Michigan State University
13-10,7-5Big Ten
No. 4/4 Michigan
20-3,11-2Big Ten
Clouden-Led Michigan State Knocks Off No. 4 Michigan, 63-57
2/10/2022 8:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Senior guard nets 20 points as Spartans halt Wolverines’ win streak.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball knocked off No. 4/4 Michigan, 63-57, Thursday night at a spirited and raucous Breslin Center.
Thursday night was MSU's annual Pink Game to support Breast Cancer Awareness, and both teams wore pink-themed uniforms and shoes.
The Victory for MSU over No. 4/4 Michigan was the Spartans' highest ranked win over a Top 5 ranked team since Michigan State defeated No. 3/3 Oregon, 88-82 on Dec. 9, 2018.
The Spartans also snapped the Wolverines' eight-game win streak, while MSU halted a slight two-game skid. Michigan State has won five of its last seven games in improving to 13-10 overall and 7-5 in Big Ten action. UM is now 20-3 overall and 11-2 in B1G play.
Thursday's win also stopped a three-game U-M win streak in the series, but MSU has won four of the last seven meetings, eight of the last 12 and 23 of the last 30 match-ups overall as the Spartans improved to 73-22 all-time vs. the Wolverines, including 36-8 in East Lansing.
Senior guard Nia Clouden netted a team-high 20 points to go with four assists, while graduate forward Tamara Farquhar tallied 11 points to go with a team-leading eight rebounds. Freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann had a double-nine outing with nine points and nine assists, part of the Spartans' 17 helpers on the night, along with a career-high tying seven rebounds.
Junior forward Taiyier Parks chipped in with eight points, two blocks and two steals as part of MSU's solid defensive effort in the post. Freshman forward Isaline Alexander also contributed to that defensive effort with a career-high three blocks, matching her season total of three rejections, and having half of the Spartans' total on the night, while senior forward Alisia Smith had the other block. Alexander also tied a career-high with eight points.
Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh netted just six points on two 3-pointers in the game, but they provided to be pivotal plays as both came with the shot clock winding down.
Michigan was led by Naz Hillmon with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Danielle Rauch was the only other Michigan player in double-figures with 12 points.
The Spartan defense held the Wolverines to their season-low scoring total in a B1G game and second-lowest overall total of the season behind a 70-48 loss at No. 10 Louisville, as well as 17 points below their season average of 74.3 points per game.
MSU won despite getting out-rebounded, 34-31, marking the ninth time this season that the Spartans have had fewer rebounds than the opposition, but got their third win when doing so. UM entered Thursday's game 18-0 when out-rebounding the opponent, as the Spartans dealt the Wolverines their first loss this season when having more rebounds.
Michigan scored the first eight points of the game, leading to an early MSU timeout at the 6:43 mark. Despite the slow start, the Spartans rebounded, using a 6-0 run to make it a 10-9 game. The run extended to 8-0 as MSU took its first lead after a Parks putback. After weathering the early U-M storm, the Spartans were tight with the Wolverines 14-11 after the first quarter.
In the second stanza, U-M went on a 7-0 run to open up a 23-17 lead after a nearly three minute scoring drought. Four points from Alexander and a trio of free throws from Hagemann saw the Spartans only trailing by one with 30 seconds remaining in the half. At the half, MSU was left by eight points from Hagemann.
Clouden started the third period with a trey to tie the game at 33-33. Alexander's old-fashioned 3-point play put the Spartans on top 43-36, as part of a 10-0 MSU run. Michigan State stretched its lead to a 10-point advantage at 46-36 after a trey by Hagemann with 1:56 left in the frame for the Spartans' largest lead of the night. MSU was led in the period by 13 points from Clouden.
U-M scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to trim the MSU advantage to 49-47 at 7:58 on a Rauch 3-pointer. After neither team scored for the next two-and-a-half minutes, Ekh drained her first basket of the night with a trey from the top of the arc as the shot clock expired at the 5:12 mark and a 52-47 lead.
The Wolverines clawed back and got within 56-55 after a Hillmon up-and-under layup with 1:38 to go. That would be the closest the visitors would get, as Ekh drained another 3-pointer from the top of the arc again as the shot clock was expiring with 1:13 left for a 59-55 led. The Spartans made four free throws, including three by Clouden, down the stretch to secure the upset and spark the celebration in the Breslin Center.
The Spartans now have a quick turnaround for another top-10 match-up, traveling to Bloomington to take on No. 7/7 Indiana on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m.
Michigan State Notes vs. No. 4/4 Michigan
• Thursday's Victory for MSU over No. 4/4 Michigan was the Spartans' highest ranked win over a Top 5 ranked team since Michigan State defeated No. 3/3 Oregon, 88-82 on Dec. 9, 2018 ... MSU's triumph over No. 4/4 Michigan was the Spartans' 10th win over an AP Top-5 team, including fourth under head coach Suzy Merchant, with all four wins over AP Top-5 teams coming in the friendly confines of the Breslin Center ... It was MSU's second win over a ranked UM team, as Michigan State is now 2-3 against ranked Michigan teams, with the other ranked win over Michigan was 66-61 over No. 16 Michigan (2/11/18) at the Breslin ... This was the highest-ranked Michigan team to face the Spartans, as the previous high was No. 11 Michigan last season (Feb. 16, 2021 in Ann Arbor, 86-82 Michigan win).
• It was also MSU's second win over a Top 5 ranked team when the Spartans were unranked, as they were in the aforementioned win over No. 3/3 Oregon, 88-82 on Dec. 9, 2018.
• Thursday's win also stopped a three-game U-M win streak in the series, but MSU has won four of the last seven meetings, eight of the last 12 and 23 of the last 30 match-ups overall, as the Spartans improved to 73-22 all-time vs. the Wolverines, including 36-8 in East Lansing.
• The Spartan defense held the Wolverines to their season-low scoring total in a B1G game and second-lowest overall total of the season behind a 70-48 loss at No. 10 Louisville, as well as 17 points below their season average of 74.3 points per game ... U-M's 57 points was MSU's fourth time in the last five games in holding the opposition under 70 points, but the seventh-straight game in holding the opponent to 71 points or less ... Overall it is the 13th time this season in keeping the opponent under 70, as MSU is now 10-3 when doing so, and the 17th time to 71 points or fewer, and the Spartans are 12-5.
• MSU won despite getting out-rebounded, 34-31, marking the ninth time this season that the Spartans have had fewer rebounds than the opposition, but got their third win when doing so ... U-M entered Thursday's game 18-0 when out-rebounding the opponent, as the Spartans dealt the Wolverines their first loss this season when having more rebounds.
• Michigan State shot 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from 3-point range and had an overall 46.0 percent (23-of-50) field goal percentage, marking the second game in a row in which MSU had better percentage behind the arc than overall field goal percentage ... it was the eighth overall time this season when the Spartans had a higher percentage from distance than overall field goals, improving to 5-3.
• The Spartans' starting line-up of senior guard Nia Clouden, freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann, graduate forward Tamara Farquhar, freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh and senior forward Alisia Smith was MSU's ninth game in a row with that starting five, as part of the 12th total time this season ... overall, it is MSU's fourth different starting line-up overall this season.
• Senior guard Nia Clouden's 20 points and graduate forward Tamara Farquhar's 11 points were the only Spartans in double-digits ... With only two players in double-figures Thursday night, it was the first time to get a win in five occurrences when doing so, as MSU was 0-4 with two in double-digits this season.
• Freshman forward Isaline Alexander swatted a career-high three blocks, matching her season total of three rejections, with one block in three different outings, and having half of the Spartans' total on the night in Thursday's game ... Alexander also tied a career-high with eight points, which last came vs. Niagara (Nov. 14, 2021), as she had scored just six points in her limited action since that outing for just 14 combined points ... However, Alexander has tallied 10 points, six rebounds and four blocks in a combined 25 minutes in the last two games.
• Clouden played all 40 minutes of Thursday's game, marking the second time in the last three games overall and the second-straight home game that she has played in every minute of the contest, also playing all 40 vs. Maryland (2/3/22) ... it was the third game this season that Clouden has played in 40+ minutes, along with 45:50 against FGSU (12/20/21) in the double-OT loss.
• Clouden's 20 points Thursday night gives the senior guard three-straight 20-point games in B1G action for the first time this season, part of her third streak of three or more games with 20+ points overall ... it is also the fifth outing in the last eight games that Clouden has collected 20 or more points, as part of posting 20+ points for the 14th game this season and 32nd time of her career ... Clouden has now scored in double-figures 22 times this season and 93 in her career.
• Clouden remains at No. 4 on MSU's career scoring list now with 1,772 for her career, just eight points shy of the No. 3 spot held by Liz Shimek (2002-06) with 1,780 points.
• Clouden made three triples to five her 52 3-pointers this season and 138 for her career, matching former Spartan player and current MSU assistant director of sports performance Annalise Pickrel (2010-14) for the No. 9 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list ... Clouden is now six away for the No. 8 spot held by Christine Powers (1991-95) with 144 treys.
• Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh netted just six points on two 3-pointers in the game, but they provided to be pivotal plays as both came with the shot clock winding down ... Ekh's six points snapped her streak of seven-straight games in double-figures and eight of the previous nine games before Thursday.
• With six points, Ekh now has 272 for her first season as Spartan, moving up to tie for No. 14 on MSU's freshman scoring list pulling away from a tie for No. 15 with Bella Engen (1994-95) with 266 points, and now tied with Brittney Thomas (2007-08) with 272 points.
• Ekh's two 3-pointers marks her eighth game in a row and 14th overall game this season with multiple triples ... Ekh now has 52 treys this season, continuing her grip on the No. 3 spot on MSU's list for 3-pointers by a Spartan freshman ... next up at No. 2 is Tori Jankoska (2013-14) with 64 triples.
• By going 2-of-4 from behind the arc for the second game in a row, Ekh is now 52-of-120, as the 43.3 percent, maintaining the No. 2 spot on the Spartans' freshman 3-point percentage list, just ahead of current teammate Moira Joiner's .386 (30-of-101) in 2020-21, and behind the record holder Lindsay Bowen (2002-03) at .464 (77-of-166) ... Ekh's 120 3-point attempts is No. 5 on the freshman 3-pointers attempted list.
• Freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann dished out a game-high nine assists for the second game in a row, as she led MSU in helpers for the third game in a row, as part of her team-leading 14th time this season ... Hagemann logged her 12th game this season with five or more helpers in the last 13 games as part of a total of 15 times this season.
• Hagemann's nine helpers Thursday night gives her 122 for her freshman season ... after becoming just the eighth Spartan women's basketball player to register 100 assists as a freshman in MSU's game last week vs. Maryland (2/3/22), Hagemann now has moved up to No. 6 on MSU's assists by a freshman list, passing former Spartan and current assistant coach Kristin Haynie (2001-02) with 117 helpers ... next up is Kiana Johnson (2011-12) at No. 5 with 129 assists.
