Wednesday, January 17
East Lansing, Mich.
6:30 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Northwestern
MSU Women's Basketball Hosts Northwestern Wednesday
1/16/2024 5:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Spartans have won two-straight in the series
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball returns home to the Breslin Center to take on Northwestern on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. The Spartans now stand 12-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten games this season after a 70-65 loss to No. 17/16 Ohio State on Jan. 14. Bryan Rector and Derrick Mitchell will be on the call for Big Ten Plus.
• Northwestern stands 7-10 overall and 2-4 in league contests this season. Last time out, the Wildcats suffered 92-53 loss to Illinois in Evanston.
• Graduate guard Moira Joiner is inching near the 1,000 point mark. With 13 points against Ohio State, she now has scored 974 points in her Spartan career. With one 3-pointer against Ohio State, she also stands sixth all-time in the MSU record books with 170 treys.
• After playing five of their last six games away from home, Michigan State will now enjoy a stretch of home games at the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. MSU will end the month of January playing three of its last five games at home. After Northwestern, the Spartans will take on Purdue (Jan. 24) and Michigan (Jan. 27) at home.
• Against OSU, junior guard DeeDee Hagemann distributed five assists, posting her eighth contest this season with five or more helpers. Hagemann's five assists give her 357 for her career, moving up to No. 12 on MSU's career assists list, passing Vnemina Reese (1998-2002) with 356 helpers.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats come to East Lansing with a 7-10 overall and 2-4 B1G record in tow, coming off a 93-52 loss to in-state rival Illinois on Sunday. Northwestern has lost three of its last four, with losses at Penn State (95-55 on Jan. 2) and at No. 20 Ohio State (90-60 on Jan. 5) and a win at Wisconsin (74-69 on Jan. 10), before Sunday's home loss to Illinois.
In Sunday's loss, Illinois jumped out to a 20-11 first-quarter advantage and never looked back, pulling away for a 45-21 halftime score. The Illini stretched their lead to 62-29 early in the third stanza, before six unanswered Wildcats points pulled them within 62-35 on a pair of free throws by senior forward Paige Mott. However, that would be the closest that Northwestern would get, as Illinois won going away, 93-52. Graduate guard Maggie Pina netted a season-high 11 points, followed by junior forward Caileigh Walsh and Mott with eight points apiece, and Walsh added six rebounds to go with three blocks.
Northwestern is 13th in the B1G in scoring offense (67.4 ppg), while ranking 14th in scoring defense (80.8 ppg), to rank 14th in scoring margin (-13.4 ppg). The Wildcats are shooting 41.6 percent from the field, along with 36.3 percent from 3-point range and 78.8 percent at the free throw line. NU averages 36.7 rebounds per game. Northwestern is averaging 18.2 assists per contest, while committing 17.6 turnovers per game, to go with a 1.0 assist/turnover ratio.
Two Wildcats average double-figures, led by Walsh with 13.1 ppg, while junior guard Melannie Daley adds 12.4 ppg. Walsh also leads NU on the board with 5.9 rpg. Sophomore guard Caroline Lau dishes out 6.0 assists per game to rank second in the B1G, and is 15th in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown is in his 16th season at the helm of the Wildcats' program, the longest tenured coach in NU's program history. McKeown has a 257-229 record, and the 257 wins ranks him second among active B1G coaches.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Michigan State leads the overall series with Northwestern, 46-29. The Spartans have won the last two games in the series, including winning in Evanston for the first time since 2014 last season. Overall, MSU leads the series in East Lansing, 26-9. The Wildcats lead in Evanston 18-20, while MSU is on top 2-0 on neutral ground.
LAST TIME VS NORTHWESTERN
Michigan State women's basketball earned its fourth-straight win with a 71-64 victory over Northwestern on at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 2.
This was MSU's first win at Welsh-Ryan since 2014.
Michigan State had three players in double figures led by 21 points by sophomore guard Matilda Ekh, who went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Taiyier Parks had her second-straight double-digit scoring game with 17 points and six rebounds, while graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel added 13 points. Redshirt-junior guard/forward Julia Ayrault was a beast on the boards with 10 rebounds to lead all players.
MAKING THE "MO"ST OF IT
Graduate guard Moira Joiner had a solid senior season, averaging 10.1 points per game during the 2022-23 season. She scored a career-high 302 points with 46 3-pointers. For her encore performance as a Spartan, she is improving on last season. This season, she is averaging 16.0 ppg. She already has scored 256 points just 46 points away from tying last season's point total. She is only three 3-pointers away from matching last year's total of 46.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. OHIO STATE
• The Spartan starting five of junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore guard Abbey Kimball junior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, graduate guard Moira Joiner and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault for Sunday's game marked the sixth-straight game and the 13th time overall this season that the Spartans have rolled out that line-up for the opening tip-off. MSU is now 9-4 this season with that starting five.
• Michigan State was held below 70 points for just the second time this season with a season-low 65 points, with MSU only previously held under 70 in the last 10 games since scoring 69 in loss to Creighton (11/24).
• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault pulled down nine rebounds, sharing the team-lead with Ozment and marking the seventh-straight game with seven or more boards and ninth total time this season. Ayrault has at least four rebounds in all 16 games this season including five or more boards in 14 contests.
TERRIFIC TORY
With 18 points against Ohio State on Jan. 14, graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment posted her third double-figure game in the last four outings as part of the seventh overall game in double-digits, topping her previous season-high of 16 points vs. James Madison (11/23), and one point shy of her career-high of 19 points vs. Virginia (11/28/18).
Sunday's 18 points was Ozment's most in a B1G game in her career, in part of only her fifth B1G contest in double figures, topping the previous mark of 11 points, done twice previously and both vs. Nebraska (12/31/19 and 1/10/21), also scoring in double-digits with 10 vs. Rutgers and Wisconsin in back-to-back games (2/24/21 and 3/6/21). This season, she is averaging 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Graduate guard Moira Joiner is inching near the 1,000 point mark. With 13 points against Ohio State, she now has scored 974 points in her Spartan career. With one 3-pointer against Ohio State, she also stands sixth all-time in the MSU record books with 170 treys. The last Spartan to reach 1,000 points was All-American Nia Clouden, who ended her career in 2022 with 1,882 points.
MOVIN' ON UP
Several Spartans are moving up the MSU record books. With two blocks against Maryland on Jan. 9, graduate guard Julia Ayrault now has 109 blocks and stands tied for fifth all-time at MSU, passing Spartan Hall of Famer Liz Shimek (2002-06), who had 108. Graduate guard Moira Joiner now has 170 made 3-pointers and now stands sixth all-time. Even though she is just a junior, guard DeeDee Hagemann already has 357 career assists. Hagemann's five assists give her 357 for her career, moving up to No. 12 on MSU's career assists list, passing Vnemina Reese (1998-2002) with 356 helpers.
WELCOME HOME
On Jan. 27 against Michigan, the Spartans will also celebrate Alumni Day. Among the events scheduled is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2013-14 Big Ten Championship team. That team went 23-10, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans were led by Annalise Pickrel, Aerial Powers and Tori Jankoska that season.
FRALICK HITS MILESTONE
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick reached a career milestone with a win against CMU on Dec. 17. She captured her 200th career win, now holding a 204-80 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.
AYRAULT GETTING THE JOB DONE
Against Maryland on Jan. 9, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault registered her third double-double of the season and fifth of her career with a team-high tying 20 points and 10 rebounds, joining 25 points and 15 rebounds vs. James Madison (11/23) along with a 13 points and 10 rebounds outing vs. Central Michigan (12/17). Ayrault's 20 points was her third 20+ point outing of the season and third-highest behind her career-high 32 points vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21) and 25 vs. James Madison (11/23). Tuesday's 20 points was Ayrault's sixth-straight game in double-figures and the 12th double-digit scoring outing of the season.
Ayrault's 10 rebounds were her third double-figure rebounding outing and tied for second-most of the season behind her career-high 15 vs. James Madison (11/23) and matching 10 boards vs. Central Michigan (12/17). She now has 38 blocks this season through 15 games, already the most by a Spartan in a single season since 2017-18 when Taya Reimer had 38 on the season.
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HER...JOINER
Graduate guard Moira Joiner's jumper with 29 seconds left was her 10th point of the day, continuing her streak of netting double-digits in every game this season. Joiner now has 18-straight double-digit outings going back to the 2022-23 season as part of in 19 of her last 20 games played. For her career, Joiner now has 45 double-figure outings. She leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.0 ppg, which is 10th in the Big Ten.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are 14th in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Michigan State is also ninth in the country in assists per game, averaging 19.9 apg. They are also first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.78). The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands 13th in the nation in scoring margin, as well (+25.1). MSU is currently fifth in the nation in 3-pointers made (9.8/game).
Individually, Julia Ayrault is 17th in the nation in blocks with 38 and 17th in blocks per game (2.4 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is eighth in the country assist/turnover ratio (3.05).
LIVE BY THE THREE
The Spartans were also limited to only five 3-pointers Sunday against OSU. It was only the fifth time this season being held under eight triples, including in the last three games, and MSU is now 1-4 when doing so. The Spartans' lone win with under eight triples was last time out vs. Maryland (1/9) with seven treys, while the Spartans were held to seven 3-pointers in their first loss of the season vs. Creighton (11/24), four in the only home loss of the season, vs. Nebraska (12/9), and seven at Iowa (1/2).
Michigan State drained 14 3-pointers against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 21, tying the second-most for the third time, also netting 14 triples vs. Detroit Mercy (11/16) and at DePaul (11/30), and just behind the season-high 15 treys vs. James Madison (11/23). Overall with 10 treys against Penn State on Dec. 30, MSU registered its fourth-straight game in double-digit treys as part of the eighth time this season.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
This season, Michigan State is second in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+22.1) and second in assists (19.9 apg). The Spartans are also second in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 9.75 per game. MSU is tied for first in turnover margin with Ohio State (+7.94) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.78).
Graduate guard Moira Joiner leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game, which is 10th in the Big Ten. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault is sixth in rebounding with 7.6 rpg. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann is ninth in the league in assists, averaging 4.5 apg. Joiner is fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.406). Ayrault is also second in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.4 bpg, behind Wisconsin's Serah Williams.
DID YOU KNOW?
Against Ohio State, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault pulled down nine rebounds, sharing the team-lead with Tory Ozment and marking the seventh-straight game with seven or more boards and ninth total time this season. Ayrault has at least four rebounds in all 16 games this season, including five or more boards in 14 contests.
NICELY MAKING IT THROUGH DECEMBER
So far has been so very good for the Spartans, as they have made Merle Haggard proud by more than making it through December, as MSU enters Tuesday's tangle with the Hawkeyes with an 11-2 overall record, marking the Spartans' second-straight season with double-digit wins through the end of December. Overall, it marks Michigan State's 11th overall season in the 2000s with 10+ Victories for MSU rolling into the new year portion of the schedule. A win Tuesday would match the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons for most wins through December during the 2000s.
ALCOHOL SALES COME TO BRESLIN
Alcohol sales have been implemented at Breslin Center for men's and women's basketball and at Munn Ice Arena for hockey in 2024. At Breslin Center, alcohol sales begin on Jan 4 for men's basketball (vs. Penn State) and Jan. 9 for women's basketball (vs. Maryland). January 5 (vs. US National Team Development Program) will mark the first game of alcohol sales at Munn Ice Arena. Sales will start one hour prior to announced start time at each location. At Breslin Center, sales will close at the beginning of the second half of the basketball game. At Munn Ice Arena, sales will close at the end of the second intermission. Both beer and seltzer options will be available. All beer sold will be in 16 oz cans, while seltzer will be 12 oz cans. Cost will be $10 or $12 depending on selection. Exact locations for points of sale will be announced at a later date. Food will not be able to be purchased at the same location as alcohol.
TRIPLE-DIGIT THREATS
With a 105-66 win over Coastal Carolina on Dec. 21, MSU has now broken the triple-digit mark four times in the 10 games this season. This is the first-time ever that Michigan State has had four 100-point games in a season.
COMING NEXT YEAR
MSU head coach Robyn Fralick announced the signing of four National Letters of Intent, including Sinai Douglas, Helen Holley, Juliann Woodard (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County High School) and Inés Sotelo.
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.
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.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a season-high 18 points from graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment, the Michigan State women's basketball dropped a defensive battle with No. 17/16 Ohio State, 70-65, at Value City Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams came into Sunday's contest averaging nearly 90 points per game in a match-up that saw both teams shoot well below their season averages under tough defensive pressure.
For the second time this season, Michigan State had only two players in double figures led by Ozment's season-high 18 points. She was just one shy from tying her career high of 19 set against Virginia on Nov. 28, 2018. Graduate guard Moira Joiner continued her streak of reaching double figures in all 16 games this season with 13 points, to go along with a season-high five assists.
• Northwestern stands 7-10 overall and 2-4 in league contests this season. Last time out, the Wildcats suffered 92-53 loss to Illinois in Evanston.
• Graduate guard Moira Joiner is inching near the 1,000 point mark. With 13 points against Ohio State, she now has scored 974 points in her Spartan career. With one 3-pointer against Ohio State, she also stands sixth all-time in the MSU record books with 170 treys.
• After playing five of their last six games away from home, Michigan State will now enjoy a stretch of home games at the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. MSU will end the month of January playing three of its last five games at home. After Northwestern, the Spartans will take on Purdue (Jan. 24) and Michigan (Jan. 27) at home.
• Against OSU, junior guard DeeDee Hagemann distributed five assists, posting her eighth contest this season with five or more helpers. Hagemann's five assists give her 357 for her career, moving up to No. 12 on MSU's career assists list, passing Vnemina Reese (1998-2002) with 356 helpers.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats come to East Lansing with a 7-10 overall and 2-4 B1G record in tow, coming off a 93-52 loss to in-state rival Illinois on Sunday. Northwestern has lost three of its last four, with losses at Penn State (95-55 on Jan. 2) and at No. 20 Ohio State (90-60 on Jan. 5) and a win at Wisconsin (74-69 on Jan. 10), before Sunday's home loss to Illinois.
In Sunday's loss, Illinois jumped out to a 20-11 first-quarter advantage and never looked back, pulling away for a 45-21 halftime score. The Illini stretched their lead to 62-29 early in the third stanza, before six unanswered Wildcats points pulled them within 62-35 on a pair of free throws by senior forward Paige Mott. However, that would be the closest that Northwestern would get, as Illinois won going away, 93-52. Graduate guard Maggie Pina netted a season-high 11 points, followed by junior forward Caileigh Walsh and Mott with eight points apiece, and Walsh added six rebounds to go with three blocks.
Northwestern is 13th in the B1G in scoring offense (67.4 ppg), while ranking 14th in scoring defense (80.8 ppg), to rank 14th in scoring margin (-13.4 ppg). The Wildcats are shooting 41.6 percent from the field, along with 36.3 percent from 3-point range and 78.8 percent at the free throw line. NU averages 36.7 rebounds per game. Northwestern is averaging 18.2 assists per contest, while committing 17.6 turnovers per game, to go with a 1.0 assist/turnover ratio.
Two Wildcats average double-figures, led by Walsh with 13.1 ppg, while junior guard Melannie Daley adds 12.4 ppg. Walsh also leads NU on the board with 5.9 rpg. Sophomore guard Caroline Lau dishes out 6.0 assists per game to rank second in the B1G, and is 15th in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown is in his 16th season at the helm of the Wildcats' program, the longest tenured coach in NU's program history. McKeown has a 257-229 record, and the 257 wins ranks him second among active B1G coaches.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Michigan State leads the overall series with Northwestern, 46-29. The Spartans have won the last two games in the series, including winning in Evanston for the first time since 2014 last season. Overall, MSU leads the series in East Lansing, 26-9. The Wildcats lead in Evanston 18-20, while MSU is on top 2-0 on neutral ground.
LAST TIME VS NORTHWESTERN
Michigan State women's basketball earned its fourth-straight win with a 71-64 victory over Northwestern on at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 2.
This was MSU's first win at Welsh-Ryan since 2014.
Michigan State had three players in double figures led by 21 points by sophomore guard Matilda Ekh, who went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Taiyier Parks had her second-straight double-digit scoring game with 17 points and six rebounds, while graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel added 13 points. Redshirt-junior guard/forward Julia Ayrault was a beast on the boards with 10 rebounds to lead all players.
MAKING THE "MO"ST OF IT
Graduate guard Moira Joiner had a solid senior season, averaging 10.1 points per game during the 2022-23 season. She scored a career-high 302 points with 46 3-pointers. For her encore performance as a Spartan, she is improving on last season. This season, she is averaging 16.0 ppg. She already has scored 256 points just 46 points away from tying last season's point total. She is only three 3-pointers away from matching last year's total of 46.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. OHIO STATE
• The Spartan starting five of junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore guard Abbey Kimball junior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, graduate guard Moira Joiner and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault for Sunday's game marked the sixth-straight game and the 13th time overall this season that the Spartans have rolled out that line-up for the opening tip-off. MSU is now 9-4 this season with that starting five.
• Michigan State was held below 70 points for just the second time this season with a season-low 65 points, with MSU only previously held under 70 in the last 10 games since scoring 69 in loss to Creighton (11/24).
• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault pulled down nine rebounds, sharing the team-lead with Ozment and marking the seventh-straight game with seven or more boards and ninth total time this season. Ayrault has at least four rebounds in all 16 games this season including five or more boards in 14 contests.
TERRIFIC TORY
With 18 points against Ohio State on Jan. 14, graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment posted her third double-figure game in the last four outings as part of the seventh overall game in double-digits, topping her previous season-high of 16 points vs. James Madison (11/23), and one point shy of her career-high of 19 points vs. Virginia (11/28/18).
Sunday's 18 points was Ozment's most in a B1G game in her career, in part of only her fifth B1G contest in double figures, topping the previous mark of 11 points, done twice previously and both vs. Nebraska (12/31/19 and 1/10/21), also scoring in double-digits with 10 vs. Rutgers and Wisconsin in back-to-back games (2/24/21 and 3/6/21). This season, she is averaging 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Graduate guard Moira Joiner is inching near the 1,000 point mark. With 13 points against Ohio State, she now has scored 974 points in her Spartan career. With one 3-pointer against Ohio State, she also stands sixth all-time in the MSU record books with 170 treys. The last Spartan to reach 1,000 points was All-American Nia Clouden, who ended her career in 2022 with 1,882 points.
MOVIN' ON UP
Several Spartans are moving up the MSU record books. With two blocks against Maryland on Jan. 9, graduate guard Julia Ayrault now has 109 blocks and stands tied for fifth all-time at MSU, passing Spartan Hall of Famer Liz Shimek (2002-06), who had 108. Graduate guard Moira Joiner now has 170 made 3-pointers and now stands sixth all-time. Even though she is just a junior, guard DeeDee Hagemann already has 357 career assists. Hagemann's five assists give her 357 for her career, moving up to No. 12 on MSU's career assists list, passing Vnemina Reese (1998-2002) with 356 helpers.
WELCOME HOME
On Jan. 27 against Michigan, the Spartans will also celebrate Alumni Day. Among the events scheduled is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2013-14 Big Ten Championship team. That team went 23-10, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans were led by Annalise Pickrel, Aerial Powers and Tori Jankoska that season.
FRALICK HITS MILESTONE
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick reached a career milestone with a win against CMU on Dec. 17. She captured her 200th career win, now holding a 204-80 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.
AYRAULT GETTING THE JOB DONE
Against Maryland on Jan. 9, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault registered her third double-double of the season and fifth of her career with a team-high tying 20 points and 10 rebounds, joining 25 points and 15 rebounds vs. James Madison (11/23) along with a 13 points and 10 rebounds outing vs. Central Michigan (12/17). Ayrault's 20 points was her third 20+ point outing of the season and third-highest behind her career-high 32 points vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21) and 25 vs. James Madison (11/23). Tuesday's 20 points was Ayrault's sixth-straight game in double-figures and the 12th double-digit scoring outing of the season.
Ayrault's 10 rebounds were her third double-figure rebounding outing and tied for second-most of the season behind her career-high 15 vs. James Madison (11/23) and matching 10 boards vs. Central Michigan (12/17). She now has 38 blocks this season through 15 games, already the most by a Spartan in a single season since 2017-18 when Taya Reimer had 38 on the season.
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HER...JOINER
Graduate guard Moira Joiner's jumper with 29 seconds left was her 10th point of the day, continuing her streak of netting double-digits in every game this season. Joiner now has 18-straight double-digit outings going back to the 2022-23 season as part of in 19 of her last 20 games played. For her career, Joiner now has 45 double-figure outings. She leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.0 ppg, which is 10th in the Big Ten.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are 14th in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Michigan State is also ninth in the country in assists per game, averaging 19.9 apg. They are also first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.78). The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands 13th in the nation in scoring margin, as well (+25.1). MSU is currently fifth in the nation in 3-pointers made (9.8/game).
Individually, Julia Ayrault is 17th in the nation in blocks with 38 and 17th in blocks per game (2.4 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is eighth in the country assist/turnover ratio (3.05).
LIVE BY THE THREE
The Spartans were also limited to only five 3-pointers Sunday against OSU. It was only the fifth time this season being held under eight triples, including in the last three games, and MSU is now 1-4 when doing so. The Spartans' lone win with under eight triples was last time out vs. Maryland (1/9) with seven treys, while the Spartans were held to seven 3-pointers in their first loss of the season vs. Creighton (11/24), four in the only home loss of the season, vs. Nebraska (12/9), and seven at Iowa (1/2).
Michigan State drained 14 3-pointers against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 21, tying the second-most for the third time, also netting 14 triples vs. Detroit Mercy (11/16) and at DePaul (11/30), and just behind the season-high 15 treys vs. James Madison (11/23). Overall with 10 treys against Penn State on Dec. 30, MSU registered its fourth-straight game in double-digit treys as part of the eighth time this season.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
This season, Michigan State is second in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+22.1) and second in assists (19.9 apg). The Spartans are also second in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 9.75 per game. MSU is tied for first in turnover margin with Ohio State (+7.94) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.78).
Graduate guard Moira Joiner leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game, which is 10th in the Big Ten. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault is sixth in rebounding with 7.6 rpg. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann is ninth in the league in assists, averaging 4.5 apg. Joiner is fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.406). Ayrault is also second in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.4 bpg, behind Wisconsin's Serah Williams.
DID YOU KNOW?
Against Ohio State, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault pulled down nine rebounds, sharing the team-lead with Tory Ozment and marking the seventh-straight game with seven or more boards and ninth total time this season. Ayrault has at least four rebounds in all 16 games this season, including five or more boards in 14 contests.
NICELY MAKING IT THROUGH DECEMBER
So far has been so very good for the Spartans, as they have made Merle Haggard proud by more than making it through December, as MSU enters Tuesday's tangle with the Hawkeyes with an 11-2 overall record, marking the Spartans' second-straight season with double-digit wins through the end of December. Overall, it marks Michigan State's 11th overall season in the 2000s with 10+ Victories for MSU rolling into the new year portion of the schedule. A win Tuesday would match the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons for most wins through December during the 2000s.
ALCOHOL SALES COME TO BRESLIN
Alcohol sales have been implemented at Breslin Center for men's and women's basketball and at Munn Ice Arena for hockey in 2024. At Breslin Center, alcohol sales begin on Jan 4 for men's basketball (vs. Penn State) and Jan. 9 for women's basketball (vs. Maryland). January 5 (vs. US National Team Development Program) will mark the first game of alcohol sales at Munn Ice Arena. Sales will start one hour prior to announced start time at each location. At Breslin Center, sales will close at the beginning of the second half of the basketball game. At Munn Ice Arena, sales will close at the end of the second intermission. Both beer and seltzer options will be available. All beer sold will be in 16 oz cans, while seltzer will be 12 oz cans. Cost will be $10 or $12 depending on selection. Exact locations for points of sale will be announced at a later date. Food will not be able to be purchased at the same location as alcohol.
TRIPLE-DIGIT THREATS
With a 105-66 win over Coastal Carolina on Dec. 21, MSU has now broken the triple-digit mark four times in the 10 games this season. This is the first-time ever that Michigan State has had four 100-point games in a season.
COMING NEXT YEAR
MSU head coach Robyn Fralick announced the signing of four National Letters of Intent, including Sinai Douglas, Helen Holley, Juliann Woodard (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County High School) and Inés Sotelo.
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.
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.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a season-high 18 points from graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment, the Michigan State women's basketball dropped a defensive battle with No. 17/16 Ohio State, 70-65, at Value City Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams came into Sunday's contest averaging nearly 90 points per game in a match-up that saw both teams shoot well below their season averages under tough defensive pressure.
For the second time this season, Michigan State had only two players in double figures led by Ozment's season-high 18 points. She was just one shy from tying her career high of 19 set against Virginia on Nov. 28, 2018. Graduate guard Moira Joiner continued her streak of reaching double figures in all 16 games this season with 13 points, to go along with a season-high five assists.
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/ Women's BasketballRobyn Fralick | Women's Basketball Selection Show Press Conference | March 16, 2025
Sunday, March 16
Robyn Fralick | Women's Basketball Press Conference | Mar. 04 2025
Tuesday, March 04
Michigan State Women's Basketball vs Minnosta | Cinematic Highlight
Sunday, March 02
Coach Fralick Post Game Comments | MINN | Mar. 1 2025
Saturday, March 01