VanSlooten and Ayrault's Double-Doubles Lift Spartans Past WMU Sunday

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault and junior forward Grace VanSlooten both earned their first double-doubles of the season, as the Michigan State women's basketball team defeated Western Michigan, 79-42, Sunday evening at University Arena.

MSU has opened 5-0 for the second time in as many seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick. Michigan State also started 5-0 for the third-straight season since a 4-1 start to open the 2021-22 season.

VanSlooten led the Spartans with 18 points and 13 rebounds for her first Spartan double-double. Ayrault also added her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate had 11 points and three steals to help pace the tough Spartan defense. MSU held the Broncos to single digits in both the first and fourth quarters.

Michigan State ended the game forcing 25 WMU turnovers and earning 14 steals.

Hannah Spitzley led Western Michigan with 15 points, including eight in the first quarter alone.

The Spartans started off hot taking an early 12-5 lead midway through the quarter, forcing five Western Michigan turnovers. MSU used a 7-0 run to stretch the advantage to 17-5. MSU ended the quarter with a 6-0 run to lead 23-8. Spitzley scored all eight points for the Broncos in the first quarter.

The defense was stellar in the second quarter. Michigan State forced 14 WMU turnovers in the first half. The Spartans took their first 20-point lead after a Hampton fast-break layup after a turnover at the 8:09 mark. Back-to-back buckets by Tate put the Spartans on top 44-19. Tate wasn't done, ending the first half with 11 points. Tate and graduate guard Jaddan Simmons both had two steals in the first half. Eight different players scored in the first half for the Spartans.

In the third quarter, the Broncos used a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 50-27. Due to the Spartans going cold in the period, Michigan State only out-scored Western Michigan 13-12 in the period. MSU only shot 35.3 percent in the third period.

MSU scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to get back on track. Freshman Inés Sotelo's offensive rebound with 5:26 remaining led to a 3-pointer from junior guard Abbey Kimball, which put the Spartans on top by 35 points. From that point, Michigan State started to empty its bench to gets its strong freshman class some playing time. Sotelo, Juliann Woodard and Kennedy Blair combined for 11 points.

Michigan State will return home to the friendly confines of the Breslin Center to take on in-state foe Detroit Mercy on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Post-Game Notes
• Michigan State played in its first road game of the season and its only true road game during its non-conference slate.

• MSU has opened 5-0 for the second time in as many seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick . . . Michigan State also started 5-0 for the third-straight season since a 4-1 start to open the 2021-22 season.

• Junior forward Grace VanSlooten and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault both registered double-doubles, with VanSlooten tallying game-highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Ayrault added 15 points and 10 rebounds . . . the last time that two Spartans posted double-doubles in the same game was also against an in-state opponent, as Ayrault had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Theryn Hallock had 17 points and 12 assists against Central Michigan on Dec. 17, 2023 in a 91-67 Victory for MSU.

• Sunday's Spartans' starting line-up of junior guard Theryn Hallock, junior guard Emma Shumate, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault, senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate and junior forward Grace VanSlooten was the second-straight game with that starting five and the fourth game this season opening with that line-up, improving to 4-0.

• By holding Western Michigan to 42 points on Sunday, Michigan State tied its season-low for fewest points allowed, and both have come against in-state opponents, matching holding Oakland to 42 points in the season-opener on Nov. 5 . . . MSU's defense limited the opposition under 50 points for the fourth time in the five games this season.

• The Spartan defense held the opposition to single-digit scoring in at least one quarter for the fifth-straight game by corralling the Broncos to eight points in the first quarter and nine points in the fourth quarter . . . overall, MSU has limited opponents to single digits in eight quarters, as part of holding opponents to 10 or less points in half of the total quarters with 10 total quarters in allowing 10 points or less . . . Sunday was the third game out of the five in which MSU's defense held the opponent to multiple quarters with single-digit scoring.

• Western Michigan was the Spartans' third in-state opponent this season, previously beating Oakland (107-42 on Nov. 5) and Eastern Michigna (95-49 on Nov. 11) out of the five games so far this season, with three more games ahead against teams from the Mitten State . . . MSU's next game is also an in-state opponent in Detroit Mercy on Nov. 20, and the Spartans play in-state rival Michigan on Jan. 25 at Ann Arbor and Feb. 9 in East Lansing.

• Junior forward Grace VanSlooten led the way with her first double-double as a Spartan with 18 points and 13 rebounds . . . the Oregon transfer registered her 11th collegiate double-double, as she registered 10 during her two years at Oregon . . . VanSlooten's 18 points was one shy of her season-high 19 points scored vs. Yale (11/8/24) and she has scored double-figures in all four games played, missing the Eastern Michigan game due to illness.

• VanSlooten stuffed the stat sheet Sunday, leading the Spartans in not just points and rebounds, but also in assists and blocks, dishing out a game-high four helpers and tying game-best honors with one block, the lone rejection for MSU.

• It marked the third time in five games that VanSlooten has led the Spartans in scoring, while also marking the third game that she's topped MSU on the glass, in addition to the second time she has led or shared the team lead in blocks, and also the first time she's lead the team in assists.

• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault joined VanSlooten with a double-double, tallying 15 points to go with 10 rebounds . . . Ayrault registered her first double-double of the season and seventh of her career.

• With the 15 points, Ayrault has tallied double-figures in all five games this season and in 18 games in a row as part of in 29 of her last 34 games played since the start of the 2023-24 season . . . overall, Ayrault logged her 43rd career game in double-figures.

• Ayrault's 15 points gives her 979 career points, only 21 points away from becoming the 31st Spartan women's basketball player to score 1,000 points in her MSU career. The 10 boards by Ayrault was her first double-figure rebounding outing of the season and seventh of her career. She has now pulled down six or more rebounds in four of the five games this season.

• Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate matched her jersey number with a 11 points, her second-most this season behind 13 points in the season-opener vs. Oakland (11/5/24).

• Junior guard Theryn Hallock had two steals Sunday, as she has now swiped at least one steal in all five games this season and in 18-straight games dating back to last season.

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Team Stats

Grace VanSlooten

Julia Ayrault

Jocelyn Tate

Theryn Hallock

Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

Kennedy Blair

Theryn Hallock

Abbey Kimball

Emma Shumate

Jaddan Simmons

Jocelyn Tate

Grace VanSlooten

Juliann Woodard