Michigan State University
14-11,8-6Big Ten
Wisconsin
7-18,4-11Big Ten
Ekh’s 25 Points Lifts MSU Women’s Basketball Past Wisconsin
2/16/2022 9:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MADISON, Wis. - Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh's game-high 25 points helped guide the Michigan State women's basketball team past Wisconsin, 74-67, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin on Wednesday night.
The Spartans were playing without starting point guard DeeDee Hagemann, who is out in concussion protocol. Michigan State only played eight players in the contest.
With the victory, Michigan State improves to 14-11 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten action. Wisconsin now stands 7-18 overall and 4-11 in league contests.
Aside from Ekh's 25 points, two other Spartans reached double figures. Senior guard Nia Clouden added 12 points and tied her season high with eight assists. Senior forward Alisia Smith also added 12 points along with four rebounds and two steals. Junior forward Taiyier Parks was just shy of a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.
Wisconsin was led by Krystyna Ellew with 19 points. The Badgers were solid from long range going 14-for-24 on the night.
It was a fast start for both teams with the game knotted at 10-10 with under four minutes left in the first quarter. The Badgers used a 7-0 run to take a 15-10 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the period. Smith and Parks combined for eight points in the quarter to lead Michigan State, but the Badgers were on top 15-12 after 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Spartans scored the first five points to take the lead 17-15 after a Clouden bucket. The Badgers' 3-point range continued to harm Michigan State as they went on to score seven in the quarter. The Spartans went 3:54 without a field goal as Wisconsin maintained the lead for much of the quarter, but a Farquhar jumper once again tied the score at 30-30. The Badgers scored the final five points of the half to take 35-30 advantage into the locker room.
While the Spartans shot 52.0 percent from the field in the first half, the Badgers countered with a 61.9 percent shooting percentage from the field.
Michigan State came out hot after the break, using a 7-0 run to re-take the lead, 40-38. In a game of runs, the Spartans used a 9-0 run to up their lead to 51-43. The Green and White were also able to keep the Badgers off the scoreboard for over three minutes until a Halle Douglass 3-pointer. Ekh was the key to the Spartans' success in the third quarter with 13 points.
The Spartans took their first double-digit lead 57-46 after a Smith layup. From that point on, the Badgers would get no closer than seven points, as the Spartans sealed the victory. Smith led MSU in the fourth quarter, scoring six of her 12 total points.
Michigan State will now take a much needed break and return to the Breslin Center to take on Penn State on Monday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
Post-Game Notes vs. Wisconsin
- Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh led the Spartans with 25 points on Wednesday against Wisconsin. She now has four 20-point games on the season. She was just shy of matching her career high of 27 points set against Ohio State on Jan. 12.
- Senior guard Nia Clouden matched her season high with eight assists. She also had eight assists against Marshall on Nov. 30 and Bryant on Nov. 19. She is second on the team in helpers this season with 105. She has passed the century mark in assists in three of her four seasons at MSU.
- With DeeDee Hagemann out of the lineup, junior forward Taiyier Parks earned her second start of the season. She also started in a Dec. 30 win over Nebraska. Hagemann had started 13 games, including 10-straight games before missing the game against Wisconsin.
- Freshman forward Isaline Alexander continued to make the most of her minutes, scoring six points with two assists and one rebound. Alexander has posted 24 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a combined 65 minutes over the last four games.
- With three players in double figures against Wisconsin, Michigan State evened out its record to 4-4 with a trio in double digits. Matilda Ekh, Nia Clouden and Alisia Smith all reached double figures in the road victory.
- Even without freshman DeeDee Hagemann, the Michigan State newcomers still had a huge impact in the win against the Badgers. Freshmen Matilda Ekh, Isaline Alexander and Brooklyn Rewers combined for 33 of the Spartans 71 points. Alexander also tied a career high with two assists, while Ekh hit all five of MSU's 3-pointers.
