Thursday, December 9
East Lansing, Mich.
7 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Illinois
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
The Spartans Open Home B1G Slate Against Illinois Thursday
12/8/2021 5:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
This is the only meeting between the two teams during the regular season.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball returns home for its Big Ten opener against Illinois on Thursday, Dec. 9 at the Breslin Center. Tipoff time is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
• This is the only regular-season meeting this season between the Spartans and the Fighting Illini. Michigan State leads the overall series, 45-28, winning the last nine outings. Last season, MSU won the only meeting last season in East Lansing, 81-60.
• Michigan State is first in the nation in assists with 196 through the first 10 games. The Spartans are also eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten in assists per game with 19.6 apg. Senior guard Nia Clouden is 37th in the country and fifth in the B1G in scoring with 5.2 apg. She is also 33rd in the NCAA and fourth in the conference points per game, averaging 19.4 ppg.
• The Spartans are looking to win their home Big Ten opener for the fourth-straight season. Last season, Michigan State defeated Iowa in its home B1G opener, 86-82. During the 2019-20 season, MSU the Spartans stopped Nebraska in the Big Ten opener, 78-70 in overtime. In the 2018-19 campaign, the Michigan State opened league play at home with an 84-70 win over Iowa.
• Clouden's 18 points give her 1,475 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 two assists gives her 376 helpers for her career, holding on to the No. 10 spot. She is six assists away from passing Kim Archer (1983-88) for the No. 9 spot. Archer had 381 assists during her time in the Green and White.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Illinois comes into its Big Ten opener with a 4-4 overall record. The Illini snapped a three-game losing streak with a 71-57 win over Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 5. Illinois also has home wins over N.C. Central, Miami (Ohio) and UC Riverside. This is the Illini's first true road game this season with a pair of neutral site losses to Dayton and Middle Tennessee in Dayton, Florida.
Illinois is led by Aaliyah Nye who is 18th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. She is the only player averaging in double figures. Kendall Bostic, who spend her freshman campaign at Michigan State, leads the league in rebounding with 11.5 boards per game. Nye is also tied for third in the Big Ten in steals with Wisconsin's Katie Nelson, averaging 2.0 spg.
Bostic recorded 22 rebounds against EKU on Dec. 5, which is the most in the league so far this season.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE ILLINI
Michigan State leads the overall series with Illinois, 45-28. The Spartans have won nine-straight games in the series, dating back to 2014. The Fighting Illini's last win came in East Lansing, 71-61 on Jan. 23, 2014. At home, MSU holds a 24-10 mark, while leading on the road 18-15. The series is knotted at 3-3 on neutral territory.
Last season, Nia Clouden's sixth 20-point game guided Michigan State women's basketball past Illinois, 81-60, on Feb. 4, 2021.
Clouden led all scorers with 28 points, while also adding six rebounds and a team-high five assists. Alisia Smith was also in double figures with 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Michigan State was solid on both sides of the ball with 10 steals and four blocks and a total of 11 different players scored.
LOOKING AT THE CONNECTIONS
A couple of Illini have connections to the state of Michigan. Kendall Bostic is in her first season with Illinois after transferring from Michigan State. She leads the Big Ten, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, which is also 13th nationally. Aaliyah Nye, who leads UI in scoring with 13.3 ppg, hails from East Lansing and attended East Lansing High School.
BIG TEN OPENERS
Michigan State is now 20-20 in Big Ten openers, having won seven of their 11. MSU is now 9-6 in league openers in Coach Merchant's 15 seasons after losing to No. 9/11 Iowa on Dec. 5. Last season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers. The last time that Michigan State played Iowa in a B1G opener was to start the 2018-19, defeating the No. 16 Hawkeyes, 84-70 in East Lansing.
FAST BIG TEN START
MSU opened conference play on Dec. 5 against Iowa, which is the earliest Big Ten opener since falling to Indiana on Dec. 6, 2009. The Spartans first home Big Ten game will be against Illinois on Dec. 9. Michigan State will play a total of three league contests in December, concluding with hosting Nebraska on Dec. 30.
AROUND THE NATION
The Spartans are distributing the ball really well through the first 10 games. Michigan State is first in the nation with 196 total assists and are eighth in assists per game, averaging 19.6 apg. MSU is also 24th in the nation in free throw percentage (.778). Senior guard Nia Clouden has been stellar in getting to the line. She is sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in scoring with 194 points.
SPARTAN FUN FACTS
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 302-191 record at Michigan State. Karen Langeland is the all-time leader with a 376-290 record at MSU. Merchant is also 12 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 503-281 record and stands 200-157 at Michigan State.
LOOKING ACROSS THE LEAGUE
Senior guard Nia Clouden stands fourth in the B1G in scoring with 19.4 points per game. Clouden also holds the fifth spot in the league in assists with 5.2 helpers per contest, while freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann is eighth with 4.7 apg. Clouden and freshman forward Matilda Ekh are 14th (1.8) and 17th (1.7), respectively in the league in 3-point field goals per game.
As a team, the Spartans are second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.778) and seventh scoring margin (+12.2). Michigan State is second in assists, averaging 19.6 apg.
SMITH COMING UP BIG
Senior forward Alisia Smith netted her MSU career-high with 20 points on Nov. 28, topping her previous career-best of 19 at Wisconsin (1/24/21). The 20 points was her second-highest collegiate total, as she tallied 24 during the 2019-20 season at Penn State vs. NC Central (11/30/19). Smith was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line, tying her MSU career-high for made free throws without a miss, matching a 6-of-6 outing at Michigan (2/16/21), and was also her second-best collegiate outing at the charity stripe behind a 10-of-10 performance at Princeton (11/18/18) while at Penn State.
SWEDISH SENSATION
Freshman Matilda Ekh has been stellar in the first 10 games of the season. She is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game. She has scored in double figures in six games, including a season-high 17 at Oakland on Nov. 26 and against No. 24/25 Notre Dame on Dec. 2. She also set a new season-high with eight rebounds against Marshall on Nov. 30.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Clouden's 18 points give her 1,475 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 two assists gives her 376 helpers for her career, holding on to the No. 10 spot. She is six assists away from passing Kim Archer (1983-88) for the No. 9 spot. Archer had 381 assists during her time in the Green and White.
Clouden is looking to join Tori Jankoska as the only MSU players to finish their careers in the top 10 in scoring and assists.
UP NEXT
After taking on Illinois, the Spartans will take a break for finals. MSU will then return to action at the West Palm Invitational Dec. 20-21, MSU will take on RV/RV West Virginia and RV/RV Florida Gulf Coast.
20 DIMES FOR WINS
MSU is also 5-1 this season when dishing out 20 or more assists, as led by freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann's career-high 10 assists, the Spartans tied a career-high with 27 assists at Oakland on Nov. 26. 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).
ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE HISTORY
This season, Michigan State played in the 14th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, falling to 6-8 after a 76-71 loss to No. 24/25 Notre Dame. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was no Challenge during the 2020-21 season. During the 2019-20 season, MSU lost to No. 8 Florida State, 78-68, to hold a 6-7 record in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
In 2014, Michigan State came-from-behind to capture a 79-73 overtime win against Georgia Tech on Dec. 4. In 2015, Louisville came out fast and despite a second-half comeback by MSU, the Cardinals captured the win, 85-78. In 2016, the Spartans traveled to No. 21 Syracuse, falling to the Orange in the Carrier Dome, 75-64. In 2017, Michigan State lost to Miami in Coral Gables, 67-57, behind a game-high 14 points from Taryn McCutcheon. The 2018 game was MSU's most dominating win with a 91-66 win over Virginia. Overall, it was the third-largest margin of victory in the challenge.
B1G/ACC Challenge History
2021 - Notre Dame 76, MSU 71
2019 - Florida State 78, MSU 68
2018 - MSU 91, Virginia 66
2017 - Miami 67, MSU 57
2016 - Syracuse 75, MSU 64
2015 - Louisville 85, MSU 78
2014 - MSU 79, Georgia Tech 73 (OT)
2013 - Florida State 60, MSU 58
2012 - MSU 68, N.C. State 51
2011 - Miami 76, MSU 60
2010 - MSU 72, Florida State 64
2009 - MSU 72, North Carolina 66
2008 - Georgia Tech 57, MSU 50
2007 - MSU 68, Clemson 51
Bold = home games
SOLID FROM THE STRIPE
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. The last time at the Breslin Center was when MSU went 19-for-19 against Michigan on Feb., 23, 2016.
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 is the first Spartan named Big Ten Freshman of the Week since Nia Clouden on Dec. 31, 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
After a tough second half, the Michigan State women's basketball fell to No. 9/11 Iowa, 88-61, in the Big Ten opener on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Michigan State slides to 6-4 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten action, while Iowa improves to 5-1 this season and 1-0 in league play. The Spartans have now lost to two-straight ranked teams losing to No. 24/25 Notre Dame earlier this week.
Senior guard Nia Clouden had her streak of 20-point games halted at six, scoring 18 points to lead MSU. Freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann had another strong offensive showing with 12 points to go along with six assists. Graduate forward Tamara Farquhar also reached double figures with 10 points.
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 228 of its last 240 games (.950) when leading with five minutes left, including 178 of their last 192. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 263-19 (.933) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 5-0 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.
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 163 of their last 188 games (.867) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 183-32 (.851) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is now 6-0 this season when scoring 70 points.
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.
• This is the only regular-season meeting this season between the Spartans and the Fighting Illini. Michigan State leads the overall series, 45-28, winning the last nine outings. Last season, MSU won the only meeting last season in East Lansing, 81-60.
• Michigan State is first in the nation in assists with 196 through the first 10 games. The Spartans are also eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten in assists per game with 19.6 apg. Senior guard Nia Clouden is 37th in the country and fifth in the B1G in scoring with 5.2 apg. She is also 33rd in the NCAA and fourth in the conference points per game, averaging 19.4 ppg.
• The Spartans are looking to win their home Big Ten opener for the fourth-straight season. Last season, Michigan State defeated Iowa in its home B1G opener, 86-82. During the 2019-20 season, MSU the Spartans stopped Nebraska in the Big Ten opener, 78-70 in overtime. In the 2018-19 campaign, the Michigan State opened league play at home with an 84-70 win over Iowa.
• Clouden's 18 points give her 1,475 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 two assists gives her 376 helpers for her career, holding on to the No. 10 spot. She is six assists away from passing Kim Archer (1983-88) for the No. 9 spot. Archer had 381 assists during her time in the Green and White.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Illinois comes into its Big Ten opener with a 4-4 overall record. The Illini snapped a three-game losing streak with a 71-57 win over Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 5. Illinois also has home wins over N.C. Central, Miami (Ohio) and UC Riverside. This is the Illini's first true road game this season with a pair of neutral site losses to Dayton and Middle Tennessee in Dayton, Florida.
Illinois is led by Aaliyah Nye who is 18th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. She is the only player averaging in double figures. Kendall Bostic, who spend her freshman campaign at Michigan State, leads the league in rebounding with 11.5 boards per game. Nye is also tied for third in the Big Ten in steals with Wisconsin's Katie Nelson, averaging 2.0 spg.
Bostic recorded 22 rebounds against EKU on Dec. 5, which is the most in the league so far this season.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE ILLINI
Michigan State leads the overall series with Illinois, 45-28. The Spartans have won nine-straight games in the series, dating back to 2014. The Fighting Illini's last win came in East Lansing, 71-61 on Jan. 23, 2014. At home, MSU holds a 24-10 mark, while leading on the road 18-15. The series is knotted at 3-3 on neutral territory.
Last season, Nia Clouden's sixth 20-point game guided Michigan State women's basketball past Illinois, 81-60, on Feb. 4, 2021.
Clouden led all scorers with 28 points, while also adding six rebounds and a team-high five assists. Alisia Smith was also in double figures with 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Michigan State was solid on both sides of the ball with 10 steals and four blocks and a total of 11 different players scored.
LOOKING AT THE CONNECTIONS
A couple of Illini have connections to the state of Michigan. Kendall Bostic is in her first season with Illinois after transferring from Michigan State. She leads the Big Ten, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, which is also 13th nationally. Aaliyah Nye, who leads UI in scoring with 13.3 ppg, hails from East Lansing and attended East Lansing High School.
BIG TEN OPENERS
Michigan State is now 20-20 in Big Ten openers, having won seven of their 11. MSU is now 9-6 in league openers in Coach Merchant's 15 seasons after losing to No. 9/11 Iowa on Dec. 5. Last season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers. The last time that Michigan State played Iowa in a B1G opener was to start the 2018-19, defeating the No. 16 Hawkeyes, 84-70 in East Lansing.
FAST BIG TEN START
MSU opened conference play on Dec. 5 against Iowa, which is the earliest Big Ten opener since falling to Indiana on Dec. 6, 2009. The Spartans first home Big Ten game will be against Illinois on Dec. 9. Michigan State will play a total of three league contests in December, concluding with hosting Nebraska on Dec. 30.
AROUND THE NATION
The Spartans are distributing the ball really well through the first 10 games. Michigan State is first in the nation with 196 total assists and are eighth in assists per game, averaging 19.6 apg. MSU is also 24th in the nation in free throw percentage (.778). Senior guard Nia Clouden has been stellar in getting to the line. She is sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in scoring with 194 points.
SPARTAN FUN FACTS
- This is the first time that MSU has opened the home B1G schedule against Illinois since Jan. 1, 2017, which MSU won 71-47.
- Clouden had her streak of six-straight 20-point games halted, scoring 18 points against Iowa. She has led the team in scoring in eight-straight games and in eight of the team's 10 games.
- Michigan State is 6-2 when out-rebounding its opponent.
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 302-191 record at Michigan State. Karen Langeland is the all-time leader with a 376-290 record at MSU. Merchant is also 12 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 503-281 record and stands 200-157 at Michigan State.
LOOKING ACROSS THE LEAGUE
Senior guard Nia Clouden stands fourth in the B1G in scoring with 19.4 points per game. Clouden also holds the fifth spot in the league in assists with 5.2 helpers per contest, while freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann is eighth with 4.7 apg. Clouden and freshman forward Matilda Ekh are 14th (1.8) and 17th (1.7), respectively in the league in 3-point field goals per game.
As a team, the Spartans are second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.778) and seventh scoring margin (+12.2). Michigan State is second in assists, averaging 19.6 apg.
SMITH COMING UP BIG
Senior forward Alisia Smith netted her MSU career-high with 20 points on Nov. 28, topping her previous career-best of 19 at Wisconsin (1/24/21). The 20 points was her second-highest collegiate total, as she tallied 24 during the 2019-20 season at Penn State vs. NC Central (11/30/19). Smith was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line, tying her MSU career-high for made free throws without a miss, matching a 6-of-6 outing at Michigan (2/16/21), and was also her second-best collegiate outing at the charity stripe behind a 10-of-10 performance at Princeton (11/18/18) while at Penn State.
SWEDISH SENSATION
Freshman Matilda Ekh has been stellar in the first 10 games of the season. She is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game. She has scored in double figures in six games, including a season-high 17 at Oakland on Nov. 26 and against No. 24/25 Notre Dame on Dec. 2. She also set a new season-high with eight rebounds against Marshall on Nov. 30.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Clouden's 18 points give her 1,475 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 two assists gives her 376 helpers for her career, holding on to the No. 10 spot. She is six assists away from passing Kim Archer (1983-88) for the No. 9 spot. Archer had 381 assists during her time in the Green and White.
Clouden is looking to join Tori Jankoska as the only MSU players to finish their careers in the top 10 in scoring and assists.
UP NEXT
After taking on Illinois, the Spartans will take a break for finals. MSU will then return to action at the West Palm Invitational Dec. 20-21, MSU will take on RV/RV West Virginia and RV/RV Florida Gulf Coast.
20 DIMES FOR WINS
MSU is also 5-1 this season when dishing out 20 or more assists, as led by freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann's career-high 10 assists, the Spartans tied a career-high with 27 assists at Oakland on Nov. 26. 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).
ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE HISTORY
This season, Michigan State played in the 14th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, falling to 6-8 after a 76-71 loss to No. 24/25 Notre Dame. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was no Challenge during the 2020-21 season. During the 2019-20 season, MSU lost to No. 8 Florida State, 78-68, to hold a 6-7 record in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
In 2014, Michigan State came-from-behind to capture a 79-73 overtime win against Georgia Tech on Dec. 4. In 2015, Louisville came out fast and despite a second-half comeback by MSU, the Cardinals captured the win, 85-78. In 2016, the Spartans traveled to No. 21 Syracuse, falling to the Orange in the Carrier Dome, 75-64. In 2017, Michigan State lost to Miami in Coral Gables, 67-57, behind a game-high 14 points from Taryn McCutcheon. The 2018 game was MSU's most dominating win with a 91-66 win over Virginia. Overall, it was the third-largest margin of victory in the challenge.
B1G/ACC Challenge History
2021 - Notre Dame 76, MSU 71
2019 - Florida State 78, MSU 68
2018 - MSU 91, Virginia 66
2017 - Miami 67, MSU 57
2016 - Syracuse 75, MSU 64
2015 - Louisville 85, MSU 78
2014 - MSU 79, Georgia Tech 73 (OT)
2013 - Florida State 60, MSU 58
2012 - MSU 68, N.C. State 51
2011 - Miami 76, MSU 60
2010 - MSU 72, Florida State 64
2009 - MSU 72, North Carolina 66
2008 - Georgia Tech 57, MSU 50
2007 - MSU 68, Clemson 51
Bold = home games
SOLID FROM THE STRIPE
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. The last time at the Breslin Center was when MSU went 19-for-19 against Michigan on Feb., 23, 2016.
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 is the first Spartan named Big Ten Freshman of the Week since Nia Clouden on Dec. 31, 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
After a tough second half, the Michigan State women's basketball fell to No. 9/11 Iowa, 88-61, in the Big Ten opener on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Michigan State slides to 6-4 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten action, while Iowa improves to 5-1 this season and 1-0 in league play. The Spartans have now lost to two-straight ranked teams losing to No. 24/25 Notre Dame earlier this week.
Senior guard Nia Clouden had her streak of 20-point games halted at six, scoring 18 points to lead MSU. Freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann had another strong offensive showing with 12 points to go along with six assists. Graduate forward Tamara Farquhar also reached double figures with 10 points.
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 228 of its last 240 games (.950) when leading with five minutes left, including 178 of their last 192. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 263-19 (.933) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 5-0 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.
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 163 of their last 188 games (.867) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 183-32 (.851) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is now 6-0 this season when scoring 70 points.
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.
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