Spartans Celebrate Senior Day Wednesday Hosting Minnesota

Wednesday, February 22

East Lansing, Mich.

4:30 PM

Michigan State University

Minnesota

Spartans Celebrate Senior Day Wednesday Hosting Minnesota

2/21/2023 6:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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MSU will play its home regular-season finale.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will conclude the regular-season home schedule, hosting Minnesota on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tip off time is set for 4:30 p.m. on Big Ten Plus with Brendan Schabath and Zach Beavers calling the action. The Spartans will celebrate Senior Day, honoring Jayla James, Kamaria McDaniel and Stephanie Visscher.

• Wednesday is just the second game for MSU since a mass shooting on the East Lansing campus on Monday, Feb. 13, when three students were killed and five were hospitalized. The Spartans return to the court after their game against Purdue on Feb. 15 was postponed. Michigan State students returned to class on Monday, Feb. 20.

•   In its last outing, MSU fell to No. 8/8 Maryland in an emotional return to the court on Feb. 18, 66-61. Michigan State holds a 13-13 overall record and are 5-10 in B1G play. Minnesota lost to Northwestern 76-62 on Feb. 18 and are now 10-17 overall and 3-13 in league action.

• The Spartans have two regular-season contests left, hosting Minnesota before traveling to Penn State on Feb. 25. MSU is currently tied for ninth with Rutgers.

•   Against the Terrapins, DeeDee Hagemann dished out a season high-tying nine assists on Feb. 18, matching her previous mark set against Michigan on Feb. 5. She is now fifth in the B1G in assists, averaging 5.0 apg.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota comes to East Lansing with a 10-17 overall record and are 3-13 in Big Ten contests. The Golden Gophers have B1G wins against Penn State on Dec. 3 and Jan. 18, as well as a home win against Nebraska on Feb. 15. Minnesota lost its last game against Northwestern, 76-62, in Evanston on Feb. 18.

The Golden Gophers are ninth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 71.5 ppg, while standing in 13th in scoring defense, allowing 73.9 ppg. Through 27 games Minnesota has proved to be the best all-around rebounding team in the Big Ten conference. The Gophers are No. 1 in rebounding in both conference games (41.1 rpg) and overall this season (42.3 rpg). Minnesota's 64 rebounds against Chicago State on Dec. 12 is the most in the Big Ten this season.

Mara Braun leads the Gophers in scoring, averaging 15.2 ppg, while Alanna Micheaux is second with 13.9 ppg. Micheaux is fourth in the Big Ten in rebounds, averaging 7.9 rpg. Amaya Battle is seventh in the B1G in assists, averaging 4.4 apg.

Lindsay Whalen is in her fifth season with Minnesota, holding a 70-74 mark with the Gophers. She holds a 31-57 overall Big Ten record during that time frame.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE GOPHERS
Michigan State leads the overall series with Minnesota, 46-24. In East Lansing, the Spartans lead 25-7, winning the last seven at the Breslin Center. Michigan State has a slight 17-15 advantage in Minneapolis. The Spartans have won three of four meeting on neutral territory.

Michigan State has won seven of the last 10 overall meetings. Last season, the teams split games with both teams winning at home. MSU captured the victory on Jan. 23, 2022, 74-71. In Minneapolis, it was the Gophers who won, 71-60 on Feb. 6, 2022.

When Minnesota one last season, Michigan State was led by Nia Clouden's 13th 20-point game, as she led all scorers with 29 points to go along with four rebounds. Matilda Ekh reached double figures for the seventh game in a row and 15th time this season with 12 points.

BY THE NUMBERS VS. MARYLAND
• Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann dished out a season high-tying nine assists against the Terrapins, matching her previous mark set against Michigan on Feb. 5. The Detroit native also matched her career high with one block on Saturday.

• MSU scored 19 points off of 17 Maryland turnovers, while the Terrapins scored 11 off of 19 Spartan giveaways. The Green & White are now 12-6 when scoring more points off turnovers than their challenger.

LEADING THE TEAM
MSU will be playing its sixth-straight game without head coach Suzy Merchant on the bench after suffering a medical incident on Jan. 28. Dean Lockwood will be the Spartans' acting head coach.

THE BRAINY BALLERS
Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh and sophomore forward Isaline Alexander were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Women's Basketball Team on Feb. 21. All honorees must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) their current institution.

LOOKING AROUND THE LEAGUE
Michigan State only has two regular-season games remaining this season, holding a 5-10 mark in B1G games. MSU has one home game and one road contests remaining. Indiana has already earned the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament with a 16-1 record, while Iowa is second with a 14-2 mark. MSU is ninth with a 5-10 record, just ahead of Rutgers (5-11) and Penn State (4-12). Northwestern is 14th, holding a 2-14 record in league contests.

UP NEXT
Following the game against the Golden Gophers, Michigan State will have only one regular-season games remaining. MSU will end the regular season at Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.

DID YOU KNOW?
Michigan State out-scored the Terrapins by a 29-10 margin off the bench, bringing MSU's record when defeating its opponent off the pine to 13-9. This season, the Spartan bench has scored 769 points from its reserves while their opponents have scored 420 bench points this season.

EKH-CELLENT OUTING
Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh netted 21 points against Penn State on Feb. 12, including draining five 3-pointers. The 21 points tied Ekh's season-high and her most at home, as she matched her season-best of 21 at Northwestern (Jan. 2). The five treys tied her most in a B1G game for the third time this season, also doing so in back-to-back games at Northwestern (Jan. 2) and at Maryland (Jan. 7), and was one shy of her career-high of six triples, done once this season vs. Western Michigan (Nov. 13) as part of three total times of her career.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann dished out a season high-tying nine assists against the Terrapins on Feb. 18, matching her previous mark set against Michigan on Feb. 5. The Detroit native also matched her career high with one block on Saturday. Over the last seven games, Hagemann has had at least five helpers per game. She has averaged 7.6 apg during that seven game span. She has also scored in double figures five times during the last six games.

Hagemann is now fifth in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 5.0 apg. She is also sixth in steals with 2.0 spg. In Big Ten contests, she is sixth with 5.7 apg.

LAST TIME VS. MINNESOTA
Michigan State women's basketball fell to Minnesota on Sunday, 71-60, at Williams Arena on Feb. 6, 2022. The teams split the season series, with MSU earning a 74-71 win in East Lansing on Jan. 23.

Michigan State was led by senior guard Nia Clouden's 13th 20-point game, as she led all scorers with 29 points to go along with four rebounds. Clouden went 6-for-14 from beyond the arc, which was her second-straight game netting six treys. Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh reached double figures for the seventh game in a row and 15th time this season with 12 points.

THIEVES IN THE NIGHT
Against Nebraska on Feb. 2, the Spartans forced 19 turnovers, highlighted by 18 steals. The 18 steals are the most in a Big Ten game and the second most this season for MSU. Senior guard Moira Joiner and sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann registered five steals, while senior guard/forward Tory Ozment tied her career high with three. Michigan State's season high in steals came against Oakland on Nov. 15 with 19.

GETTING IN THE LINEUP
Sunday's Spartan starting five of graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel, sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh, senior guard Moira Joiner and sophomore forward Isaline Alexander was the sixth-straight game that MSU started with that line-up and are now 3-4 with that line-up to open the game. Overall, MSU has had seven different line-ups this season. McDaniel is the only Spartan to have started all 26 games. Both Ekh and Hagemann have started 25 games.

AMAZING AYRAULT
Redshirt junior guard/forward Julia Ayrault finished as Michigan State's leading scorer against Maryland on Feb. 18, scoring 15 on a 4-for-7 evening from the floor. Ayrault's scoring output surpassed her previous season high of 13 set against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 18. The Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, native scored in double figures for the second time this season and 14th time in her career. Ayrault additionally matched her season high in blocks with two rejections against the Terrapins. She also matched her career high in 3-point makes with a trio of field goals from downtown. Her previous career high was set against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 18.

JOINING THE BENCH
Former Michigan State All-American Nia Clouden returns to the Spartan bench this season. During the WNBA offseason, the Connecticut Sun guard will serve as a graduate assistant on Suzy Merchant's staff.

PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
The Dec. 29 win over No. 4/3 Indiana was MSU's third opponent ranked in the top 5, after facing then-No. 5/4 Iowa State on Nov. 24, 2022 in Portland, Oregon, and playing at then-No. 3/4 Ohio State on Dec. 11, 2022. Overall, MSU has faced six ranked teams so far this season, taking on No. 18/18 Oregon on Nov. 27 and No. 13/14 Maryland on Jan. 7. On Jan. 14, the Spartans fell to No. 17/20 Michigan and No. 10/9 Iowa on Jan. 18. The Spartans dropped to 1-8 this season against ranked foes with a losses to No. 22/22 Illinois on Jan. 29 and No. 8/8 Maryland on Feb. 18.

EKH EQUALS CONSISTENCY
Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh has been one of Michigan State's most consistent players this season. Against Maryland on Feb. 18, Ekh was second on the team in scorers with 11 points, making treys on the day. The Vasteras, Sweden, native tallied double figures for the 18th time this season and 37th in her career. She has only had two games this season without at least one 3-pointer made. Ekh leads the team in 3-pointers made this season with 65.

With 134 made 3-pointers in her two seasons, she stands 11th all-time at MSU. Next up for Ekh is No. 10 Annalise Pickrel (138, 2010-14), who currently serves as the team's strength & conditioning coach.

TAKING DOWN THE TOP
Michigan State's upset of No. 4/3 Indiana on Dec. 29 is the Spartans' highest win over a ranked team since upsetting No. 4/4 Michigan, 63-57, on Feb. 10, 2022 at the Breslin Center.

MO' MOIRA, MO' SCORING
Senior guard Moira Joiner has had a resurgence since returning from concussion symptoms that shortened her 2021-22 season. In 26 games this season, she has averaged 9.7 points per game. She is having her most productive season as a Spartan. She is second on the team in 3-pointers with 37. She has started 11 games so far this season, including the last nine. Joiner recorded a double-double for the first time in her collegiate career, booking 11 points and 10 rebounds in addition to three assists against No. 10/9 Iowa on Jan. 18. Against Wisconsin on Feb. 12, Joiner netted one 3-pointer to give her 118 for her career, as she passes Taylor Alton (2008-12).

AROUND THE NATION
This week, Michigan State is ninth in the nation and third in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.1 apg, behind Iowa (21.3 apg). MSU is also 10th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+6.2).

Individually, sophomore DeeDee Hagemann is ninth in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2.6). Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh is 45th in the NCAA and third in the B1G in 3-pointers made with 65.

CLOSE CALLS
In the Spartans' 13 losses this season, 10 of the 13 defeats have come by a margin of 10 points or less. On Nov. 27, MSU fell to No. 18/18 Oregon, 86-78. MSU lost to Georgia Tech on Dec. 1, 66-63, before falling in overtime to Purdue on Dec. 5, 76-71. Against No. 3/4 Ohio State, the Spartans fell, 74-68. Most recently, Michigan State fell to both No. 13/14 Maryland, Wisconsin and No. 10/9 Iowa by a combined 16 points. Against No. 22/22 Illinois, MSU lost by a close 86-76 margin, followed by a 71-67 loss to Nebraska on Feb. 2. Most recently, MSU fell to No. 18/19 Michigan, 77-67 and lost to No. 8/8 Maryland 66-61 on Feb. 18.

BALANCED ATTACK
Without All-American Nia Clouden to dominate the box score this season, the Spartans are looking for a more balanced attack. In 25 games this season, Michigan State has spread out the scoring. Nine different players have led the team in scoring this season. Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel has led the team in scoring eight times this season. Senior forward Taiyier Parks and junior guard Gabby Elliott and DeeDee Hagemann have led the team in scoring twice. McDaniel has six 20-point games and has led the team in scoring in all of those games. Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh has led the squad in scoring six times, while senior guard Moira Joiner has been on top four times. Redshirt-junior guard/forward was the top scorer for the Spartans against Maryland on Feb. 18.

TOPPING THE CHARTS
Michigan State is among the Big Ten's leaders in several categories this season. The Spartans are currently second in the B1G in turnover margin (+6.2) and third in steals (11.3 spg). MSU is also first in the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.8) and third in the conference in assists (18.1 apg). MSU currently stands sixth in the league in scoring margin (+12.3).

Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh is third in made 3-pointers per game with 2.6. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann stands third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2.6). Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel is 17th in the league in scoring, averaging 14.2 ppg.

In conference games, senior forward Taiyier Parks is tied for 13th in rebounds, averaging 6.5 rpg. Hagemann stands second in steals in league contests, averaging 2.6 spg and fifth in assists with 5.7 apg.

TITLE IX CELEBRATION
Throughout the season, Michigan State will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. MSU Athletics kicked off its year-round celebration on June 23, 2022. While the work in advancing women's athletics is not complete, the Spartans will celebrate the advancements that have been made in the last 50 years.

LEGENDARY SPARTAN
Former Michigan State women's basketball guard Nia Clouden was drafted 12th in the first round by the Connecticut Sun at the 2022 WNBA Draft. Clouden was the 12th Big Ten student-athlete drafted by the Sun franchise (which began as the Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002). Clouden, an Owings Mills, Maryland native, became the eighth Spartan to be selected in the WNBA draft. Tori Jankoska was the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Sky, while Aerial Powers was the fifth overall pick in 2016 going to the Dallas Wings.

SPARTANS: THE NEW CLASS
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of two National Letters of Intent on Thursday, including Jordan Wood (Chicago, Illinois/Carmel Catholic High School) and Bree Robinson (Mississauga, Ontario/ Webb School).

Wood is a 6-4 forward, who is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She attends Carmel Catholic High School and is coached by Ben Berg. Wood is currently ranked No. 62 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. Robinson is a 5-8 guard, who is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, plays for head coach Matthew Shewmake at the Webb School (Tenn.). She helped lead the Webb school to a Tennessee State Championship, earning First-Team All-District 3 honors in the process. She also has a vast amount of international experience playing for Team Canada.

CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 251 of its last 265 games (.947) when leading with five minutes left, including 201 of their last 217. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 285-22 (.928) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 13-1 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 a MSU win. The Green & White have won 184 of their last 219 games (.840) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 203-47 (.812) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is 13-6 this season when scoring 70 points. The Spartans have losses to Oregon, Purdue Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa and Illinois when reaching the 70-point mark.