MSU Wins Acrisure Classic Behind Double-Doubles from VanSlooten and Ayrault

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Michigan State women's basketball captured the Acrisure Classic crown with a thrilling, 78-70 win over Vanderbilt Wednesday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs. The Spartans were led by double-doubles from both graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault and junior forward Grace VanSlooten.

For the second-straight game, a Spartan reached the 1,000-point career mark with VanSlooten reaching it with a layup in the third quarter. She joins the 1,000-point club just one day after Ayrault did it in a win over California.

With 22 points yesterday and 24 today, Ayrault earned Acrisure Classic MVP honors. For the first time since Jan. 24, 2024 against Purdue, two Spartans scored at least 20 points. In that game both Theryn Hallock and Tory Ozment surpassed 20 points.

VanSlooten led all scorers with 25 points with 10 rebounds for her second double-double as a Spartan. Ayrault added 12 boards to go along with her 24 points for her second double-double this season. They were the only two Spartans to reach double figures. Hallock came close with nine points and a game-high six assists.

Vanderbilt was led by 19 points from Khamil Pierre.

Michigan State improved to 8-0 for the first time under head coach Robyn Fralick as part of the second time in the last three years, going 8-0 to open the 2022-23 and the third time in last five years, joining the 2020-21 season. Vanderbilt suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 7-1.

Both teams started fast, but the Commodores jumped out to an early 14-8 advantage. The Commodores used an 8-0 run, taking their biggest lead of the game 18-8 after a Pierre layup. The drought was eventually stopped by an Ayrault trey to make it an 18-11 game with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter. The Spartans responded with an 8-0 run of their own to trim it to a two-point deficit. MSU held Vanderbilt without a field goal for the final 4:15, but the Commodores led after the first quarter 19-16.

In the second quarter, the Spartans took the lead 22-21 after a Hallock bucket. Michigan State held the Commodores to only eight points in the second quarter to lead 29-27 headed into the locker room. VanSlooten led all scorers with 11 points in the first half.

Vanderbilt used a 6-0 run to re-take the lead after a Moore trey at the 7:21 mark of the third quarter, 35-33. In a very physical battle, the Spartans held their own, tying it back up at 39-39 after an Ines Sotelo basket. Vanderbilt took control from there, scoring eight-straight leading to an MSU timeout. Michigan State continued to fight getting it back to a two possession game, 49-45 at the end of the period.

In the fourth quarter, the Spartans used a 6-0 run over 1:03 to take a 56-51 lead, heading into a Vanderbilt timeout. Michigan State took its first double-digit lead after an Ayrault trey with 1:57 remaining, 72-62. Down the stretch, the Spartans made their free throws, going 9-for-12 from the charity stripe in the final 10 minutes.

Michigan State returns to the friendly confines of the Breslin Center to take on DePaul on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Post-Game Notes
• Michigan State is 8-0 for the first time under head coach Robyn Fralick and tied a school record for best start in program history, joining the 2012-13 and 2020-21 Spartan squads for 8-0 starts to the season.

• MSU has won its last 13 regular-season games dating back to last year, finishing with five-straight wins in 2023-24 and opening this season 8-0 . . . the 13-game regular-season win streak is MSU's longest since winning 14 regular-season games in a row during the 2010-11 season.

• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault and junior forward Grace VanSlooten registered double-doubles in the same game for the second time this season, also doing so at Western Michigan (11/17/24) . . . both VanSlooten and Ayrault registered season-high scoring, with VanSlooten logging 25 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Ayrault tallied 24 points and 12 rebounds.

• Ayrault and VanSlooten are the first pair of Spartans to net 20+ points in the same game since last season vs. Purdue (1/24/24) when Theryn Hallock posted 24 points and Tory Ozment tallied 23 points.

• Michigan State won its second-straight tournament title after winning the Cherokee Invitational in North Carolina last season.

• For the second-straight day, a Michigan State Spartan reached the 1,000-career points milestone as VanSlooten's 25 points put her over the 1,000-career points, as her 17th point of the game, a layup with 2:20 left in the third quarter, gave her 1,000 points . . . VanSlooten she now has 1,008 points with the 25 points Wednesday, now with 121 points in her first season at MSU after 887 points during her two seasons at Oregon.

• Ayrault was named MVP of the Acrisure Classic, finishing with 46 points and 21 rebounds in the two games, averaging a double-double with 23.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game for the Classic . . . she added six blocks (3.0 pg), four steals (2.0 spg) and four assists (2.0 apg) for the two contests.

• Ayrault registered her second double-double of the season and eighth of her career . . . of the eight double-doubles, it was her third double-double incorporating 20 points, joining 25 points/15 rebounds vs. James Madison (11/23/23) and 20 points/10 rebounds vs. Maryland 1/9/24.

• Ayrault also netted a season-high three 3-pointers, for her second game of the season with multiple triples, both coming in the last two games after two 3-pointers in Tuesday's win.

• With eight field goals, Ayrault tied her season-high, matching output vs. Eastern Kentucky (11/24/24), and her fifth-straight game making six or more field goals.

• With the 24 points, Ayrault has now tallied 10+ points in all seven contests this season, and the Spartans are 7-0 when she registered double-digit points . . . Ayrault has now scored double-figures in the last 20 games played as part of in 31 of her last 36 games played since the start of the 2023-24 season . . . overall, Ayrault logged her 47th career game in double-figures and the Spartans are now 36-11 when nets 10+ points.

• The game-best 12 rebounds was Ayrault's second time leading the Spartans on the glass and 32nd of her career, as MSU is now 20-12 when she tops the team in rebounds.

• VanSlooten posted her first 20-point outing of the season and first as a Spartan . . . it was VanSlooten's ninth career 20-point game as she had eight during her Oregon career . . . VanSlooten has netted double-figures in all seven games played this season, missing the Eastern Michigan game due to illness . . . the junior forward has 61 career games in double-figure scoring after netting 10+ points in 52 games while at Oregon.

• With 11 field goals, VanSlooten netted her season-high and tied her collegiate career-best, marking the fourth time she's made 11 field goals, most recently done vs. Utah Tech (12/19/23) during her time at Oregon.

• Adding to her season-bests, VanSlooten swatted a season-high four blocks, topping her previous top mark of the season of three rejections vs. Eastern Kentucky . . . VanSlooten now has two games this season with three or more blocks and seven for her collegiate career with five at Oregon.

• VanSlooten added a career-high tying five steals, her most as a Spartan and tying her top mark of her collegiate career with five swipes vs. Portland (12/3/22) during him time at Oregon.

• Junior guard Theryn Hallock dished out six assists Wednesday, her second-most of the season behind her top mark of nine helpers vs. Eastern Kentucky (11/14/24) and was her fourth game with four or more assists.

• The Spartan starting five of senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, junior forward Grace VanSlooten, junior guard Theryn Hallock, graduate guard Jaddan Simmons, and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was Michigan State's first game starting with that five and the Spartans' fourth different starting five.

• VanSlooten and Ayrault were the only two Spartans in double-figures, marking the fewest double-digit scorers in a game this season, after only three tallied double-digits in the game at Western Michigan (11/17/24).

• The Spartans scored 78 points for the second-straight day, matching the season-low scoring from 78 points in Tuesday's game . . . after entering the tournament leading the nation in scoring margin at +50.5, MSU has played its two closest games of the season, as Wednesday eight-point margin of victory was just two points more than Tuesday's six-point margin of victory that was the closest game this season for the Spartans.

• Michigan State improved to 3-1 all-time vs. Vanderbilt, as Wednesday was the first meeting since 2005, and the Spartans have won the last two, winning 76-64 on March 27, 2005 in Kansas City.

• MSU had its streak of holding the opposition to single digits in at least one quarter of each of the first six games entering Tuesday's game, Cal scored 10+ points in all four quarters, but the Spartans got back on track by holding Vanderbilt to eight points in the second stanza, as Michigan State's defense has now held registered at least one single-digit scoring in seven of the eight games . . . MSU has now held the opponent to single-digits in 11 quarters out of 32 total quarters played this season.

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Team Stats

Grace VanSlooten

Julia Ayrault

Theryn Hallock

Jocelyn Tate

Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

Theryn Hallock

Tory Ozment

Jaddan Simmons

Jocelyn Tate

Grace VanSlooten