MSU Women's Basketball Returns to B1G Action against Nebraska on BTN

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.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball returns to action after the holiday break to take on Nebraska on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. The Spartans will close out the month of December with only their second home game of the month. MSU looks to halt a two-game losing streak after a pair of losses at the West Palm Beach Invitational.

• The Spartans stand 7-6 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten action after the conclusion of non-conference action. The Cornhuskers are 12-0 overall and 1-0 in league play.

• Nia Clouden's 50 points against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20 ties the most of any MSU men's or women's basketball player, tying Terry Furlow (men's basketball), who scored 50 in 1976. The 50 points is also the most scored by a DI women's basketball player this season, ahead of Delaware's Jasmine Dickey, who scored 48 against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 26.

• Michigan State looks to rebound after a pair of losses at the West Palm Beach Invitational Dec. 20-21. The Spartans ended non-conference action with a 6-5 record, including 5-1 record at home. Overall, Michigan State is 6-1 at home with a 75-60 win against Illinois on Dec. 9.

• In two Big Ten games, four Spartans are averaging in double figures, led by senior guard Nia Clouden, who is scoring 17.5 ppg. Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh (11.5 ppg), senior forward Alisa Smith (10.5 ppg) and freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann (10.0 ppg) all are scoring in double figures in league games.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers come to East Lansing with a perfect 12-0 record and stand 1-0 in Big Ten action. Nebraska is one of just five remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I women's basketball, along with South Carolina, Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado. Last time out, NU closed out non-conference play with a win against Mountain West Conference champion Wyoming, 72-61 on Dec. 22.

Jaz Shelley is 17th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 14.3 ppg. Nebraska also has three players among the top 15 in rebounding with Bella Cravens (6.8 rpg), Shelley (6.6 rpg) and Alexis Markowski (6.4 rpg), standing 10th, 12th and 13th, respectively. The well-rounded Shelley is also seventh in the league in assists (4.8 apg).

As a team, NU leads the Big Ten in scoring margin (+28.1 ppg), rebound margin (+9.9 rpg), total rebounds (44.8 rpg).

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska leads the overall series lead against Michigan State, 9-4. The Huskers have won four of the last five meetings, including beating MSU 68-64 in East Lansing on Jan. 21, 2021. The teams did not play last season due to COVID-19 protocols. The last time that the Spartans came out on top was a 78-70 overtime win on Dec. 31, 2019. Five Spartans were in double figures, led by Nia Clouden's 16 points.

HOME SWEET HOME
During the difficult month of December, MSU has already faced four teams either ranked or receiving votes. Among those games, only one has been at home. The Spartans will play only their second home game of the month when they take on Nebraska on Dec. 30. So far this season, MSU is 6-1 at home this season with the only loss coming against Notre Dame on Dec. 2.

ANATOMY OF RECORD BREAKER

Several records fell against FGCU for Nia Clouden. She set the record for made field goals with 17. She also tied Aerial Powers school record with 15 made free throws.
With 50 points against Florida Gulf Coast, Nia Clouden broke Tori Jankoska's record of 42 points, which was set against Ohio State on 1/19/17.
The 50 points is also the most scored by a DI women's basketball player this season, ahead of Delaware's Jasmine Dickey, who scored 48 against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 26.

REACHING THE TOP 10
Senior guard Nia Clouden's 22 points against West Virginia give her 1,564 for her career, remaining in No. 10 on the MSU career scoring list. She passed Kalisha Keane (2007-11) with 1,553 points. Clouden is now just 25 points shy of tying Maxann Reese (1996-2000) who scored 1,589 points during her time in the Green and White. With 381 career assists, Clouden is just one helpers away from passing Kim Archer (1983-88) for the No. 9 spot. Archer also had 381 assists during her time in the Green and White.

Clouden joins Tori Jankoska as the only MSU players to finish their careers in the top 10 in scoring and assists.

BIG TIME B1G HONOR
Senior guard Nia Clouden was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 27.

The Owings Mills, Maryland native had a record setting-week at the West Palm Beach Invitational. Clouden scored 50 points in the Spartans' double overtime loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20. She broke All-American Tori Jankoska's MSU record of 42 points, which was set against Ohio State on Jan. 17, 2017. The 50 points is also the most points scored in the NCAA this season. She became just third Big Ten player ever to score 50 points, joining Minnesota's Rachel Banham (2015-16) and Michigan's Naz Hillman (2020-21).

EKH EARNS B1G HONOR
On Dec. 13, guard/forward Matilda Ekh captured her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after leading the Spartans in scoring in a win against Illinois. She marked a new career high with 20 points in Michigan State's 75-60 win over the Illini on Dec. 9. Ekh has now scored in double figures seven times this season, second only to senior guard Nia Clouden. She went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc, as she became the first Spartan freshman to tally 20 points in a game since Clouden during the 2018-19 season.

SPARTAN FUN FACTS

Junior Taiyier Parks and graduate student Tamara Farquhar are the only two Spartans with double-doubles this season with MSU winning both of those games.
The Spartans are second in the Big Ten in free throw shooting (.780). Senior guard Nia Clouden leads the nation with 89 free throws made.
The MSU freshman have been strong in the scoring column this season with Matilda Ekh scoring in double figures eight times, while DeeDee Hagemann has reached double figures six times.
Senior guard Nia Clouden leads team with eight 20+ games this season.

LOOKING ACROSS THE LEAGUE
Senior guard Nia Clouden stands second in the B1G in scoring with 21.8 points per game. Clouden also holds the ninth spot in the league in assists with 4,4 helpers per contest, while freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann is up to fourth with 5.1 apg. Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh and Clouden are 13th (1.6) and 19th (1.5), respectively in the league in 3-point field goals per game. Clouden is also second in the league in free-throw percentage (.908).

As a team, the Spartans are second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.780) and fourth in field goal percentages (.465). Michigan State is third in assists, averaging 18.3 apg.

AROUND THE NATION
The Spartans are distributing the ball really well through the first 13 games. Michigan State is third in the nation and first in the Big Ten with 238 total assists and are 15th in assists per game, averaging 18.3 apg. MSU is also 17th in the nation in free throw percentage (.780). Senior guard Nia Clouden has been stellar in getting to the line. She is first in the nation in free throws made (89) and 23rd in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.908). Clouden is also seventh in the country in scoring with 21.8 ppg.

SWEDISH SENSATION
Freshman Matilda Ekh has been stellar in the first 13 games of the season. She is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game. Ekh is second in overall points score with 130. She has scored in double figures in seven games, including a season-high 20 points against Illinois on Dec. 9. She also set a new season-high with eight rebounds against Marshall on Nov. 30.

MERCHANT MILESTONES
Spartan head coach Suzy Merchant reached the 300-win mark as head coach of the Spartans against Bryant on Nov. 19. She now holds a 303-193 record at Michigan State. Karen Langeland is the all-time leader with a 376-290 record at MSU. Merchant is also 11 wins away from tying Langeland for the most Big Ten wins by a MSU coach with 156. Merchant also reached 500 career wins against Valparaiso on Tuesday, Nov. 16. Overall, she holds a 504-283 record overall.

UP NEXT
After taking on the Huskers, Michigan State will hit the road to take on Northwestern on Monday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. ET. MSU will then host Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 2 p.m.

20 DIMES FOR WINS
MSU is also 6-0 this season when dishing out 20 or more assists. Against Illinois, Michigan State dished out 20 assists for the first time since the game at Oakland (11/26) when MSU had 27. Michigan State also distributed 27 helpers in the win over Niagara (Nov. 14), while also dishing out 20+ assists vs. Morehead State (26), Valparaiso (20) and Bryant (24).

SOLID FROM THE STRIPE
Going 15-for-17 from the free throw line against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20, Nia Clouden tied the MSU record for single-game free throws made. All-American Aerial Powers also went 15-for-17 against Rutgers on Feb. 18, 2016. As a team, Michigan State is second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.780).

The Spartans tied a school record going 10-for-10 from the charity stripe against the Beacons on Nov. 16. The last time MSU didn't miss from the free throw line with at least 10 attempts was against Central Michigan in the NCAA Tournament, going 11-for-11 on March, 23, 2019.

SEASON OPENERS
All-time, the Spartans are now 34-15 in season openers, but 27-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 12-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 18 of her last 21, including her time at Eastern Michigan. This season, the Spartans earned a dominating 93-31 win over Morehead State on Nov. 9 paced by six MSU players reaching double figures.

IT'S RAINING THREES
The Spartans set a new school record with 17 3-pointers against Morehead State on Nov. 9. The previous record 15 by Michigan State vs. Bowling Green on Nov. 6, 2018 at the Breslin Center. Michigan State shot 60.7 percent from long range. Senior guard Laurel Jacqmain set a new career high with 11 points, highlighted by back-to-back-to-back treys in the fourth quarter.

HAGEMANN EARNS B1G HONOR
DeeDee Hagemann was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on on Nov. 15. The Detroit, Michigan native captured the first Freshman of the Week honor of the season after a stellar first week of action, scoring in double figures in both games. For the week, she averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while adding 6.0 helpers per contest. She was the first Spartan named Big Ten Freshman of the Week since Nia Clouden on Dec. 31, 2018.

LAST TIME OUT
Spartan women's basketball closed out the West Palm Beach Invitational with a 74-54 loss to West Virginia at the Student Life Center.

With a game-high 22 points, senior guard Nia Clouden now has 1,564 career points, passing Kalisha Keane for the No. 9 spot on the MSU all-time scoring list. Clouden ended the game going 10-for-11 from the free throw line. She now has two-straight games of double digit free throws after going 15-for-17 from the charity stripe against Florida Gulf Coast yesterday. Freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann was the only other Spartan in double figures with 13 points and five assists and four rebounds.

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.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR CLOUDEN
Senior guard Nia Clouden added to her preseason accolades. Clouden was named to the John R. Wooden Award® Women's Preseason Top 50 Watch List and the 2022 Wade Trophy preseason Watch List, as well as the Naismith Watch List. She had already been named to the Lieberman Watch List and earned preseason All-Big Ten honors.

CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 229 of its last 242 games (.946) when leading with five minutes left, including 179 of their last 194. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 264-20 (.930) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 6-1 when leading with five minutes remaining.

MAGIC NUMBERS
In head coach Suzy Merchant's tenure, when two numbers on the scoreboard were achieved it typically has been a sign of a MSU win. The Green & White have won 164 of their last 191 games (.859) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 184-35 (.840) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is now 7-2 this season when scoring 70 points. The Spartans scored 71 points in losses to Notre Dame on Dec. 2 and Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20.

MEET THE NEW SIGNEES
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of two National Letters of Intent, including Theryn Hallock (Grand Rapids, Michigan/ Forest Hills Central High School) and Abbey Kimball (Grand Rapids, Michigan/ West Catholic High School).

Hallock is a 5-11 guard, who is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, attends Forest Hills Central and is coached by Kristina Prins. As a junior, she averaged 23.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 6.6 steals per game. She reached the 1,000-career point mark as a junior last season. She also earned first-team all-state honors.
Kimball is a 5-10 guard, who is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, plays for head coach Jill VanderEnde at West Catholic High School. She is rated No. 80 nationally overall and No. 18 at her position by HoopGurlz. During her junior season, she averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 5.0 steals per game. Kimball has captured first-team all-conference honors for three-straight seasons.