spartan All-American Linsday Bowen (2002-06) for the No. 10 spot.
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