Ekh and Hagemann Steer Spartans Past Broncos Sunday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Behind a barrage of 3-pointers, the Michigan State women's basketball team dominated Western Michigan, 97-49, on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center.

MSU improves to 3-0 through its first three contests for the eighth-straight year, a record dating to the 2015-16 campaign. WMU falls to 0-2 so far this season. The Spartans have won all three game this season by at least 30 points.

For the second-straight game, five players reached double figures. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann set a new career-high with 19 points, reaching double figures for the first time this season and the 10th time in her career. Fellow sophomore guard Matilda Ekh scored 20 points, going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel scored 14 points for the second-straight game, while junior guard Gabby Eliott and senior guard Moira Joiner both added 11.

Western Michigan was led by 17 points from Lauren Ross.

After the Broncos scored the first two points, the Spartan scored the next seven to take a 7-2 lead. After WMU took a brief 10-9 advantage, MSU went on an 11-0 run to take its first double-digit lead 20-10 with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Behind 11 points from Hagemann, MSU was on top 23-14 after the first 10 minutes.

Michigan State scored the first seven points of the second period, leading to a Broncos timeout with 7:45 left in the half. The run increased to 11-0 as MSU opened up its first 20-point margin, 34-14. MSU out-scored WMU 23-5 in the second period. At half time, Michigan State was on top 46-19 behind a game-high 17 points from Ekh. MSU shot 56.3 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range to maintain its lead.

Midway through the third quarter, Michigan State jumped out to palindromic 62-26 advantage. The Spartans held at least a 30-point lead for the bulk of the third period, taking as big a lead as 40 points with 2:27 left in the quarter.

With the big lead, Michigan State was able to play 14 players. Freshman guard Abbey Kimball made her collegiate debut against the Broncos with bench players seeing much of the action. The fourth quarter was the closest with MSU leading 20-13.

The Spartans are back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 15 against another in-state squad, Oakland, at 7 p.m. The game against the Golden Grizzlies is the fourth of five-straight home games to start the season.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Post-Game Notes
• The Broncos are led by former MSU assistant coach Shane Clipfell.
• The 25th meeting in the all-time series saw the Spartans improve to 17-8 overall against Western Michigan. MSU has won 10-straight contests and has not suffered a defeat in the series since Nov. 26, 1982.
• Michigan State opened the second period on a 19-2 run highlighted by 11 points from Ekh in the quarter, culminating in a 46-19 differential before the halftime break.
• The Spartans allowed the fewest points in a second quarter in program history, yielding only five Bronco points in the frame. MSU's previous record was set in a Dec. 28, 2017 contest against Indiana, in which the Spartans allowed six Hoosier points in the second quarter.
• MSU landed five student-athletes in double figures and improved to 2-0 in games when five-or-more Spartans reached the double-digit scoring mark.
• The Green & White outpaced WMU in the paint, 44-14, rising to 3-0 when winning the battle inside.
• Michigan State finished the game shooting an even 50% beyond the arc, going 13-for-36 in the category. MSU set a team season-high with 13 makes from deep, surpassing the total number of 3-point field goals made in the previous two games combined (12 3-pointers made).
• As a team, the Green & White scored the most points in a single game (97) since registering a 100-60 win over the Bryant Bulldogs on Nov. 19, 2021.
• The Spartans utilized the starting lineup of DeeDee Hagemann, Gabby Elliott, Kamaria McDaniel, Matilda Ekh and Taiyier Parks for the third time this season (3-0).
• Ekh lit up the scoreboard from beyond the arc, going 6-for-8 from 3-point land, finishing with a season-best 20 points that led all scorers. Ekh became Michigan State's first 20-point scorer of the season and matched her career-high in 3-point makes with six.
• Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann booked a career-high 19 points, reaching double figures for the first time this season and the 10th time in her career. Hagemann's previous career-best tally of 15 points was scored in a win over Marshall on Nov. 30, 2021.
• Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel put up a season-best 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting, logging a 55.6% mark from the field.
• Sophomore forward Isaline Alexander finished as the game-high rebounder with eight boards, setting a new career high in the category. Alexander's previous career-high on the glass was six, set most recently in the win against Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 10.
• Freshman guard Theryn Hallock set a new career high and finished with a game-high six assists. Hallock's previous career and season high of five dishes was set on Nov. 10 against Purdue Fort Wayne.

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Team Stats

Matilda Ekh

DeeDee Hagemann

Kamaria McDaniel

Gabby Elliott

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