Wednesday, February 16
Madison, Wis.
7:30 PM ET
Michigan State University
at
Wisconsin
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Spartan Women End Road Trip at Wisconsin
2/15/2022 4:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Michigan State will take on the Badgers for the first time this season.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will play its second-straight road game, taking on Wisconsin on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Tipoff time at the Kohl Center is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
• With 10 points against No. 7/6 Indiana on Feb. 12, senior guard Nia Clouden now has 1,782 career points, climbing up to No. 3 on MSU's career scoring list, passing Liz Shimek (2002-06) with 1,780 points. Next up is Aerial Powers (2013-16) with 1,817 points.
• MSU's men's and women's basketball teams will be among 12 teams set to compete at the 2022 Phil Knight Invitational (PKI) in Portland, Ore. over Thanksgiving weekend. The PKI multi-team tournament will feature eight men's teams and four women's teams, all playing between Nov. 24-27. ESPN Events announced the fields on Tuesday. The women's field includes: MSU, Iowa State, North Carolina and Oregon.
• Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh tallied seven points at IU, giving her 279 for her freshman campaign, moving up to No. 13 on MSU's freshman scoring list, pulling away from a tie for No. 14 with Brittney Thomas (2007-08) with 272 points and passing Nanette Gibson (1978-79) with 278 points. Ekh is just 20 points away from the No. 12 spot, held by Mary Kay McNall (1982-83) with 299 points, and just 21 points away from becoming the 12th Spartan freshman to reach 300 points.
• Nia Clouden added to her accolades when she was named to the Dawn Staley Late Season Watch List. Clouden was also Named to the Midseason Team for Naismith Women's Player of the Year. The honors continued to pour in as the senior was also one of 10 guard named to the Lieberman Watch List.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
After the largest comeback in school history, Wisconsin defeated Purdue 54-52, at the Kohl Center on Feb. 13. With the win, the Badgers are now 7-17 overall and 4-10 in league play. Wisconsin trailed Purdue by 22 points early in the third quarter before outscoring the Boilermakers 39-15 over the final 19 minutes of the game to pull off the biggest comeback ever in a Big Ten Conference game.
Wisconsin had two players averaging in double figures in Julie Pospisilova and Sydney Hilliard, who has recently take a leave of absence from the team. Pospisilova is currently 14th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 14.0 ppg. Brooke Schramek is averaging 8.3 ppg, while Katie Nelson in scoring 7.0 ppg. Pospisilova is 15th in field goal percentage (.366) and 3-point field goal made (1.8). Katie Nelson is 13th in the league in assists, averaging 3.5 apg.
Wisconsin is 13th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 55.3 ppg, while allowing 69.1. The Badgers can shoot the three, averaging 5.9 made 3-pointers per game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BADGERS
Michigan State leads the overall series with Wisconsin, 47-26. In Madison, the Badgers have the slight edge, 19-17, while in East Lansing, MSU has dominated with a 27-6 record. On neutral territory, Michigan State leads 3-1. The Spartans have won 15 of the last 16 meetings. Wisconsin's last win against MSU came on Valentine's Day matchup in 2019 with UW coming out on top 79-62.
Last season, the Spartans celebrated seniors Laurel Jacqmain, Mardrekia Cook and Claire Hendrickson on Senior Day on March 6, 2021. The Spartans earned a 67-54 win against Wisconsin.
For the second-straight game, Taiyier Parks led the team in scoring with her second double-double of the season. She scored 14 points with 11 rebounds, while adding two steals. Alyza Winston also scored 14 points, while junior guard Tory Ozment added 10. Senior forward Alisia Smith had a MSU career-high 14 rebounds to pace the Spartans.
MOVE OVER COACH
With four assists in Saturday's game, freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann now has 126 for her freshman season. After becoming just the eighth Spartan women's basketball player to register 100 assists as a freshman against Maryland on Feb. 3, 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 last time out vs. Michigan. Hagemann is just three away from tying for the No. 5 spot, held by Kiana Johnson (2011-12) with 129 assists.
MAMMA MIA
Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh tallied seven points at Indiana, giving her 279 for her freshman campaign, moving up to No. 13 on MSU's freshman scoring list, pulling away from a tie for No. 14 with Brittney Thomas (2007-08) with 272 points and passing Nanette Gibson (1978-79) with 278 points. Ekh is just 20 points away from the No. 12 spot, held by Mary Kay McNall (1982-83) with 299 points, and just 21 points away from becoming the 12th freshman in Spartan women's basketball history with 300 points in their first year for the Green & White.
By netting 1-of-4 from 3-point range, Ekh is now 53-of-124 at 42.7 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).
PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
By facing No. 4/4 Michigan on Feb. 10 and No. 7/6 Indiana on Feb. 12, it marked the first time that MSU had played back-to-back games against Top-10 teams since the 2016 Big Ten Tournament, when the Spartans beat No. 9/9 Ohio State (3/5/16), 82-63, in the semifinals before losing to No. 5/5 Maryland (3/6/16), 60-44, in the championship game in consecutive days. It is the first time since facing Top-10 teams in back-to-back games in the regular-season since 2006, when MSU lost to No. 7/7 Ohio State (1/22/06), 67-65, and at No. 8/8 Purdue (1/26/06), 73-53. That marked the Spartans' second set of back-to-back Top-10 foes in the 2005-06 season, as the Green & White played No. 2/1 Tennessee (11/24/05) and No. 10/10 Maryland (11/25/05) in consecutive days of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
MERCHANT MANIACS
Suzy Merchant has coached three of the most prolific scorers in MSU history. Three of the top leaders in career scoring have come during Merchant's tenure. Tori Jankoska (2013-17) is the Spartans' all-time leading scorer with 2,212 points, while Aerial Powers (2013-16) scored 1,817 points in three season as MSU. Nia Clouden is 19 points from passing All-American Liz Shimek (2002-06) for third on the all-time scoring list. Clouden is currently third in career scoring with 1,782 points.
GETTING DOWN TO THE WIRE
After the game against the Badgers, Michigan State has only three regular-season games remaining, including two at the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. All three games will be in the state of Michigan, as the only road game will be at Michigan. The Spartans stand seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 7-6 record just behind Nebraska's 8-6 mark. Indiana stands alone in first place in the Big Ten standings with a 10-2 record. Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State are all tied for second with 11-3 records. Rutgers earned its first conference win with a victory over Penn State. The Scarlet Knights now hold a 1-12 B1G record.
ICE IN HER VEINS
Freshman forward Isaline Alexander has come up big in the Spartans' back-to-back games against top five opponents. She tallied a career-high tying eight points for the second game in a row and the third time overall this season. Alexander also snared a career-high six rebounds, nearly doubling her previous career-high of four games in the last game. The first-year Spartan has now scored more points in the previous two games than she had in her previous 11 games played prior to this past Thursday's win over Michigan. Alexander has posted 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in a combined 45 minutes over the last three games.
WATCHING THE WATCH LISTS
Nia Clouden was added to the Dawn Staley Late Season Watch List. The Dawn Staley Award is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that she possessed throughout her career; ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win. Clouden is one of three Big Ten players named to the watch list along with Penn State's Makenna Marisa and Iowa's Caitlin Clark. The Owings Mills, Maryland native is ninth in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 21.0 points per game, which is also third in the Big Ten.
MOVING ON UP
With 10 points Saturday, senior guard Nia Clouden now has 1,782 career points, climbing up to No. 3 on MSU's career scoring list, passing Liz Shimek (2002-06) with 1,780 points. Next up is Aerial Powers (2013-16) with 1,817 points.
Clouden made one 3-pointer at Indiana, as she now has 53 triples this season and now with 139 career treys, taking over sole possession of the No. 9 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, pulling away from a tie with former Spartan player and current MSU assistant director of sports performance Annalise Pickrel (2010-14) with 138. Clouden is now five away for the No. 8 spot held by Christine Powers (1991-95) with 144 treys.
SPARTAN FUN FACTS
ANATOMY OF RECORD BREAKER
BIG TIME B1G HONOR
Senior guard Nia Clouden was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 27. The Owings Mills, Maryland native had a record setting-week at the West Palm Beach Invitational. Clouden scored 50 points in the Spartans' double overtime loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20. The 50 points is also the most points scored in the NCAA this season. She became just third Big Ten player ever to score 50 points, joining Minnesota's Rachel Banham (2015-16) and Michigan's Naz Hillmon (2020-21).
LOOKING ACROSS THE LEAGUE
Senior guard Nia Clouden is third in the B1G in scoring with 20.9 points per game behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark (27.6 ppg) and Penn State's Makenna Marisa (22.4 ppg). Clouden also holds the eighth spot in the league in assists with 4.0 helpers per contest, while freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann is third with 5.7 apg. Hagemann is also eighth in the league in assist/turnover ration (1.9). Clouden is also first in the league in free-throw percentage (.892). Clouden (.427) and freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh (.421) stand fourth and sixth, respectively in 3-point field goal percentage. In league contests, Hagemann is second in assists, averaging 6.6apg, while Clouden is seventh in scoring with 19.5 ppg.
As a team, the Spartans are fifth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.444) and third in 3-point field goal percentages (.367). Michigan State is second in assists, averaging 17.5 apg.
AROUND THE NATION
The Spartans are distributing the ball really well through the first 24 games. Michigan State is 13th in the nation and third in the Big Ten with 421 total assists and are 12th in assists per game, averaging 17.5 apg. MSU is also 18th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.367). Senior guard Nia Clouden has been stellar in getting to the line. She is fourth in the nation in free throws made (140) and 14th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.892). Clouden is also up to 12th in the country in scoring with 20.9 ppg.
DOING MORE WITH LESS
Losing senior Tory Ozment and junior Julia Ayrault to season-ending injuries at the beginning, MSU was already playing with a short bench. Against Nebraska on Dec. 30, the bench got even shorter. The Spartans played without freshman DeeDee Hagemann and senior Laurel Jacqmain because of COVID-19 protocols and junior Moira Joiner was out with concussion symptoms. Against the Huskers, MSU had nine players available and played eight. On Jan. 17, the Spartans announced that they would be without junior guard Moira Joiner for the rest of the season.
MERCHANT MILESTONES
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 308-198 record at Michigan State. Karen Langeland is the all-time leader with a 376-290 record at MSU. Merchant is also four wins away from tying Langeland for the most Big Ten wins by a MSU coach with 156. Merchant is currently 152-98 in Big Ten games. She also reached 500 career wins against Valparaiso on Tuesday, Nov. 16. Overall, she holds a 509-288 record overall.
UP NEXT
Michigan State will return home to take on Penn Sate on Monday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. The Spartans then have a re-match with Michigan on the road on Thursday, Feb. 24.
20 DIMES FOR WINS
The Spartans improved to 9-1 this season when dishing out 20 or more assists with 22 helpers on Jan. 27 at Penn State. It also marked MSU's third game in a row with 20+ assists after 20 vs. Northwestern (1/16/22) and 22 vs. Minnesota (1/23/22). The three-game streak is the Spartans' longest since opening the season with four-consecutive 20-helper outings. MSU's only loss with 20 assists came against No. 17/14 Maryland (2/3/22).
LAST TIME OUT
Playing their second top-10 ranked team in three days, the Michigan State women's basketball showed its wear and tear, falling to No. 7/6 Indiana 76-58, Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Spartans faced top-10 teams in a back-to-back games, after upsetting No. 4/4 Michigan on Thursday in East Lansing.
EKH EARNS ANOTHER B1G HONOR
On Jan. 24, guard/forward Matilda Ekh captured her second Freshman of the Week honor after leading the Spartans to a win against Minnesota on Jan. 23, scoring 23 points. Ekh also dished out a career-high six assists, topping her previous high of four, done twice in previous two games, at Ohio State (1/12/22) and vs. Northwestern (1/16/22). She also garnered the honor on Dec. 13. Ekh is now also tied for the most 20+ points games by a Spartan freshman since Nia Clouden had three 20-point outings in 2018-19. Fellow freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann also earned B1G Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 15.
CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 235 of its last 247 games (.951) when leading with five minutes left, including 185 of their last 199. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 269-20 (.931) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 12-1 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 an MSU win. The Green & White have won 167 of their last 195 games (.856) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 187-36 (.839) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is now 10-3 this season when scoring 70 points. The Spartans scored 71 points in losses to Notre Dame on Dec. 2 and Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20. MSU also fell to Ohio State, 89-83 on Jan. 12.
MEET THE NEW SIGNEES
Michigan State's 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.
• With 10 points against No. 7/6 Indiana on Feb. 12, senior guard Nia Clouden now has 1,782 career points, climbing up to No. 3 on MSU's career scoring list, passing Liz Shimek (2002-06) with 1,780 points. Next up is Aerial Powers (2013-16) with 1,817 points.
• MSU's men's and women's basketball teams will be among 12 teams set to compete at the 2022 Phil Knight Invitational (PKI) in Portland, Ore. over Thanksgiving weekend. The PKI multi-team tournament will feature eight men's teams and four women's teams, all playing between Nov. 24-27. ESPN Events announced the fields on Tuesday. The women's field includes: MSU, Iowa State, North Carolina and Oregon.
• Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh tallied seven points at IU, giving her 279 for her freshman campaign, moving up to No. 13 on MSU's freshman scoring list, pulling away from a tie for No. 14 with Brittney Thomas (2007-08) with 272 points and passing Nanette Gibson (1978-79) with 278 points. Ekh is just 20 points away from the No. 12 spot, held by Mary Kay McNall (1982-83) with 299 points, and just 21 points away from becoming the 12th Spartan freshman to reach 300 points.
• Nia Clouden added to her accolades when she was named to the Dawn Staley Late Season Watch List. Clouden was also Named to the Midseason Team for Naismith Women's Player of the Year. The honors continued to pour in as the senior was also one of 10 guard named to the Lieberman Watch List.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
After the largest comeback in school history, Wisconsin defeated Purdue 54-52, at the Kohl Center on Feb. 13. With the win, the Badgers are now 7-17 overall and 4-10 in league play. Wisconsin trailed Purdue by 22 points early in the third quarter before outscoring the Boilermakers 39-15 over the final 19 minutes of the game to pull off the biggest comeback ever in a Big Ten Conference game.
Wisconsin had two players averaging in double figures in Julie Pospisilova and Sydney Hilliard, who has recently take a leave of absence from the team. Pospisilova is currently 14th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 14.0 ppg. Brooke Schramek is averaging 8.3 ppg, while Katie Nelson in scoring 7.0 ppg. Pospisilova is 15th in field goal percentage (.366) and 3-point field goal made (1.8). Katie Nelson is 13th in the league in assists, averaging 3.5 apg.
Wisconsin is 13th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 55.3 ppg, while allowing 69.1. The Badgers can shoot the three, averaging 5.9 made 3-pointers per game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BADGERS
Michigan State leads the overall series with Wisconsin, 47-26. In Madison, the Badgers have the slight edge, 19-17, while in East Lansing, MSU has dominated with a 27-6 record. On neutral territory, Michigan State leads 3-1. The Spartans have won 15 of the last 16 meetings. Wisconsin's last win against MSU came on Valentine's Day matchup in 2019 with UW coming out on top 79-62.
Last season, the Spartans celebrated seniors Laurel Jacqmain, Mardrekia Cook and Claire Hendrickson on Senior Day on March 6, 2021. The Spartans earned a 67-54 win against Wisconsin.
For the second-straight game, Taiyier Parks led the team in scoring with her second double-double of the season. She scored 14 points with 11 rebounds, while adding two steals. Alyza Winston also scored 14 points, while junior guard Tory Ozment added 10. Senior forward Alisia Smith had a MSU career-high 14 rebounds to pace the Spartans.
MOVE OVER COACH
With four assists in Saturday's game, freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann now has 126 for her freshman season. After becoming just the eighth Spartan women's basketball player to register 100 assists as a freshman against Maryland on Feb. 3, 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 last time out vs. Michigan. Hagemann is just three away from tying for the No. 5 spot, held by Kiana Johnson (2011-12) with 129 assists.
MAMMA MIA
Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh tallied seven points at Indiana, giving her 279 for her freshman campaign, moving up to No. 13 on MSU's freshman scoring list, pulling away from a tie for No. 14 with Brittney Thomas (2007-08) with 272 points and passing Nanette Gibson (1978-79) with 278 points. Ekh is just 20 points away from the No. 12 spot, held by Mary Kay McNall (1982-83) with 299 points, and just 21 points away from becoming the 12th freshman in Spartan women's basketball history with 300 points in their first year for the Green & White.
By netting 1-of-4 from 3-point range, Ekh is now 53-of-124 at 42.7 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).
PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
By facing No. 4/4 Michigan on Feb. 10 and No. 7/6 Indiana on Feb. 12, it marked the first time that MSU had played back-to-back games against Top-10 teams since the 2016 Big Ten Tournament, when the Spartans beat No. 9/9 Ohio State (3/5/16), 82-63, in the semifinals before losing to No. 5/5 Maryland (3/6/16), 60-44, in the championship game in consecutive days. It is the first time since facing Top-10 teams in back-to-back games in the regular-season since 2006, when MSU lost to No. 7/7 Ohio State (1/22/06), 67-65, and at No. 8/8 Purdue (1/26/06), 73-53. That marked the Spartans' second set of back-to-back Top-10 foes in the 2005-06 season, as the Green & White played No. 2/1 Tennessee (11/24/05) and No. 10/10 Maryland (11/25/05) in consecutive days of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
MERCHANT MANIACS
Suzy Merchant has coached three of the most prolific scorers in MSU history. Three of the top leaders in career scoring have come during Merchant's tenure. Tori Jankoska (2013-17) is the Spartans' all-time leading scorer with 2,212 points, while Aerial Powers (2013-16) scored 1,817 points in three season as MSU. Nia Clouden is 19 points from passing All-American Liz Shimek (2002-06) for third on the all-time scoring list. Clouden is currently third in career scoring with 1,782 points.
GETTING DOWN TO THE WIRE
After the game against the Badgers, Michigan State has only three regular-season games remaining, including two at the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. All three games will be in the state of Michigan, as the only road game will be at Michigan. The Spartans stand seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 7-6 record just behind Nebraska's 8-6 mark. Indiana stands alone in first place in the Big Ten standings with a 10-2 record. Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State are all tied for second with 11-3 records. Rutgers earned its first conference win with a victory over Penn State. The Scarlet Knights now hold a 1-12 B1G record.
ICE IN HER VEINS
Freshman forward Isaline Alexander has come up big in the Spartans' back-to-back games against top five opponents. She tallied a career-high tying eight points for the second game in a row and the third time overall this season. Alexander also snared a career-high six rebounds, nearly doubling her previous career-high of four games in the last game. The first-year Spartan has now scored more points in the previous two games than she had in her previous 11 games played prior to this past Thursday's win over Michigan. Alexander has posted 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in a combined 45 minutes over the last three games.
WATCHING THE WATCH LISTS
Nia Clouden was added to the Dawn Staley Late Season Watch List. The Dawn Staley Award is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that she possessed throughout her career; ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win. Clouden is one of three Big Ten players named to the watch list along with Penn State's Makenna Marisa and Iowa's Caitlin Clark. The Owings Mills, Maryland native is ninth in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 21.0 points per game, which is also third in the Big Ten.
MOVING ON UP
With 10 points Saturday, senior guard Nia Clouden now has 1,782 career points, climbing up to No. 3 on MSU's career scoring list, passing Liz Shimek (2002-06) with 1,780 points. Next up is Aerial Powers (2013-16) with 1,817 points.
Clouden made one 3-pointer at Indiana, as she now has 53 triples this season and now with 139 career treys, taking over sole possession of the No. 9 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, pulling away from a tie with former Spartan player and current MSU assistant director of sports performance Annalise Pickrel (2010-14) with 138. Clouden is now five away for the No. 8 spot held by Christine Powers (1991-95) with 144 treys.
SPARTAN FUN FACTS
- Five Spartans have played all 24 games this season in Nia Clouden, Matilda Ekh, Taiyier Parks, Alisia Smith and Tamara Farquhar. With Clouden, Ekh and Smith starting all 24 games.
- Graduate forward Tamara Farquhar is now 11th in the Big Ten in rebounds in league contests, averaging 6.8 rpg.
- Michigan State was held under 60 points for the first time in its last nine game, last being held under 60 with 59 points in a 69-59 loss vs. Purdue (1/9/22), while the 58 points is MSU's fewest in a B1G game this season and lowest in its last 11 games since scoring 54 in a loss to West Virginia (12/21/21).
ANATOMY OF RECORD BREAKER
- Several records fell against FGCU for Nia Clouden. She set the record for made field goals with 17. She also tied Aerial Powers school record with 15 made free throws.
- With 50 points against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20, Nia Clouden broke Tori Jankoska's record of 42 points, which was set against Ohio State on 1/19/17.
- The 50 points is third-most scored by a DI women's basketball player this season, just behind Kansas State's Ayoka Lee who set the Division I scoring record with 61 points on Jan. 23 and Delaware's Jasmine Dickey who scored 52 on Feb. 4.
BIG TIME B1G HONOR
Senior guard Nia Clouden was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 27. The Owings Mills, Maryland native had a record setting-week at the West Palm Beach Invitational. Clouden scored 50 points in the Spartans' double overtime loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20. The 50 points is also the most points scored in the NCAA this season. She became just third Big Ten player ever to score 50 points, joining Minnesota's Rachel Banham (2015-16) and Michigan's Naz Hillmon (2020-21).
LOOKING ACROSS THE LEAGUE
Senior guard Nia Clouden is third in the B1G in scoring with 20.9 points per game behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark (27.6 ppg) and Penn State's Makenna Marisa (22.4 ppg). Clouden also holds the eighth spot in the league in assists with 4.0 helpers per contest, while freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann is third with 5.7 apg. Hagemann is also eighth in the league in assist/turnover ration (1.9). Clouden is also first in the league in free-throw percentage (.892). Clouden (.427) and freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh (.421) stand fourth and sixth, respectively in 3-point field goal percentage. In league contests, Hagemann is second in assists, averaging 6.6apg, while Clouden is seventh in scoring with 19.5 ppg.
As a team, the Spartans are fifth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.444) and third in 3-point field goal percentages (.367). Michigan State is second in assists, averaging 17.5 apg.
AROUND THE NATION
The Spartans are distributing the ball really well through the first 24 games. Michigan State is 13th in the nation and third in the Big Ten with 421 total assists and are 12th in assists per game, averaging 17.5 apg. MSU is also 18th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.367). Senior guard Nia Clouden has been stellar in getting to the line. She is fourth in the nation in free throws made (140) and 14th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.892). Clouden is also up to 12th in the country in scoring with 20.9 ppg.
DOING MORE WITH LESS
Losing senior Tory Ozment and junior Julia Ayrault to season-ending injuries at the beginning, MSU was already playing with a short bench. Against Nebraska on Dec. 30, the bench got even shorter. The Spartans played without freshman DeeDee Hagemann and senior Laurel Jacqmain because of COVID-19 protocols and junior Moira Joiner was out with concussion symptoms. Against the Huskers, MSU had nine players available and played eight. On Jan. 17, the Spartans announced that they would be without junior guard Moira Joiner for the rest of the season.
MERCHANT MILESTONES
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 308-198 record at Michigan State. Karen Langeland is the all-time leader with a 376-290 record at MSU. Merchant is also four wins away from tying Langeland for the most Big Ten wins by a MSU coach with 156. Merchant is currently 152-98 in Big Ten games. She also reached 500 career wins against Valparaiso on Tuesday, Nov. 16. Overall, she holds a 509-288 record overall.
UP NEXT
Michigan State will return home to take on Penn Sate on Monday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. The Spartans then have a re-match with Michigan on the road on Thursday, Feb. 24.
20 DIMES FOR WINS
The Spartans improved to 9-1 this season when dishing out 20 or more assists with 22 helpers on Jan. 27 at Penn State. It also marked MSU's third game in a row with 20+ assists after 20 vs. Northwestern (1/16/22) and 22 vs. Minnesota (1/23/22). The three-game streak is the Spartans' longest since opening the season with four-consecutive 20-helper outings. MSU's only loss with 20 assists came against No. 17/14 Maryland (2/3/22).
LAST TIME OUT
Playing their second top-10 ranked team in three days, the Michigan State women's basketball showed its wear and tear, falling to No. 7/6 Indiana 76-58, Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Spartans faced top-10 teams in a back-to-back games, after upsetting No. 4/4 Michigan on Thursday in East Lansing.
EKH EARNS ANOTHER B1G HONOR
On Jan. 24, guard/forward Matilda Ekh captured her second Freshman of the Week honor after leading the Spartans to a win against Minnesota on Jan. 23, scoring 23 points. Ekh also dished out a career-high six assists, topping her previous high of four, done twice in previous two games, at Ohio State (1/12/22) and vs. Northwestern (1/16/22). She also garnered the honor on Dec. 13. Ekh is now also tied for the most 20+ points games by a Spartan freshman since Nia Clouden had three 20-point outings in 2018-19. Fellow freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann also earned B1G Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 15.
CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 235 of its last 247 games (.951) when leading with five minutes left, including 185 of their last 199. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 269-20 (.931) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 12-1 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 an MSU win. The Green & White have won 167 of their last 195 games (.856) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 187-36 (.839) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is now 10-3 this season when scoring 70 points. The Spartans scored 71 points in losses to Notre Dame on Dec. 2 and Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 20. MSU also fell to Ohio State, 89-83 on Jan. 12.
MEET THE NEW SIGNEES
Michigan State's 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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