Thursday, November 2
East Lansing, Mich.
6:30 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Davenport (Exhibition)
MSU Women's Basketball Open Season With Exhibition Against Davenport
11/1/2023 1:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Spartans bring back three starters from last season.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball open's the 2023-24 season with its only exhibition against Davenport on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. The Robyn Fralick era officially begins on Thursday, as she was hired as the sixth head women's basketball coach at Michigan State on March 31. Marin Klein and Owen Oszust will be on the call for BTN+.
• Michigan State brings back three starters in junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, graduate guard Moira Joiner and junior forward Isaline Alexander. Hagemann is a two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree. Joiner is the top returning scorer for the Spartans, averaging 10.1 ppg as a senior last season.
• Last season, Davenport went 7-21 overall and 1-17 in the GLIAC. Fralick is no stranger to Davenport or the GLIAC, having won a Division II National Championship at Ashland University during the 2016-17 season when it was part of the GLIAC. Associate head coach Kim Cameron and assistant coach Kim Kasza are also both familiar with Davenport, having both graduated from Michigan Tech, which is in the GLIAC. Cameron was also the head coach there for eight years.
• Spartan head coach Robyn Fralick comes to Michigan State after five seasons at Bowling Green State University. Last season, she led the Falcons to the semifinals of the WNIT.
• Michigan State will have at least 10 games televised on either the Big Ten Network or Peacock this season. MSU will also have 15 regular-season contests aired on Big Ten Plus. Â
SCOUTING DAVENPORT
The Spartans will take on Division II Davenport who play in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In their first exhibition, the Panthers were stopped by Central Michigan, 75-61 on Oct. 29. Lilee Gustafson and Gabriela Modeva led DU with eight points apiece. Head coach Shonda Sanders is in her second season at the helm of the Panthers.
Last season, Davenport averaged scored 58.9 ppg, while allowing 70.5 ppg. The Panthers ended last season with a 7-21 overall record.Â
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. 3/3 Iowa (Jan. 2). At the Cancun Challenge, the Spartans will take on No. 22/23 Creighton. Big Ten teams Indiana, Ohio State, Maryland, Illinois and Michigan are all ranked in at least one of the preseason polls.
MEET THE NEWBIES
MSU introduces five newcomers to the team this season, including three freshmen and two transfers. The three freshmen are guard Bree Robinson (Mississauga, Ontario/Webb School), guard Kennedy Blair (Dearborn, Mich. /Divine Child) and center Mary Meng (Grafton, Ohio/Midview.)
The Spartans also added two transfers to this season's squad. Junior guard Jocelyn Tate comes to MSU from Bowling Green State University, where she averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Falcons. Junior guard Lauren Ross has played in the Breslin Center before, transferring from Western Michigan. She was averaging 21.8 ppg for the Broncos before tearing her ACL on Jan. 11, 2023.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced guard/forward Julia Ayrault and guard Moira Joiner as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2023-24 women's basketball team.
The duo are the first captains that Michigan State has had since the 2019-20 season, when Victoria Gaines and Taryn McCutcheon were tabbed team leaders.
Ayrault is a guard/forward graduate student from Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. She is in her fifth season with the Spartans after redsshirting the 2021-22 season with a foot injury. Ayrault has played in 77 games at Michigan State, starting 15. Last season, she played in all 30 games, averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Joiner is a guard, who is a graduate student from Saginaw, Michigan. She is also in her fifth season with MSU after missing much of the 2021-22 season with concussion symptoms. She has played in 95 games at Michigan State, starting 54. Joiner had a breakout campaign last season averaging 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
GUESS WHO'S BACK
Despite losing its top two leading scorers in Kamaria McDaniel (graduation) and Matilda Ekh (transfer), Michigan State welcomes back graduate guard Moira Joiner, who averaged 10.1 ppg last season. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann was fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.3 ppg and was sixth in the Big Ten in assists, 4.9 apg averaging apg.
LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
For the third-straight season, the conference will play an 18-game Big Ten schedule. MSU also played an 18-game schedule in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The conference additionally had 18-game schedules in both 2015-16 and 2014-15.Â
Nine of the Spartans' 2023-24 regular-season opponents competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, including both of Michigan State's opponents in the Cancun Challenge, James Madison and Creighton. From the Big Ten portion of the schedule, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Purdue and Ohio State reached the NCAA Tournament, including the Hawkeyes advancing to the National Championship game.
HEADING SOUTH
The Spartans will play in two tournaments this season. Over Thanksgiving, Michigan State will head to the Cancun Challenge in Mexico to take on James Madison (Nov. 24) and Creighton (Nov. 25). Before breaking for the Holiday break, the Spartans will play in the Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee,North Carolina, facing Richmond (Dec. 20) and either Coastal Carolina or UT-Chattanooga (Dec. 21).
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• Michigan State brings back three starters in junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, graduate guard Moira Joiner and junior forward Isaline Alexander. Hagemann is a two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree. Joiner is the top returning scorer for the Spartans, averaging 10.1 ppg as a senior last season.
• Last season, Davenport went 7-21 overall and 1-17 in the GLIAC. Fralick is no stranger to Davenport or the GLIAC, having won a Division II National Championship at Ashland University during the 2016-17 season when it was part of the GLIAC. Associate head coach Kim Cameron and assistant coach Kim Kasza are also both familiar with Davenport, having both graduated from Michigan Tech, which is in the GLIAC. Cameron was also the head coach there for eight years.
• Spartan head coach Robyn Fralick comes to Michigan State after five seasons at Bowling Green State University. Last season, she led the Falcons to the semifinals of the WNIT.
• Michigan State will have at least 10 games televised on either the Big Ten Network or Peacock this season. MSU will also have 15 regular-season contests aired on Big Ten Plus. Â
SCOUTING DAVENPORT
The Spartans will take on Division II Davenport who play in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In their first exhibition, the Panthers were stopped by Central Michigan, 75-61 on Oct. 29. Lilee Gustafson and Gabriela Modeva led DU with eight points apiece. Head coach Shonda Sanders is in her second season at the helm of the Panthers.
Last season, Davenport averaged scored 58.9 ppg, while allowing 70.5 ppg. The Panthers ended last season with a 7-21 overall record.Â
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. 3/3 Iowa (Jan. 2). At the Cancun Challenge, the Spartans will take on No. 22/23 Creighton. Big Ten teams Indiana, Ohio State, Maryland, Illinois and Michigan are all ranked in at least one of the preseason polls.
MEET THE NEWBIES
MSU introduces five newcomers to the team this season, including three freshmen and two transfers. The three freshmen are guard Bree Robinson (Mississauga, Ontario/Webb School), guard Kennedy Blair (Dearborn, Mich. /Divine Child) and center Mary Meng (Grafton, Ohio/Midview.)
The Spartans also added two transfers to this season's squad. Junior guard Jocelyn Tate comes to MSU from Bowling Green State University, where she averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Falcons. Junior guard Lauren Ross has played in the Breslin Center before, transferring from Western Michigan. She was averaging 21.8 ppg for the Broncos before tearing her ACL on Jan. 11, 2023.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced guard/forward Julia Ayrault and guard Moira Joiner as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2023-24 women's basketball team.
The duo are the first captains that Michigan State has had since the 2019-20 season, when Victoria Gaines and Taryn McCutcheon were tabbed team leaders.
Ayrault is a guard/forward graduate student from Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. She is in her fifth season with the Spartans after redsshirting the 2021-22 season with a foot injury. Ayrault has played in 77 games at Michigan State, starting 15. Last season, she played in all 30 games, averaging 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Joiner is a guard, who is a graduate student from Saginaw, Michigan. She is also in her fifth season with MSU after missing much of the 2021-22 season with concussion symptoms. She has played in 95 games at Michigan State, starting 54. Joiner had a breakout campaign last season averaging 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
GUESS WHO'S BACK
Despite losing its top two leading scorers in Kamaria McDaniel (graduation) and Matilda Ekh (transfer), Michigan State welcomes back graduate guard Moira Joiner, who averaged 10.1 ppg last season. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann was fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.3 ppg and was sixth in the Big Ten in assists, 4.9 apg averaging apg.
LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
For the third-straight season, the conference will play an 18-game Big Ten schedule. MSU also played an 18-game schedule in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The conference additionally had 18-game schedules in both 2015-16 and 2014-15.Â
Nine of the Spartans' 2023-24 regular-season opponents competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, including both of Michigan State's opponents in the Cancun Challenge, James Madison and Creighton. From the Big Ten portion of the schedule, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Purdue and Ohio State reached the NCAA Tournament, including the Hawkeyes advancing to the National Championship game.
HEADING SOUTH
The Spartans will play in two tournaments this season. Over Thanksgiving, Michigan State will head to the Cancun Challenge in Mexico to take on James Madison (Nov. 24) and Creighton (Nov. 25). Before breaking for the Holiday break, the Spartans will play in the Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee,North Carolina, facing Richmond (Dec. 20) and either Coastal Carolina or UT-Chattanooga (Dec. 21).
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