Spartan Women's Basketball Heads to Wisconsin Wednesday

Wednesday, February 8

Madison, Wis.

7:30 PM ET

Michigan State University

Wisconsin

2/7/2023 4:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball hits the road to take on Wisconsin on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Kohl Center. Tip off time is set for 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Big Ten Plus with Noah Clark & Max Stapleton calling the action. Wednesday is also the Badgers' Think Pink game.

• The Spartans look to snap a three-game losing streak after falling to No. 18/19 Michigan, 77-67 on Feb. 5. MSU stands 11-12 overall this season and 3-9 in league action. Wisconsin is also looking break a three-game losing streak after falling to Rutgers, 73-67, on Feb. 5. The Badgers stand 7-17 overall and 2-10 in B1G play. Wisconsin won the first game this season with in 84-80 overtime thriller in East Lansing.

•   MSU will be playing its fourth-straight game without head coach Suzy Merchant on the bench after suffering a medical incident on Jan. 28. Dean Lockwood will act as acting head coach.

•Nine of Michigan State's 12 losses have been by 10 points or less, including three of the last six losses by four points in each game.

•   With a trio of three-pointers on Sunday, sophomore guard/forward Matila Ekh moved into 11th all-time at Michigan State with 126 career baskets from beyond the arc, passing Branndais Agee (124, 2013-18). Next up for Ekh is No. 10 Annalise Pickrel (138, 2010-14), who currently serves as the team's director of athletic performance.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Wisconsin comes into Wednesday's game with a 7-17 overall record and a 2-10 mark in Big Ten play. The Badgers have league wins against Minnesota (Jan. 8) and Michigan State (Jan. 11). Wisconsin is looking to snap a three-game losing streak after falling to Northwestern (Jan. 29), Ohio State (Feb. 1) and Rutgers (Feb. 5).

The Badgers are 12th in the league in scoring offense averaging 68.3 ppg, while standing 13th in scoring defense, allowing 73.2 ppg. Wisconsin is fifth in the conference in blocks (3.3 bpg), while standing tied for eighth in 3-point field goals made (7.0). UW is averaging 18.0 turnovers per game, but have averaged 13.3 tpg in wins this season.

Serah Williams is having a stellar freshman campaign for Wisconsin. She has scored in double figures in eight-straight contests, averaging 17.6 ppg and shooting 62.2 percent during that run. In league contests, she is averaging 15.0 ppg, standing third in the conference with 1.7 bpg.Brooke Schramek is fourth in the B1G in free throw percentage (.862).

Marisa Moseley is in her second season with Wisconsin, holding a 15-38 mark with the Badgers. Overall, she holds a 60-67 record in five season as a head coach.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BADGERS
This is the second meeting of the season between the Badgers and the Spartans. Overall, Michigan State leads the series 48-27. On Jan. 11, Wisconsin left the Breslin Center with an 84-80 overtime win. Freshman Serah Williams led all scorers with 31 points in the extra time battle. Senior guard Moira Joiner set a new career high with 20 points.

The Badgers hold a slight 18-19 lead in Madison, but the Spartans have won two of the last three. In East Lansing, Michigan State leads the overall series 27-7. On neutral territory, MSU is on top 3-1.

Michigan State had won five-straight in the series before the January loss, including a 74-67 win in Madison last season. The Spartans had won 11-straight games in the series, until the Badgers captured a 79-62 win in Madison in 2019. Wisconsin's last win in East Lansing came in 2010 when the Badgers earned a 48-45 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS VS. MICHIGAN
• Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann played all 40 minutes of regulation on Sunday, the first time a Spartan player has done so this season excluding games that went to overtime.

• Michigan State fell to 2-5 when three Spartans score in double figures. Against the Wolverines, Moira Joiner and Matilda Ekh led the way with 12 points each. DeeDee Hagemann was the third Spartan in double figures with 11 points.

• In the Spartans' 12 losses this season, nine of the 12 defeats have come by a margin of 10 points or less. Despite a seven-point halftime advantage, MSU was defeated by Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 5 by a score of 77-67.

MAKE ROOM FOR MATILDA
With a trio of 3-pointers against Michigan on Feb. 5, sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh moved into 11th all-time at Michigan State with 126 career baskets from beyond the arc, passing Branndais Agee (124, 2013-18). Next up for Ekh is No. 10 Annalise Pickrel (138, 2010-14), who currently serves as the team's director of athletic performance.

Senior guard Moira Joiner is also making her way up the charts. She added a pair of 3-pointers against Michigan on Feb. 5. Joiner is now 16th all-time in her career with 115. She is just one away from tying Taylor Alton (2008-12), who had 116 during her tenure.

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.

Against Michigan on Feb. 5, MSU kept the thievery going with 17 total steals. Hagemann and Joiner both set career highs with six steals apiece. Senior forward Taiyier Parks also added three.

UP NEXT
Following the game against the Badgers, Michigan State will then return home to host 4H Day against Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. After the game against Wisconsin, the Spartans only have five regular-season games remaining.

DID YOU KNOW?
Michigan State has had seven double-digit rebound performances this season by four different players. Sophomore forward Isaline Alexander leads the way with three 10-rebound games. Senior forward Taiyier Parks has reached double digits twice including a team-high 12 boards at Maryland on Jan. 7. Both senior guard Moira Joiner and redshirt-junior guard/forward Julia Ayrault have reached 10 rebounds once this season.

DYNAMITE DEEDEE
Against Michigan on Feb. 5, sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann played all 40 minutes of regulation, the first time a Spartan player has done so this season excluding games that went to overtime. Against the Wolverines, she scored 11 points for her third-straight double-digit scoring outing.

She has been solid on both sides of the ball the last two games. In the last two contests against Nebraska and Michigan, she has averaged 14.0 ppg, 5.5 spg and 7.0 apg. She has broken her career high in steals the last two games with 6.0 spg against the Wolverines. The sophomore has also been distributing the ball with a new season-high nine assists against Michigan. Over the last four games, she has averaged 7.5 assists per game.

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 fourth-straight game that MSU started with that line-up and are now 1-3 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 23 games. Both Ekh and Hagemann have started 22 games.

LOOKING AROUND THE LEAGUE
Michigan State only has six regular-season games remaining this season, holding a 3-9 mark in B1G games. MSU has three home games and three road contests remaining. Indiana stands alone in the Big Ten standings with an 12-1 record, while Iowa is second with a 11-1 mark. Maryland is alone in third with a 10-3 record. MSU is 11th with a 3-9 record just being Penn State, which the Spartans still have to play twice. Northwestern is 14th, holding a 1-11 record in league contests.

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 1-7 this season against ranked foes with a loss to No. 22/22 Illinois on Jan. 29.

LAST TIME VS. WISCONSIN
Senior guard Moira Joiner tied a career-high with 20 points, as the Spartan women's basketball team fell to Wisconsin in overtime, 84-80, in MSU's inaugural Pride Night on Jan. 11, 2023.

The Spartans trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, but Michigan State continued to battle. A Taiyier Parks jumper with 23 seconds remaining in regulation sent MSU to overtime for the second time this season.

EKH EQUALS CONSISTENCY
Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh has been one of Michigan State's most consistent players this season. Against Michigan on Feb. 5, Ekh tied for the team lead with 12 points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. The Vasteras, Sweden, native tallied double figures for the 16th time this season and 35th in her career.

Against Maryland on Jan. 7, sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh reached the 20-point mark for the second-straight game. She scored 20 points to lead the Spartans, highlighted by 17 points in the second half. Behind a 17-point second quarter against Northwestern, she scored 21 points on Jan. 2. The guard now has six games this season with at least four treys.

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 23 games this season, she has averaged 10.1 points per game. She is having her most productive season as a Spartan. She is second on the team in 3-pointers with 34. She has started eight games so far this season, including the last six.

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 No. 18/19 Michigan on Feb. 5, Joiner scored in 12 points for her fifth-consecutive game in double-digits as part of the seventh in eight games and overall her 14th double-figure contest this season and 28th of her career. Joiner netted two 3-pointers to give her 115 for her career, closing in on the No. 15 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, just one shy of tying Taylor Alton (2008-12)

AROUND THE NATION
This week, Michigan State is 10th in the nation and third in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.0 apg, behind Iowa (20.9 apg). MSU is also ninth in the nation and second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+6.6).

Individually, sophomore DeeDee Hagemann is 16th in the NCAA and fourth in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2.49). Sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh is 43rd in the NCAA and third in the B1G in 3-pointers made with 57.

CLOSE CALLS
In the Spartans' 12 losses this season, nine of the 12 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.

BALANCED ATTACK
Without All-American Nia Clouden to dominate the box score this season, the Spartans are looking for a more balanced attack. In 23 games this season, Michigan State has spread out the scoring. Eight 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 five times, while senior guard Moira Joiner has been on top four times.

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 (+6.6) and third in steals (11.6 spg). MSU is also first in the league in offensive rebounds per game (14.4) and third in the conference in assists (18.0 apg). MSU currently stands sixth in the league in scoring margin (+12.8).

Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh is first in the Big Ten in 3-point field percentage, shooting .404. She is also third in made 3-pointers per game with 2.6. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann stands fourth in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2.49). Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel is 18th in the league in scoring, averaging 13.9 ppg.

In conference games, senior forward Taiyier Parks is tied for 12th in rebounds, averaging 6.8 rpg. Hagemann stands third in steals in league contests, averaging 2.5 spg and fifth in assists with 5.3 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 249 of its last 263 games (.947) when leading with five minutes left, including 199 of their last 215. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 283-22 (.928) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 11-1 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 182 of their last 217 games (.839) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 201-47 (.810) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is 11-6 this season when scoring 70 points. The Spartans have losses to Oregon, Purdue Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa and Illinois when reaching the 70-point mark.