Wednesday, February 24
East Lansing, Mich.
3 PM
Michigan State University
12-7,7-7Big Ten
53
vs
63
Rutgers
11-3,7-3Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Rutgers
13
15
11
24
63
Michigan St.
15
20
11
7
53
Team Stats
RU
MSU
FG%
.442
.333
3FG%
.400
.357
FT%
.647
.625
RB
31
41
TO
13
17
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Spartans Edged by No. 25 Rutgers Wednesday
2/24/2021 6:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Scarlet Knight defense was too tough for the Spartans down the stretch.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Stifling fourth-quarter defense was too much for Michigan State women's basketball to overcome, falling to No. 25 Rutgers, 63-53, Wednesday afternoon at the Breslin Center.
With the loss, the Spartans fall to 12-7 overall and 7-7 in Big Ten play. Rutgers has won six-straight and improves to 11-3 overall and 7-3 in league games.
The Rutgers defense held the Spartans top two scorers, junior guard Nia Clouden and sophomore guard Alyza Winston, to only nine points combined. Sophomore forward Taiyier Parks led MSU with 12 points and five rebounds, while junior guard Tory Ozment added 10 points, three assists and two steals. The Spartans also played without sophomore forward Julia Ayrault and senior forward Mardrekia Cook because of injuries.
It was a back and forth game for much of the first quarter with the teams trading baskets and defensive stops. With no breaks in the action, MSU took a 13-9 lead after a Joiner trey. The media timeout in the quarter didn't come until under a minute remaining in the quarter. Behind six first-quarter points for Smith, the Spartans led 15-13 at the end of the period.
In the second quarter, the Spartans jumped out to a 27-20 lead after a Clouden jumper. Michigan State kept the lead for the second quarter due in part to the strong play of Joiner. The Spartans took as big a lead as nine points after a Smith fast-break layup. Joiner ended the first half with nine points, four rebonds and two steals.
Rutgers came out sharp in the second half, scoring the quarter's first eight points to take a 36-35 lead. After MSU re-took the lead, both teams went cold from the field. MSU missed five-straight shots, while Rutgers had a nearly four-minute scoring drought. A Michigan State 8-0 run made it a 43-36 Spartans advantage.
The Scarlet Knights used a 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter to tie the score 51-46, leading to an MSU timeout with 7:56 remaining. The Rutgers defense was suffocating in the fourth quarter, forcing eight turnovers in the final 10 minutes. The Spartans hit their first basket 3:01 off of an Ozment trey. The Scarlet Knights went on to out-score the Spartans 24-7 in the final period.
Michigan State will hit the road to take on Nebraska on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. ET.
Post-Game Notes vs. Rutgers
• Michigan State opened the game with a new starting five Wednesday of junior guard Nia Clouden, junior guard Janai Crooms, sophomore guard Alyza Winston, junior guard/forward Tori Ozment and senior forward Alisia Smith ... it was the Spartans' first game with that starting five and now the seventh different starting lineup for MSU.
• Clouden is the only Spartan player to start all 19 games this season ... the junior guard made her 82nd career start, while playing in her 82nd career game.
• Smith and Crooms made their ninth-consecutive starts in the MSU career, as they both transferred to Michigan State from Penn State and Ohio State, respectively, in the offseason ... Crooms played in her 17th game, while Smith played in her 13th game for the Spartans.
• Ozment made her first start since Jan. 10 vs. Nebraska, but her 11th start of the season, in playing in her 17th game of the season ... Wednesday was Ozment's 23rd start of her career in playing in her 65th career game.
• Winston started for the second-straight game, as well as starting for the 12th time of her career, all coming this season ... the sophomore guard has now played in 48 career games.
• Sophomore forward Taiyier Parks led MSU with 12 points off the bench, marking her sixth double-figure scoring outing of the season and eighth of her career ... Wednesday was the second time in her career that Parks led the Spartans in the scoring column, both coming this season, joining Feb. 7 vs. Northwestern, when Parks posted 13 points.
• Ozment netted 10 points Wednesday, as she tallied double-figures for the first time since her last start, on Jan. 10 vs. Nebraska ... overall, Ozment has now scored double-figures six times this season and 13 times in her career.
• Smith was two points and two rebounds shy of her second-straight double-double, as she recorded eight points and a team-high eight rebounds Wednesday ... the eight boards was Smith's sixth game this season with seven or more rebounds ... it was the fifth time this season that Smith led the Spartans in scoring ... Smith has now tallied 101 points and 59 rebounds over in the last nine games that she has started, averaging 11.2 points and 6.6 rebounds.
• After scoring in double-figures in the first 17 games of the season, Clouden has been held to single digits in each of the last two contests with eight points Wednesday ... Clouden had tallied not only 10+ points, but 12 or more points in the previous 17 games this season ... the junior guard has now scored double-figures in 44 of her last 49 games plays, now doing so in all but five games over the last two seasons, and in 67 of 82 career games played ... Wednesday marked just the fifth time in the 19 games this season that Clouden did not lead MSU in scoring.
• Clouden also grabbed six rebounds for the second game in a row, logging her fourth game in a row and fifth in the last six games with five or more rebounds, as part of a total of six on the season.
• Clouden now has 1,184 points, cracking into the Top 20 on the MSU career scoring list and moving up to No. 19 ... Clouden passed Rene Haynes (2003-07) for the No. 20 spot with 1,181 points and Victoria Lucas-Perry (2003-07) with 1,182 points ... Clouden is just five points shy of the No. 18 spot held by Mary Kay Itnyre (1977-80) with 1,189 points.
• Crooms posted a team-best two blocks Wednesday, which not only tied her MSU career-high for the fourth time this season, but also marking the third time in the last four games that she has had two rejections.
• The Spartans' bench out-scored Rutgers' reserves, 23-10, marking the 17th game this season that MSU out-scored its opponent's bench ... Michigan State is now 11-6 this season when having a bench-scoring advantage.
With the loss, the Spartans fall to 12-7 overall and 7-7 in Big Ten play. Rutgers has won six-straight and improves to 11-3 overall and 7-3 in league games.
The Rutgers defense held the Spartans top two scorers, junior guard Nia Clouden and sophomore guard Alyza Winston, to only nine points combined. Sophomore forward Taiyier Parks led MSU with 12 points and five rebounds, while junior guard Tory Ozment added 10 points, three assists and two steals. The Spartans also played without sophomore forward Julia Ayrault and senior forward Mardrekia Cook because of injuries.
It was a back and forth game for much of the first quarter with the teams trading baskets and defensive stops. With no breaks in the action, MSU took a 13-9 lead after a Joiner trey. The media timeout in the quarter didn't come until under a minute remaining in the quarter. Behind six first-quarter points for Smith, the Spartans led 15-13 at the end of the period.
In the second quarter, the Spartans jumped out to a 27-20 lead after a Clouden jumper. Michigan State kept the lead for the second quarter due in part to the strong play of Joiner. The Spartans took as big a lead as nine points after a Smith fast-break layup. Joiner ended the first half with nine points, four rebonds and two steals.
Rutgers came out sharp in the second half, scoring the quarter's first eight points to take a 36-35 lead. After MSU re-took the lead, both teams went cold from the field. MSU missed five-straight shots, while Rutgers had a nearly four-minute scoring drought. A Michigan State 8-0 run made it a 43-36 Spartans advantage.
The Scarlet Knights used a 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter to tie the score 51-46, leading to an MSU timeout with 7:56 remaining. The Rutgers defense was suffocating in the fourth quarter, forcing eight turnovers in the final 10 minutes. The Spartans hit their first basket 3:01 off of an Ozment trey. The Scarlet Knights went on to out-score the Spartans 24-7 in the final period.
Michigan State will hit the road to take on Nebraska on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. ET.
Post-Game Notes vs. Rutgers
• Michigan State opened the game with a new starting five Wednesday of junior guard Nia Clouden, junior guard Janai Crooms, sophomore guard Alyza Winston, junior guard/forward Tori Ozment and senior forward Alisia Smith ... it was the Spartans' first game with that starting five and now the seventh different starting lineup for MSU.
• Clouden is the only Spartan player to start all 19 games this season ... the junior guard made her 82nd career start, while playing in her 82nd career game.
• Smith and Crooms made their ninth-consecutive starts in the MSU career, as they both transferred to Michigan State from Penn State and Ohio State, respectively, in the offseason ... Crooms played in her 17th game, while Smith played in her 13th game for the Spartans.
• Ozment made her first start since Jan. 10 vs. Nebraska, but her 11th start of the season, in playing in her 17th game of the season ... Wednesday was Ozment's 23rd start of her career in playing in her 65th career game.
• Winston started for the second-straight game, as well as starting for the 12th time of her career, all coming this season ... the sophomore guard has now played in 48 career games.
• Sophomore forward Taiyier Parks led MSU with 12 points off the bench, marking her sixth double-figure scoring outing of the season and eighth of her career ... Wednesday was the second time in her career that Parks led the Spartans in the scoring column, both coming this season, joining Feb. 7 vs. Northwestern, when Parks posted 13 points.
• Ozment netted 10 points Wednesday, as she tallied double-figures for the first time since her last start, on Jan. 10 vs. Nebraska ... overall, Ozment has now scored double-figures six times this season and 13 times in her career.
• Smith was two points and two rebounds shy of her second-straight double-double, as she recorded eight points and a team-high eight rebounds Wednesday ... the eight boards was Smith's sixth game this season with seven or more rebounds ... it was the fifth time this season that Smith led the Spartans in scoring ... Smith has now tallied 101 points and 59 rebounds over in the last nine games that she has started, averaging 11.2 points and 6.6 rebounds.
• After scoring in double-figures in the first 17 games of the season, Clouden has been held to single digits in each of the last two contests with eight points Wednesday ... Clouden had tallied not only 10+ points, but 12 or more points in the previous 17 games this season ... the junior guard has now scored double-figures in 44 of her last 49 games plays, now doing so in all but five games over the last two seasons, and in 67 of 82 career games played ... Wednesday marked just the fifth time in the 19 games this season that Clouden did not lead MSU in scoring.
• Clouden also grabbed six rebounds for the second game in a row, logging her fourth game in a row and fifth in the last six games with five or more rebounds, as part of a total of six on the season.
• Clouden now has 1,184 points, cracking into the Top 20 on the MSU career scoring list and moving up to No. 19 ... Clouden passed Rene Haynes (2003-07) for the No. 20 spot with 1,181 points and Victoria Lucas-Perry (2003-07) with 1,182 points ... Clouden is just five points shy of the No. 18 spot held by Mary Kay Itnyre (1977-80) with 1,189 points.
• Crooms posted a team-best two blocks Wednesday, which not only tied her MSU career-high for the fourth time this season, but also marking the third time in the last four games that she has had two rejections.
• The Spartans' bench out-scored Rutgers' reserves, 23-10, marking the 17th game this season that MSU out-scored its opponent's bench ... Michigan State is now 11-6 this season when having a bench-scoring advantage.
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