Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Women's Basketball Hosts Michigan on Alumni Day Saturday
1/25/2024 11:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Spartans will celebrate the 2014 Big Ten Championship team.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball concludes its two-game home stand taking on in-state rival Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 12 p.m. It is also Alumni Day at Breslin Center with former players, coaches and staff being honored at half time. Zach Surdenik and Derrick Mitchell will be on the call for Big Ten Plus.
• The Spartans improved to 14-5 overall and 4-4 in B1G play with a 97-70 win over Purdue on Jan. 24. Michigan stands 14-6 overall and 5-3 in the B1G after an overtime win over Maryland.
• Moira Joiner topped the 1,000 career point mark Wednesday night with a 3-pointer at the 6:39 mark for her fifth point of the game. She becomes the 30th Spartan to join the MSU 1,000-Point Club and the first since Nia Clouden hit her 1,000th point on Jan. 7, 2021 vs. Maryland.
• The Spartans will also celebrate Alumni Day. Among the events scheduled is honoring the 10th anniversary of the 2013-14 Big Ten Championship team. That team went 23-10, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Theryn Hallock and Tory Ozment's 20-point outings against Purdue give the Spartans a total of 12 20-point performances this season. Hallock's 24 points is No. 5 on MSU's single-game scoring list, behind Ayrault's 32 points vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21), Joiner's 27 points vs. Central Michigan (12/17), Joiner's 26 points at DePaul (11/30) and Ayrault's 25 points vs. James Madison (11/23).
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines come to East Lansing with a 14-6 overall and 5-3 B1G ledger in tow. Michigan is 9-1 at home, 3-3 in away games and 2-2 on neutral courts. U-M has won two in a row and three of its last four, starting with a 76-52 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 13, before dropping a 62-43 loss at Nebraska on Jan. 17. The Wolverines bounced back with a 56-50 win at Rutgers on Jan. 21, then rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit for a 79-77 OT win over Maryland on Wednesday night.
Michigan was down 46-31 at intermission and a free throw in the first 15 seconds of the third quarter for a 47-31 score and a 16-point margin, before U-M out-scored Maryland, 19-11 the rest of the third stanza to close to 58-50 entering the fourth quarter. The Wolverines continued to claw away at the deficit, finally tying the game at 67-all with 49 seconds left on a free throw by junior guard Laila Phelia to send the game to OT. In the extra session, Phelia again came up big at the charity stripe, netting a pair of free throws with 0.3 on the clock to complete the comeback win. Sophomore forward Chyra Evans led five Wolverines in double-figures with 17 points.
The Wolverines lead the B1G in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to 58.8 ppg, while ranking 10th in the conference in scoring offense (70.0 ppg), to rank eighth in scoring margin (+11.2). U-M is also second in the league in offensive rebounds (14.3 pg), while 14th in defensive rebounds (23.7 pg), ranking sixth overall in rebounding (38.0), while also ranking third in the league in rebounding margin (+6.8).
Phelia and Hansen are the only two Wolverines averaging double-figure points, with Phelia leading the way with 15.8 ppg, good for eighth in the B1G, while Hansen adds 11.3 ppg, just outside the league's top 25 scorers. Phelia has a team-best 1.3 steals per game, while Hansen leads Michigan in assists with 2.3 apg.
Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico is in her 12th season at U-M, posting a 255-125 record. Overall, Barnes Arico is in her 27th season as a collegiate head coach, amassing a 525-331 ledger.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WOLVERINES
Michigan State leads the overall series with Michigan 73-25. The Spartans are on top at home 36-9, while the series is closer in Ann Arbor with MSU leading, 28-16. Michigan State leads on neutral territory, 9-0. The Wolverines have had the edge of late, winning six of the last seven meetings. U-M won both games last year, including a 77-67 win in Ann Arbor on Feb. 18.
LAST TIME VS MICHIGAN
Second-half scoring troubles hampered the Michigan State women's basketball team, falling to No. 18/19 Michigan, 77-67, in front of overall 9,000 fans at the Breslin Center on Feb. 5, 2023 on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
MSU's celebrated its field hockey, cross country/track & field, gymnastics, women's soccer, volleyball and cheer and dance teams at half time.
Three Spartans reached double figures led by 12 points from both senior guard Moira Joiner and sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh. Joiner also set a new career high with six steals. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann had another solid game with 11 points, a season-high nine assists and a career-high six steals.
WIRE-TO-WIRE
MSU led from start-to-finish Wednesday night, marking the second-straight home game and the fifth overall time this season that the Spartans have never trailed in the game, including the fourth time at home, joining Game 4 vs. Evansville (11/19/23), Game 10 vs. Central Michigan (12/17/23), Game 12 vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21/23) and Game 17 vs. Northwestern (1/17/24), with the neutral-court Coastal Carolina contest the lone game away from home in going tip to final buzzer never trailing.
BOUNCING BACK
Michigan State has had a history of bouncing back after losses this season. After the Spartans previous five losses, MSU has rebounded with a vengeance. Four of the five wins after losses have been by 18 points or more.
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.
BENCH POINTS
Throughout the season, the Michigan State bench, as short as it may be, has been a key part to MSU's success. The Spartans have scored 526 points off the bench this season, which accounts for 31.8% of their offense. Against Purdue on Jan. 24, sophomore guard Theryn Hallock and graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment both set career highs off the bench. Hallock scored 24 points, while netted 23 points. Hallock has only started one game this season and stands fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 ppg. Off the bench, Ozment is fifth with 10.3 ppg.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. PURDUE
• Michigan State also tied a B1G-high with six blocks, matching six rejections vs. Penn State (12/30/23). It was MSU's seventh game with five or more blocks, improving to 6-1 when doing so.
• The Spartans distributed 24 assists, logging the eighth time this season they've registered 20+ helpers. MSU had just 10 turnovers for a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio, as the Spartans came into Wednesday leading both the B1G and NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (1.76).
• MSU swiped 12 steals, matching the most in a B1G game this season, also with 12 vs. Nebraska (12/9/23). The 12 steals was the Spartans' ninth game with double-digit steals and just the third B1G contest. MSU is now 8-1 overall and 2-1 in B1G action with 10+ steals in a game.
GETTING IN THE LINEUP
MSU's 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 Wednesday's contest marked the ninth game in a row with that starting line-up and the 16th overall game this season that those five Spartans opened the game on the court. Michigan State is now 11-5 with that starting line-up. The only other two Spartans to start this season are sophomore guard Theryn Hallock and junior forward Isaline Alexander.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Due to significant injuries this season, the Spartans have been forced to play with nine players for much of the season. Many MSU players have been logging in a lot of minutes so far this year. Moira Joiner is 13th in the Big Ten in minutes played, averaging 30.9 mpg. DeeDee Hagemann is second with 29.9 mpg, while Theryn Hallock and Abbey Kimball are tied for third with 25.2 mpg. MSU has seven players who are averaging over 20 minutes per game.
MOVIN' ON UP
Several Spartans are moving up the MSU record books. With five blocks against Purdue on Jan. 24, graduate guard Julia Ayrault now has 117 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 177 made 3-pointers and still stands sixth all-time. Even though she is just a junior, guard DeeDee Hagemann already has 375 career assists. With eight assists Wednesday, Hagemann now has 375 for her career, moving up to No. 11 on the Spartans' career assists list, passing Lindsay Bowen (2002-06) for the No. 11 spot with 371 assists. Hagemann needs just six more to crack the top 10 as Kim Archer (1983-88) holds the No. 10 spot with 381 helpers.
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 206-81 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.
AYRAULT SWATTING HER WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
With the five blocks against Purdue on Jan. 24, Julia Ayrault now has 46 blocks on the season through 19 games, the most in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections. The five blocks Wednesday night helped Ayrault crack into MSU's single-season top 10 list, leap-frogging up to the No. 8 spot, passing Liz Shimek (2004-05) with 43 blocks, Lykendra Johnson (2010-11) with 44 rejections, and Kristen Rasmussen (1997-98) with 45 swats. Ayrault needs just four more for the No. 7 spot of 50 blocks by Kelli Roehrig (2004-05).
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HER...JOINER
Graduate guard Moira Joiner topped the 1,000 career point mark Wednesday night with a 3-pointer at the 6:39 mark for her fifth point of the game.She becomes the 30th Spartan women's basketball player to join the MSU 1,000-Point Club and the first since All-American Nia Clouden hit her 1,000th point on Jan. 7, 2021 vs. Maryland. Clouden finished her career in 2022 with 1,882 points. Joiner finished with 14 points Wednesday, giving her 1,009 career points, needing just three more for the No. 29 mark on MSU's scoring list, held by Jill Prudden (1974-78) with 1,012 career points.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are 14th in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 48.0 percent from the field. Michigan State is also ninth in the country in assists per game, averaging 19.7 apg. They are also first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.79). The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands 13th in the nation in scoring margin, as well (+20.0). MSU is currently sixth in the nation in 3-pointers made (9.6/game).
Individually, Julia Ayrault is 15th in the nation in blocks with 46 and 16th in blocks per game (2.4 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is 12th in the country assist/turnover ratio (2.93).
LIVE BY THE THREE
Michigan State netted nine 3-pointers Wednesday, as the Spartans improved to 13-0 when making at least eight triples.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
This season, Michigan State is second in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+20.0) and second in assists (19.7 apg). The Spartans are also second in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 9.63 per game. MSU is first in turnover margin (+7.47) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.79).
Graduate guard Moira Joiner leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game, which is 10th, while graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault is 15th with 14.4 ppg. Ayrault is also sixth in rebounding with 7.5 rpg. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann is seventh in the league in assists, averaging 4.7 apg and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.9). Joiner is third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.407). Ayrault is also second in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.4 bpg, behind Wisconsin's Serah Williams.
DID YOU KNOW?
Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann distributed a team-high and game-best tying eight assists against Purdue on Jan. 24, dishing out eight helpers for the second time in last three games. The eight assists ties Hagemann's season-high for the third time this season, matching eight helpers from last home game, vs. Northwestern (1/17/24) and vs. Wright State (11/12/23). It was her 14th game with three or more helpers, as part of the 10th game with five or more assists.
With eight assists Wednesday, she now has 375 for her career, moving up to No. 11 on the Spartans' career assists list, passing Lindsay Bowen (2002-06) for the No. 11 spot with 371 assists. Hagemann needs just six more to crack the top 10 as Kim Archer (1983-88) holds the No. 10 spot with 381 helpers.
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
Graduate guard Moira Joiner became the 30th member of the Michigan State women's basketball 1,000-point club early in the first quarter, as the Spartans rolled past Purdue, 97-70 Wednesday at the Breslin Center.
Overall, five Spartans reached double figures in the win. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock set a new career high with 24 points off the bench, going 10-for-12 from the field. Graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment also set a new career high with 23 points off the bench, also adding eight rebounds. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was just shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Abbey Kimball scored 10 points in the victory.
• The Spartans improved to 14-5 overall and 4-4 in B1G play with a 97-70 win over Purdue on Jan. 24. Michigan stands 14-6 overall and 5-3 in the B1G after an overtime win over Maryland.
• Moira Joiner topped the 1,000 career point mark Wednesday night with a 3-pointer at the 6:39 mark for her fifth point of the game. She becomes the 30th Spartan to join the MSU 1,000-Point Club and the first since Nia Clouden hit her 1,000th point on Jan. 7, 2021 vs. Maryland.
• The Spartans will also celebrate Alumni Day. Among the events scheduled is honoring the 10th anniversary of the 2013-14 Big Ten Championship team. That team went 23-10, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Theryn Hallock and Tory Ozment's 20-point outings against Purdue give the Spartans a total of 12 20-point performances this season. Hallock's 24 points is No. 5 on MSU's single-game scoring list, behind Ayrault's 32 points vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21), Joiner's 27 points vs. Central Michigan (12/17), Joiner's 26 points at DePaul (11/30) and Ayrault's 25 points vs. James Madison (11/23).
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines come to East Lansing with a 14-6 overall and 5-3 B1G ledger in tow. Michigan is 9-1 at home, 3-3 in away games and 2-2 on neutral courts. U-M has won two in a row and three of its last four, starting with a 76-52 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 13, before dropping a 62-43 loss at Nebraska on Jan. 17. The Wolverines bounced back with a 56-50 win at Rutgers on Jan. 21, then rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit for a 79-77 OT win over Maryland on Wednesday night.
Michigan was down 46-31 at intermission and a free throw in the first 15 seconds of the third quarter for a 47-31 score and a 16-point margin, before U-M out-scored Maryland, 19-11 the rest of the third stanza to close to 58-50 entering the fourth quarter. The Wolverines continued to claw away at the deficit, finally tying the game at 67-all with 49 seconds left on a free throw by junior guard Laila Phelia to send the game to OT. In the extra session, Phelia again came up big at the charity stripe, netting a pair of free throws with 0.3 on the clock to complete the comeback win. Sophomore forward Chyra Evans led five Wolverines in double-figures with 17 points.
The Wolverines lead the B1G in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to 58.8 ppg, while ranking 10th in the conference in scoring offense (70.0 ppg), to rank eighth in scoring margin (+11.2). U-M is also second in the league in offensive rebounds (14.3 pg), while 14th in defensive rebounds (23.7 pg), ranking sixth overall in rebounding (38.0), while also ranking third in the league in rebounding margin (+6.8).
Phelia and Hansen are the only two Wolverines averaging double-figure points, with Phelia leading the way with 15.8 ppg, good for eighth in the B1G, while Hansen adds 11.3 ppg, just outside the league's top 25 scorers. Phelia has a team-best 1.3 steals per game, while Hansen leads Michigan in assists with 2.3 apg.
Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico is in her 12th season at U-M, posting a 255-125 record. Overall, Barnes Arico is in her 27th season as a collegiate head coach, amassing a 525-331 ledger.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WOLVERINES
Michigan State leads the overall series with Michigan 73-25. The Spartans are on top at home 36-9, while the series is closer in Ann Arbor with MSU leading, 28-16. Michigan State leads on neutral territory, 9-0. The Wolverines have had the edge of late, winning six of the last seven meetings. U-M won both games last year, including a 77-67 win in Ann Arbor on Feb. 18.
LAST TIME VS MICHIGAN
Second-half scoring troubles hampered the Michigan State women's basketball team, falling to No. 18/19 Michigan, 77-67, in front of overall 9,000 fans at the Breslin Center on Feb. 5, 2023 on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
MSU's celebrated its field hockey, cross country/track & field, gymnastics, women's soccer, volleyball and cheer and dance teams at half time.
Three Spartans reached double figures led by 12 points from both senior guard Moira Joiner and sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh. Joiner also set a new career high with six steals. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann had another solid game with 11 points, a season-high nine assists and a career-high six steals.
WIRE-TO-WIRE
MSU led from start-to-finish Wednesday night, marking the second-straight home game and the fifth overall time this season that the Spartans have never trailed in the game, including the fourth time at home, joining Game 4 vs. Evansville (11/19/23), Game 10 vs. Central Michigan (12/17/23), Game 12 vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21/23) and Game 17 vs. Northwestern (1/17/24), with the neutral-court Coastal Carolina contest the lone game away from home in going tip to final buzzer never trailing.
BOUNCING BACK
Michigan State has had a history of bouncing back after losses this season. After the Spartans previous five losses, MSU has rebounded with a vengeance. Four of the five wins after losses have been by 18 points or more.
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.
BENCH POINTS
Throughout the season, the Michigan State bench, as short as it may be, has been a key part to MSU's success. The Spartans have scored 526 points off the bench this season, which accounts for 31.8% of their offense. Against Purdue on Jan. 24, sophomore guard Theryn Hallock and graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment both set career highs off the bench. Hallock scored 24 points, while netted 23 points. Hallock has only started one game this season and stands fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 ppg. Off the bench, Ozment is fifth with 10.3 ppg.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. PURDUE
• Michigan State also tied a B1G-high with six blocks, matching six rejections vs. Penn State (12/30/23). It was MSU's seventh game with five or more blocks, improving to 6-1 when doing so.
• The Spartans distributed 24 assists, logging the eighth time this season they've registered 20+ helpers. MSU had just 10 turnovers for a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio, as the Spartans came into Wednesday leading both the B1G and NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (1.76).
• MSU swiped 12 steals, matching the most in a B1G game this season, also with 12 vs. Nebraska (12/9/23). The 12 steals was the Spartans' ninth game with double-digit steals and just the third B1G contest. MSU is now 8-1 overall and 2-1 in B1G action with 10+ steals in a game.
GETTING IN THE LINEUP
MSU's 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 Wednesday's contest marked the ninth game in a row with that starting line-up and the 16th overall game this season that those five Spartans opened the game on the court. Michigan State is now 11-5 with that starting line-up. The only other two Spartans to start this season are sophomore guard Theryn Hallock and junior forward Isaline Alexander.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Due to significant injuries this season, the Spartans have been forced to play with nine players for much of the season. Many MSU players have been logging in a lot of minutes so far this year. Moira Joiner is 13th in the Big Ten in minutes played, averaging 30.9 mpg. DeeDee Hagemann is second with 29.9 mpg, while Theryn Hallock and Abbey Kimball are tied for third with 25.2 mpg. MSU has seven players who are averaging over 20 minutes per game.
MOVIN' ON UP
Several Spartans are moving up the MSU record books. With five blocks against Purdue on Jan. 24, graduate guard Julia Ayrault now has 117 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 177 made 3-pointers and still stands sixth all-time. Even though she is just a junior, guard DeeDee Hagemann already has 375 career assists. With eight assists Wednesday, Hagemann now has 375 for her career, moving up to No. 11 on the Spartans' career assists list, passing Lindsay Bowen (2002-06) for the No. 11 spot with 371 assists. Hagemann needs just six more to crack the top 10 as Kim Archer (1983-88) holds the No. 10 spot with 381 helpers.
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 206-81 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.
AYRAULT SWATTING HER WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
With the five blocks against Purdue on Jan. 24, Julia Ayrault now has 46 blocks on the season through 19 games, the most in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections. The five blocks Wednesday night helped Ayrault crack into MSU's single-season top 10 list, leap-frogging up to the No. 8 spot, passing Liz Shimek (2004-05) with 43 blocks, Lykendra Johnson (2010-11) with 44 rejections, and Kristen Rasmussen (1997-98) with 45 swats. Ayrault needs just four more for the No. 7 spot of 50 blocks by Kelli Roehrig (2004-05).
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HER...JOINER
Graduate guard Moira Joiner topped the 1,000 career point mark Wednesday night with a 3-pointer at the 6:39 mark for her fifth point of the game.She becomes the 30th Spartan women's basketball player to join the MSU 1,000-Point Club and the first since All-American Nia Clouden hit her 1,000th point on Jan. 7, 2021 vs. Maryland. Clouden finished her career in 2022 with 1,882 points. Joiner finished with 14 points Wednesday, giving her 1,009 career points, needing just three more for the No. 29 mark on MSU's scoring list, held by Jill Prudden (1974-78) with 1,012 career points.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are 14th in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 48.0 percent from the field. Michigan State is also ninth in the country in assists per game, averaging 19.7 apg. They are also first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.79). The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands 13th in the nation in scoring margin, as well (+20.0). MSU is currently sixth in the nation in 3-pointers made (9.6/game).
Individually, Julia Ayrault is 15th in the nation in blocks with 46 and 16th in blocks per game (2.4 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is 12th in the country assist/turnover ratio (2.93).
LIVE BY THE THREE
Michigan State netted nine 3-pointers Wednesday, as the Spartans improved to 13-0 when making at least eight triples.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
This season, Michigan State is second in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+20.0) and second in assists (19.7 apg). The Spartans are also second in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 9.63 per game. MSU is first in turnover margin (+7.47) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.79).
Graduate guard Moira Joiner leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game, which is 10th, while graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault is 15th with 14.4 ppg. Ayrault is also sixth in rebounding with 7.5 rpg. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann is seventh in the league in assists, averaging 4.7 apg and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.9). Joiner is third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.407). Ayrault is also second in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.4 bpg, behind Wisconsin's Serah Williams.
DID YOU KNOW?
Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann distributed a team-high and game-best tying eight assists against Purdue on Jan. 24, dishing out eight helpers for the second time in last three games. The eight assists ties Hagemann's season-high for the third time this season, matching eight helpers from last home game, vs. Northwestern (1/17/24) and vs. Wright State (11/12/23). It was her 14th game with three or more helpers, as part of the 10th game with five or more assists.
With eight assists Wednesday, she now has 375 for her career, moving up to No. 11 on the Spartans' career assists list, passing Lindsay Bowen (2002-06) for the No. 11 spot with 371 assists. Hagemann needs just six more to crack the top 10 as Kim Archer (1983-88) holds the No. 10 spot with 381 helpers.
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
Graduate guard Moira Joiner became the 30th member of the Michigan State women's basketball 1,000-point club early in the first quarter, as the Spartans rolled past Purdue, 97-70 Wednesday at the Breslin Center.
Overall, five Spartans reached double figures in the win. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock set a new career high with 24 points off the bench, going 10-for-12 from the field. Graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment also set a new career high with 23 points off the bench, also adding eight rebounds. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was just shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Abbey Kimball scored 10 points in the victory.
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/ Women's BasketballTuesday, September 22
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Wednesday, February 18