Spartans Tussle with Golden Grizzlies on Tuesday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will play its fourth-straight home game to open the season, facing Oakland on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Breslin Center. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. MSU starts the season with five-straight home games.

• MSU improves to 3-0 through its first three contests for the eighth-straight year, a record dating to the 2015-16 campaign. The Spartans have averaged 89.3 ppg so far this year. Oakland has started the season 2-0 with home wins against Akron and Central Michigan.

• Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh lit up the scoreboard from beyond the arc against Western Michigan on Nov. 13, 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 scored 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.

• Against WMU, MSU scored the most points in a single game (97) since registering a 100-60 win over Bryant on Nov. 19, 2021.

SCOUTING OAKLAND
Oakland is off to a fast start with a 2-0 record so far this season. The Golden Grizzlies opened the season with a win over Akron on Nov. 7, 74-67. OU followed that up with a 71-60 win over in-state rival Central Michigan on Nov. 12. Oakland is averaging 72.5 points per game, while allowing only 63.5 ppg. Through the first three game three Golden Grizzlies are in double figures led by Kennedie Montue who is averaging 16.5 ppg. Breanne Beatty is second in scoring dropping 13.5 ppg, while Alexis Johnson is third with 12.0 ppg.

Head coach Jeff Tungate is in his 10th season at the helm of the Golden Grizzlies. He is third on the all-time wins list with a 119-148 career record.

SERIES HISTORY VS. GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Michigan State leads the all-time series against Oakland 17-4. The Spartans have dominated the series of late, winning the last 13. Four of the last five wins have come in East Lansing. Overall, the Spartans hold and 11-2 advantage at home. The last win for the Golden Grizzlies came on Feb. 9, 1982 with Oakland coming away with a 76-57 victory.

Last season in Rochester, the Spartans came away with an 84-71 win against Oakland. Five Spartans scored in double-figures led by Nia Clouden, who had her fourth-straight 20-point game with 23 points. Matilda Ekh added a then career-high 17 points with two blocks and two steals. Taiyier Parks was close to a double-double with a career-high 16 points and eight boards,

BALANCED ATTACK
Without Nia Clouden to dominate the box score this season, the Spartans are looking for a more balanced attack. In three games this season, four different player have led the team in scoring. Senior forward Taiyier Parks led in scoring with a career-high 18 against Purdue Fort Wayne. Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh was atop the score sheet with 20 against Western Michigan. Junior guard Gabby Elliott and senior guard Moira Joiner lead in scoring in the season opener against Delaware State with 13 points each.

TOPPING THE CHARTS
Michigan State is among the Big Ten's leaders early on this season. The Spartans are currently fifth in the B1G in scoring margin (+43.0). MSU is also third in rebounds (48.3 rpg) and assists (23.3 apg).

Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh is third in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made, averaging 3.0 per game. Freshman guard Theryn Hallock is ninth in assists per game (5.0 apg), while sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann stands 12th (4.3 apg).

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Despite a slow start to the season, sophomores Matilda Ekh and DeeDee Hagemann have started heating up. Against Western Michigan on Nov. 13, Hagemann set a new career high with 19 points, including going 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Matilda Ekh had the Spartans' first 20-point game of the season with 20 points. She was hot from long distance, shooting 6-for-8 from behind the 3-point line.

Not to be undone, sophomore forward Isaline Alexander has been exceptional through three games, averaging 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Against the Broncos, she was near a double-double with nine points and eight boards.

BY THE NUMBERS VS. WMU
• 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.

• 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.

SEASON OPENERS
All-time, the Spartans are 35-15 in season openers, but 28-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 13-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 19 of her last 22, including her time at Eastern Michigan. Last season, the Spartans earned a dominating 86-37 win over Delaware State on Nov. 7.

UP NEXT
Michigan State closes out a lengthy five-game homestand against Florida A&M on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The Spartans will then hit the road for their only true non-conference road game, facing in-state rival Central Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. in Mount Pleasant.

PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
Michigan State will play seven teams that are ranked in the preseason top 25 polls, led by No. 4/6 Iowa (Jan. 18). At the Phil Knight Invitational, the Spartans will face two ranked teams. MSU will start with another team from the Hawkeye State in No. 8/9 Iowa State on Nov. 24. MSU will face either No. 12/12 North Carolina or No.20/20 Oregon in the final game of the PKI on Nov. 27. Big Ten teams Indiana, Ohio State, Maryland, Nebraska and Michigan are all ranked in both preseason polls.

MEET THE NEWBIES
MSU introduces four freshmen to the team this season, featuring Abbey Kimball (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Theryn Hallock (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Maddy Skorupski (Clarkston, Mich.) and Olivia Porter (Chapel Hill, North Carolina).

The Spartans also added three transfers to this season's squad. Detroit native Gabby Elliott is a junior guard who comes to MSU from Clemson. Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel, who hails from Inkster, was an All-Big Ten honoree from Penn State, before transferring to Baylor. Graduate guard Stephanie Visscher from Lulea, Sweden, was an all-conference performer from Stephen F. Austin.

COMING BACK BETTER THAN EVER
Senior guard Moira Joiner has looked sharp in her first three games since returning from concussion symptoms that shut down her 2021-22 season. In three games, she is second in scoring, averaging 11.3 points per game. In the season opener against Delaware State tallied 13 points off the bench in her first action since Jan. 12, 2022 vs. Ohio State, after missing the remainder of the 2021-22 season due to injury. Joiner's 11 points against Western Michigan was her 17th career double-figure scoring game. Joiner also netted three 3-pointers against DSU, matching her season-high from last year. She is the only Spartan to score in double figure in every game this season.

Redshirt-junior guard Julia Ayrault also made her return to the lineup after missing all of last season. Ayrault has scored in all three games this season in limited action and had her first block of the season against Purdue Fort Wayne.

GUESS WHO'S BACK
Despite losing All-American Nia Clouden, the Spartans bring back a lot of fire power. MSU returns two starters in sophomore guard Matilda Ekh and sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann. Ekh was third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game. She was also eighth in the B1G in 3-pointers made with 2.3. Hagemann was sixth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.7 ppg and was fourth in the conference in assists (5.3 apg).

TITLE IX CELEBRATION
Throughout the season, Michigan State will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. MSU Athletics kicked off its year-round celebration on June 23, 2022. While the work in advancing women's athletics is not complete, the Spartans will celebrate the advancements that have been made in the last 50 years.

LEGENDARY SPARTAN
Former Michigan State women's basketball guard Nia Clouden was drafted 12th in the first round by the Connecticut Sun at the 2022 WNBA Draft. Clouden was the 12th Big Ten student-athlete drafted by the Sun franchise (which began as the Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002). Clouden, an Owings Mills, Maryland native, became the eighth Spartan to be selected in the WNBA draft. Tori Jankoska was the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Sky, while Aerial Powers was the fifth overall pick in 2016 going to the Dallas Wings.

Maxann Reese and Kristen Rasmussen were the first Spartans selected in the WNBA, drafted in 2000. Reese was taken in the third round, while Rasmussen was selected in the fourth. In 2003, Syreeta Broomfield was drafted in the third round. In 2005, Kristin Haynie was the ninth overall pick by Sacramento, while Liz Shimek was taken in the second round by Phoenix in 2006.

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
The Spartans will once again play a very difficult schedule. Nine of the MUS's 2022-23 regular-season opponents competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, including MSU's ACC/Big Ten Challenge opponent Georgia Tech. All three teams at the Phil Knight Invitational competed in the NCAA Tournament with MSU facing Iowa State in the first game. The Spartans will then face either Oregon or North Carolina in the next game. From the Big Ten portion of the schedule, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State reached the NCAA Tournament.

SPARTANS: THE NEW CLASS
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of two National Letters of Intent on Thursday, including Jordan Wood (Chicago, Illinois/Carmel Catholic High School) and Bree Robinson (Mississauga, Ontario/ Webb School).

Wood is a 6-4 forward, who is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She attends Carmel Catholic High School and is coached by Ben Berg. Wood is currently ranked No. 62 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. As a junior, she scored 1,000 points, as well as leading the Corsairs to a Class 3A Illinois State Championship. Last season, she averaged 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while also leading the team in assists (3.2 apg). She is a three-time All-East Suburban Catholic Conference and All-Area honoree, as well as capturing First-Team All-State accolades. Wood played AAU for Midwest Elite, competing on the EYBL Nike National circuit for coach Ralph Gesuado.

Robinson is a 5-8 guard, who is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, plays for head coach Matthew Shewmake at the Webb School (Tenn.). She helped lead the Webb school to a Tennessee State Championship, earning First-Team All-District 3 honors in the process. She also has a vast amount of international experience playing for Team Canada. She was the captain for Team Canada, playing in the U16 FIBA Americas in 2021, capturing a silver medal. She was also named Canletes 2022 All Canadian Player of the Year. She played for AAU Become One, competing on the GUAA Under Armour circuit for coach Handel Kipp.

CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 241 of its last 254 games (.949) when leading with five minutes left, including 191 of their last 206. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 275-21 (.929) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 3-0 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 173 of their last 203 games (.852) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 193-41 (.825) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is 3-0 this season when scoring 70 points. In the first two games of the season, they earned a 86-37 win over Delaware State, an 85-53 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne and a 97-49 win over Western Michigan.

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Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

Nia Clouden

Moira Joiner

Taiyier Parks