Michigan State Women’s Basketball Hosts Miami (OH) Sunday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will finally return to the friendly confines of the Breslin Center to take on Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. The Spartans rebounded after their first loss of the season with a 102-64 win over DePaul on the road and currently stand 6-1. Miami is 1-3 this season after a win against Xavier on Nov. 27. Jack Stager and Derrick Mitchell will be on the call for Big Ten Plus.

• The Spartans continued their sharp shooting against DePaul on Nov. 30. MSU is now first in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 45.9 percent from beyond the arc. MSU is also second in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 53.5 percent from the field. Michigan State is also third in the country in assists per game, averaging 23.4 apg.

• Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann returned to double-figures after two games in single-figures, tallying 17 points Thursday for her fifth double-digit outing of the season and 27th of her career.

• The second quarter has been the Spartans most productive so far this season. Michigan State is out-scoring its opponents 188-87 in the second period. MSU also starts the second half strong, out-scoring its opponents 173-102 in the third quarter.

• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault swatted a game-high two shots against DePaul, as she has at least one block in all seven games this season as part posting multiple swats in five of the seven contests this season.

The RedHawks bring a 1-3 record into Sunday's match-up with the Spartans. After opening the season with three defeats, Miami got in the win column by edging in-state foe Xavier, 58-57 in OT, on Nov. 27. The RedHawks started the season with a 60-48 loss at Vermont (Nov. 6), a 78-62 loss at Louisiana Monroe (Nov. 11), and a 63-43 loss at home to Western Kentucky (Nov. 18), before the win over Xavier.

First-year Miami head coach Glenn Box earned his first career win with the RedHawks' victory over Xavier. In that win, Amber Tretter netted the game-winning basket on a putback with 6.5 seconds left as part of her seven points. Jadyn Scott led three RedHawks in double-figures with 16 points, followed by Lakresha Edwards with 14 points.

Miami averages 52.8 points per game, while shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 23.3 percent from 3-point range and 60.8 percent at the free throw line. The RedHawks' opponents are averaging 64.5 ppg, 41.1 percent field goal shooting and 31.0 percent behind the arc, and the opposition averages 37.0 rebounds per game, compared to 28.3 rpg for Miami, a -8.8 rebounding margin.

Box is familiar with Big Ten women's basketball, as he had spent the previous seven seasons on Indiana's bench, including the last four season as associate head coach for IU head coach Teri Moren.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE REDHAWKS
Sunday's match-up between the Spartans and RedHawks is the first meeting since Nov. 30, 2014. It will also be the seventh all-time meeting, with Miami leading, 4-2, including 3-2 in East Lansing. The RedHawks won the first-ever meeting, 56-52, on Valentine's Day, 1975, in East Lansing. MSU earned its first series win on Feb. 16, 1980, 71-70, before Miami won the next three, starting with a 75-65 win on Jan. 30, 1982 in Oxford. The RedHawks won the next meeting, 66-65, on Dec. 30, 1982, and then the teams didn't play for 20 years until 2002, when Miami again won a close one, 86-84, on Nov. 24, 2002. The Spartans got back in the win column with an 85-39 route on Nov. 30, 2014.

LAST TIME VS MIAMI
Aerial Powers had 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, while Anna Morrissey scored 17 points and No. 16 Michigan State beat Miami of Ohio 85-39 on Nov. 30, 2014.

Powers recorded her fifth double-double of the season for Michigan State (4-1), which dominated the RedHawks (1-3) in nearly every facet except free-throw shooting where the Spartans were 7-of-19. The Spartans shot a season-high 58.1 percent from the field in the first half, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range, to build a 41-19 lead.

SPARTAN CONNECTIONS
Another familiarity on Miami's bench is assistant coach Evelyn Thompson, who is in her first year with the RedHawks, after being head coach at Cleveland State Community College for the previous six seasons. Thompson was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 2007-09, helping the Spartans to a Sweet Sixteen appearance. She was also head coach of the Michigan Crossover AAU Nike Elite team in 2011, coaching several players who went on to play at the college level.

TRIPLE-DIGIT THREATS
With a 102-64 win over DePaul on Nov. 30, MSU has now broken the triple-digit mark three times in the seven games this season, the most since the 2017-18 season.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are second in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 53.5 percent from the field. Michigan State is also third in the country in assists per game, averaging 23.4 apg. The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands fourth in the nation in scoring margin, as well (+33.7). MSU is tops in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (45.9 percent).

Individually, Julia Ayrault is ninth in the nation in blocks with 20 and 10th in blocks per game (2.9 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is 25th in the country and first in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (3.18).

MAKING THE MOST OF IT
Graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment has been making the most of her minutes off the bench. Ozment is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.9 points per game. She has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, including a season-high 16 against James Madison on Nov. 23. She has also been solid defensively, with 1.6 steals per game. She had a career-high four swaps in the game against JMU.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Early on this season, Michigan State is first in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+33.7) and first in assists (23.4 apg). The Spartans are also first in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 11.3 per game. MSU is second in the conference in steals, averaging 10.3 spg behind Penn State with 10.5.

Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game, which is 14th in the Big Ten, while graduate guard Moira Joiner is 15th with 14.9 ppg. Hagemann is also tied for fifth in the league in assists, averaging 5.0 apg. Joiner is first in 3-point field goal percentage (.486). Guard/forward Julia Ayrault is tied for first in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.9 bpg with Wisconsin's Serah Williams.

BY THE NUMBERS VS. DEPAUL
• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault matched Hagemann with 17 points, posting double-figures for the fourth-straight game and the fifth time overall this season as part of her 18th career game.

• Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock netted a career-high 14 points, tallying double-figures for the first time this season and the second time in her career, topping her previous career-best of 10 points vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (11/10/22).

• Junior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate pulled down a team-high six rebounds, also her season-best ... it's the first time this season that Tate has led MSU in rebounding, becoming the fifth different Spartan to lead the team in rebounding.

AWESOME AYRAULT
Graduate guard Julia Ayrault earned a spot on the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team after a solid two games. In the two games, she averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game to go along with 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. She started with a breakout performance against James Madison with a career-high 25 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. She had the Spartans' first double-double of the season.

FRALICK NEARING MILESTONE
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is nearing another career milestone. After a win against DePaul on Nov. 30, she now holds a 198-77 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.

LIGHTS OUT SHOOTING
Shooting 70.9 percent from the field (39-for-55) against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 16, the Spartans had another stellar performance from the field against Evansville. MSU shot 63.6 percent from the field for the game, going 42-for-66 from the field. After starting the game 0-for-6 from long range, the Spartans ended the game shooting 47.1 percent (8-for-17).

KIMBALL KILLING IT
Sophomore guard Abbey Kimball is showing sign of a sophomore slump. With 82 points in seven games, she has already passed her point total from last season of 57 in 23 games. Against James Madison she had her first 20-point game with 21 points, going 5-for-10 from long range. She is averaging 11.7 points this season, which is fourth on the team.

THE DEFENSE AIN'T BAD EITHER
Michigan State has made a name for itself with its offense so far this season. But the Spartan defense hasn't been too shabby this season. MSU is second in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 10.3 spg. The Spartans are also third in the league in blocks with 4.7 per game. While scoring 94.6 ppg, Michigan State is allowing only 60.9 ppg.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
In tying the school record for assists with 34 against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 16, 11 of the 12 Spartans that played had at least one helper. Hagemann led the way with seven, which was just shy of her season high of eight. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault tied her career high with five assists. She previously had five assists against Northern Illinois on Dec. 20, 2020. Michigan State is first in the Big Ten and the nation in assists per game, averaging 27.8 apg.

COMING NEXT YEAR
MSU head coach Robyn Fralick announced the signing of four National Letters of Intent, including Sinai Douglas (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Start High School), Helen Holley (Cleveland, Ohio/Gilmour Academy), Juliann Woodard (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County High School) and Inés Sotelo Miguez (Ourense, Spain).

Douglas is a 5-4 guard, who is a native of Toledo, Ohio. She attends Toledo Start High School and is coached by Dane Franklin. Douglas is currently ranked No. 87 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.

Holley is a 6-1 forward, who is a native of Cleveland Ohio, plays for head coach Kevin Byrne at the Gilmour Academy. As a junior, she averaged 14.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. She captured second-team All-Ohio honors last season.

Woodard is a 6-0 forward, who is a native of North Vernon, Indiana, plays for head coach Kristi Sigler at Jennings County High School. Woodard is currently ranked No. 58 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.

Sotelo Miguez is a 6-3 forward, who is a native of Ourense, Spain. She has extensive international experience, including playing with the U18 Spanish National Team last summer in Konya, Turkey at the Eurobasket Tournament. In the third-place game against Serbia, scoring 14 points and five rebounds in the game.

HALL OF FAMER
Spartan All-American Tori Jankoska was inducted into the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 5. Jankoska was a four-time all-state player for Freeland High School from 2010-13 where she scored a Saginaw County record 2,333 career points, also good for No. 9 all-time in the state of Michigan. During her four years at MSU, Jankoska (2013-17) became the program record holder in career points (2,212), field goals made (707), 3-pointers made (320), and finished second in assists (489). She is currently an assistant coach at Virginia.

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 red-shirting 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.

LAST TIME OUT
Behind a career-high 26 points from graduate guard Moira Joiner as part of five players in double-figures, the Michigan State women's basketball team breezed past DePaul, 102-64, Thursday night at Wintrust Arena.

Graduate guard Moira Joiner broke her career high with 26 points, going 4-for-9 from long range, and leading the five Spartans in double-figures. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock also surpassed her career-best with 14 points, also making four 3-pointers. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault and junior guard DeeDee Hagemann also had solid offensive nights with 17 points each. Hagemann also added five assists in the win. Sophomore guard Abbey Kimball added 11 points

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.

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.

Michigan State Women’s Basketball Hosts Miami (OH) Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

DeeDee Hagemann

Theryn Hallock

Moira Joiner

Abbey Kimball

Tory Ozment

Jocelyn Tate