Saturday, January 27
East Lansing, Mich.
12 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Michigan
Spartan Women's Basketball Travels to Michigan Sunday
2/16/2024 6:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will hit the road to take on Michigan for the second time, taking on the Wolverines on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 12 p.m. This is the second meeting between the teams this season with MSU winning at home 82-71 on Jan. 27. Jason Ross Jr. and Shimmy Gray-Miller will be on the call for the Big Ten Network.
• The Spartans are looking to get back on track after losing two-straight games for the first time this season. MSU stands 17-7 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten games after losing to No. 5/5 Ohio State on Feb. 11.
• Michigan is 16-10 overall this season and 7-7 in league contests. The Wolverines are looking to avoid the series sweep for the first time since 2019. U-M continues to be led by Laila Phelia who is eighth in the B1G in scoring, averaging 15.9 ppg.
• DeeDee Hagemann dished out a team-high four assists against Ohio State, which put her over the 400-career assists mark, now with 403, becoming the ninth player in MSU program history to reach the 400-career assists plateau, and vaulting to tie for No. 7 on the Spartans' career assists list with Tamika Matlock (1995-97) with 403 helpers, passing Brittney Thomas (2007-11) with 401 assists.
• With the 363 points, Julia Ayrault needs just 71 more points to equal the combined sum of her previous three seasons in a Spartan uniform, as she had a combined 434 points in the 2019-23 seasons.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
This is the 100th meeting between the Spartans and the Wolverines. Michigan holds a 16-10 overall record and a 7-7 mark in Big Ten action, heading into the game with Michigan State. Last time out, fell to No. 4/4 Iowa 106-89 in Iowa City on Thursday. The Wolverines had six players in double figures, led by 16 fro, Jordan Hobbs. U-M has lost four of its last six games with wins against Rutgers and Penn State.
The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing only 63.0 ppg. They are 10th in scoring offense, scoring 70.7 ppg. Michigan is third in the conference in rebound margin (+5.23) and sixth in turnover margin (+2.54).
Laila Phelia is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 15.9 ppg. She is also 12th in the league in free throw percentage (.792).
Kim Barnes Arico is in his 12th season at the helm of the Wolverines with a 257-129 record. Overall, she is in his 28th season as a head coach with a record of 527-335.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WOLVERINES
Michigan State leads the overall series with Michigan 74-25. The Spartans are on top at home 37-9, 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 eight meetings. U-M won both games last year, including a 77-67 win in Ann Arbor on Feb. 18. Michigan State got back on track earlier this season with a dominating 82-61 win in the Breslin Center on Jan. 27.
LAST TIME VS MICHIGAN
With over 9,000 fans packing the Breslin Center, the Michigan State women's basketball team celebrated Spartans past and present with an 82-61 win over Michigan on Jan. 27.
First-year Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is the first Spartan head coach to post a Victory for MSU over Michigan in their first meeting since Karen Langland's first season of 1976-77 in a 63-62 triumph on Jan. 24, 1977. Overall, Fralick is the third MSU head coach to do so, joining inaugural head coach Mikki Baile in the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines on Feb. 3, 1973.
In the first quarter, Michigan State honored members of the 2014 Big Ten Championship team, while all Spartan women's basketball alumni were honored at halftime. All-American and WNBA first- round draft pick Aerial Powers was on hand to celebrate the 2014 squad.
Overall, four Spartans reached double figures in the victory. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann scored a team-high 20 points, along with four rebounds. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was just one rebound shy of a double-double with a 19 points and nine rebounds, while junior guard Jocelyn Tate scored 14 points with four boards.
OH WHAT A NIGHT
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault had the hot hand against Indiana on Feb. 8. Ayrault netted a B1G season-high 25 points topping her previous B1G season-high of 20 points vs. Maryland (1/9/24). She netted a career-high five 3-pointers, bettering her previous top mark of four triples vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21/23). The five triples was her third game in the last four with multiple triples as part of the eighth game this season with more than one 3-pointer. Ayrault ended the game 9-for-11 from the field.
INCHING TOWARDS THE RECORD BOOKS
With five regular seasons-season games remaining, Michigan State is getting close to the school record for 3-pointers in a season. Through 24 games, the Spartans have made 225 treys this season. The school record is 252 set during the 2016-17 season. Graduate guard Moira Joiner leads the team with 59 3-pointers. The single-season record for individual treys was 122 by All-American Tori Jankoska during the 2016-17 season.
LOOKING TO BEAT THE BEST
Michigan State is still looking for its first win over a ranked team this season. The Spartans are 0-4 this year with losses to then-No. 4/3 Iowa and then-No. 17-16 Ohio State. On Feb. 8, Michigan State lost another close battle to No. 14/14 Indiana, 94-91, before falling to No. 5/5 Ohio State on Feb. 11. Three of the Spartans' four losses to ranked teams have come by five points or less. MSU's last win against a ranked team came against Indiana. On Dec. 29, 2022, the Spartans upset No. 3/3 Indiana, 83-78 in East Lansing.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are 10th in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Michigan State is also seventh in the country in assists per game, averaging 19.4 apg. They still stand first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.74). The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands fifth in the nation in scoring offense, as well (85.6 ppg). MSU is currently ninth in the nation in 3-pointers made (9.4/game).
Individually, Julia Ayrault is 22nd in the nation in blocks with 53 and 22nd in blocks per game (2.2 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is seventh in the country assist/turnover ratio (2.90).
NET RANKING
Through Feb. 14, Michigan State holds a NET ranking of No. 23, which is fourth-best in the Big Ten. Iowa is first at No. 5, followed by Ohio State at No. 8 and Indiana at No. 12.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. OHIO STATE
• Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock's team-high 18 points was her fourth-straight game in double-figures as part of the 12th time this season and 13th of her career. The 18 points is also her third-most of the season behind a career-high 24 points vs. Purdue (1/4/24) and 21 points at Penn State (12/30/23).
• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault's 10 points was her sixth-straight game with double-digits in the scoring column, tying her season and career-long for consecutive games in double-figures, matching six in a row from Dec. 17, 2023 - Jan. 9, 2024.
• Michigan State suffered defeat in back-to-back games for the first time this season after winning its previous four in a row. The Spartans have still won five of their last eight and 10 of their last 15 as part of 12 of the last 17, now 17-7 overall and 7-6 in B1G action.
HISTORY HAS ITS EYE ON YOU
First-year Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is the first Spartan head coach to post a Victory for MSU over Michigan in their first meeting since Karen Langeland's first season of 1976-77 in a 63-62 triumph on Jan. 24, 1977. Overall, Fralick is the third MSU head coach to do so, joining inaugural head coach Mikki Baile in the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines on Feb. 3, 1973.
DID YOU KNOW?
With only five games remaining in the regular season, the Big Ten standings are very tight. With the Spartans holding a 7-6 record, they stand fifth in the standings just behind Nebraska. Ohio State stands first with a 13-1 mark, while Iowa and Indiana are tied for second with 12-2 records. Just behind MSU, Michigan and Penn State are tied at 7-7.
DID YOU ALSO KNOW?
Moira Joiner's two treys against Ohio State on Feb. 11 gives her 59 3-pointers for the season, needing just nine more 3-pointers to crack the top 10 of MSU's single-season 3-pointers list, as Tori Jankoska (2014-15) and Lindsay Bowen (2005-06) co-hold the No. 9 spot with 68 3-pointers.
Joiner now has 186 career 3-pointers, now just 14 away from becoming the fifth player in Spartan women's basketball history with 200 career triples.
LOOK AT ME NOW
With the 363 points, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault needs just 71 more points to equal the combined sum of her previous three seasons in a Spartan uniform, as she had a combined 434 points in the 2019-23 seasons.
GETTING IN THE LINEUP
Sunday's Spartan starting line-up of junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore guard Abbey Kimball junior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, graduate guard Moira Joiner and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was Michigan State's 15th-straight game with those five Spartans on the court for tip-off. MSU has had those five starters in 21 total games this season, now 14-7 with that starting five. The only other two Spartans to start this season are sophomore guard Theryn Hallock and junior forward Isaline Alexander.
DEEDEE MAKING HER MARK
Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann dished out a team-high four assists against Ohio State on Feb. 11, which put her over the 400-career assists mark, now with 403, becoming the ninth player in MSU program history to reach the 400-career assists plateau, and vaulting to tie for No. 7 on the Spartans' career assists list with Tamika Matlock (1995-97) with 403 helpers, passing Brittney Thomas (2007-11) with 401 assists.
She is the first person since Taryn McCutcheon (2017-20) to reach 100 assists in her first three seasons. McCutcheon is the all-time MSU leader in assists with 568.
MOVIN' ON UP
Several Spartans are moving up the MSU record books. With one block against Ohio State, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault moves her season-total to 53 blocks on the year, the most in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections. The 53 blocks moved Ayrault up to No. 7 on MSU's single-season blocks list, tying Kristen Rasmussen (1999-2000) with 53 rejections.
Graduate guard Moira Joiner now has 186 made 3-pointers. Joiner made two 3-pointers against Ohio State to separate from a tie with Kalisha Keane (2007-11) for the No. 5 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, as Joiner now has sole possession with 186 treys., Even though she is just a junior, guard DeeDee Hagemann already has 403 career assists. Hagemann dished out a team-high four assists, which put her over the 400-career assists mark, now with 403, becoming the ninth player in MSU program history to reach the 400-career assists plateau, and vaulting to tie for No. 7 on the Spartans' career assists list with Tamika Matlock (1995-97) with 403 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 209-83 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.
AYRAULT SWATTING HER WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault swatted one block against Ohio State on Feb. 11 for her 53rd block of the season and 124th of her career. The 53 blocks are the most by a Spartan in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections. Now with 53 blocks, Ayrault has moved up to tie for the No. 6 spot on MSU's single-season blocks list, matching Kristen Rasmussen (1999-2000) with 53 rejections.
Ayrault's 124 blocks is at No. 5 on MSU's career blocks list, just 10 shy of the No. 4 spot held by Kelli Roehrig (2001-05) with 134 blocks.
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HER...JOINER
Graduate guard Moira Joiner topped the 1,000 career point mark with a 3-pointer at the 6:39 mark for her fifth point of the game against Purdue on Jan. 24. 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 now has scored 1,075 career points which puts her tied for 27th all-time in the MSU record books, tied with Jamie Wesley (1994-98).
Joiner made two 3-pointer against Ohio State to separate from a tie with Kalisha Keane (2007-11) for the No. 5 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, as Joiner now has sole possession with 186 treys.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
This season, Michigan State is fourth in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+17.1) and second in assists (19.4 apg). The Spartans are also second in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 9.38 per game. MSU is second in turnover margin (+6.92) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.74).
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game, which is 11th in the conference, while graduate guard Moira Joiner is 12th with 14.9 ppg. Ayrault is also seventh in rebounding with 7.3 rpg and fifth in field goal percentage (.523). Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann is seventh in the league in assists, averaging 4.9 apg and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.90). Ayrault is also second in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.2 bpg, behind Wisconsin's Serah Williams.
PUTTING UP THE POINTS
Sunday's game against Ohio State was just the eighth time this season that the Spartans have been held under 80 points, now 2-6 when doing so, compared to 15-1 when scoring 80 or more points.
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. The Spartans are in the midst of their first two-game losing streak of the season after losses to No. 14/13 Indiana and No. 5/5 Ohio State.
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
In the second meeting between the teams, Michigan State fell to No. 5/5 Ohio State 86-71 in its annual Pink Game for breast cancer awareness on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center.
Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann became just the ninth player in MSU history to reach the 400 career assists with four helpers today. She and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault both also added 10 points. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock led the Spartans in scoring with 18 points off the bench.
Ohio State was led by 20 points from Celeste Taylor.
• The Spartans are looking to get back on track after losing two-straight games for the first time this season. MSU stands 17-7 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten games after losing to No. 5/5 Ohio State on Feb. 11.
• Michigan is 16-10 overall this season and 7-7 in league contests. The Wolverines are looking to avoid the series sweep for the first time since 2019. U-M continues to be led by Laila Phelia who is eighth in the B1G in scoring, averaging 15.9 ppg.
• DeeDee Hagemann dished out a team-high four assists against Ohio State, which put her over the 400-career assists mark, now with 403, becoming the ninth player in MSU program history to reach the 400-career assists plateau, and vaulting to tie for No. 7 on the Spartans' career assists list with Tamika Matlock (1995-97) with 403 helpers, passing Brittney Thomas (2007-11) with 401 assists.
• With the 363 points, Julia Ayrault needs just 71 more points to equal the combined sum of her previous three seasons in a Spartan uniform, as she had a combined 434 points in the 2019-23 seasons.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
This is the 100th meeting between the Spartans and the Wolverines. Michigan holds a 16-10 overall record and a 7-7 mark in Big Ten action, heading into the game with Michigan State. Last time out, fell to No. 4/4 Iowa 106-89 in Iowa City on Thursday. The Wolverines had six players in double figures, led by 16 fro, Jordan Hobbs. U-M has lost four of its last six games with wins against Rutgers and Penn State.
The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing only 63.0 ppg. They are 10th in scoring offense, scoring 70.7 ppg. Michigan is third in the conference in rebound margin (+5.23) and sixth in turnover margin (+2.54).
Laila Phelia is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 15.9 ppg. She is also 12th in the league in free throw percentage (.792).
Kim Barnes Arico is in his 12th season at the helm of the Wolverines with a 257-129 record. Overall, she is in his 28th season as a head coach with a record of 527-335.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WOLVERINES
Michigan State leads the overall series with Michigan 74-25. The Spartans are on top at home 37-9, 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 eight meetings. U-M won both games last year, including a 77-67 win in Ann Arbor on Feb. 18. Michigan State got back on track earlier this season with a dominating 82-61 win in the Breslin Center on Jan. 27.
LAST TIME VS MICHIGAN
With over 9,000 fans packing the Breslin Center, the Michigan State women's basketball team celebrated Spartans past and present with an 82-61 win over Michigan on Jan. 27.
First-year Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is the first Spartan head coach to post a Victory for MSU over Michigan in their first meeting since Karen Langland's first season of 1976-77 in a 63-62 triumph on Jan. 24, 1977. Overall, Fralick is the third MSU head coach to do so, joining inaugural head coach Mikki Baile in the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines on Feb. 3, 1973.
In the first quarter, Michigan State honored members of the 2014 Big Ten Championship team, while all Spartan women's basketball alumni were honored at halftime. All-American and WNBA first- round draft pick Aerial Powers was on hand to celebrate the 2014 squad.
Overall, four Spartans reached double figures in the victory. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann scored a team-high 20 points, along with four rebounds. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was just one rebound shy of a double-double with a 19 points and nine rebounds, while junior guard Jocelyn Tate scored 14 points with four boards.
OH WHAT A NIGHT
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault had the hot hand against Indiana on Feb. 8. Ayrault netted a B1G season-high 25 points topping her previous B1G season-high of 20 points vs. Maryland (1/9/24). She netted a career-high five 3-pointers, bettering her previous top mark of four triples vs. Coastal Carolina (12/21/23). The five triples was her third game in the last four with multiple triples as part of the eighth game this season with more than one 3-pointer. Ayrault ended the game 9-for-11 from the field.
INCHING TOWARDS THE RECORD BOOKS
With five regular seasons-season games remaining, Michigan State is getting close to the school record for 3-pointers in a season. Through 24 games, the Spartans have made 225 treys this season. The school record is 252 set during the 2016-17 season. Graduate guard Moira Joiner leads the team with 59 3-pointers. The single-season record for individual treys was 122 by All-American Tori Jankoska during the 2016-17 season.
LOOKING TO BEAT THE BEST
Michigan State is still looking for its first win over a ranked team this season. The Spartans are 0-4 this year with losses to then-No. 4/3 Iowa and then-No. 17-16 Ohio State. On Feb. 8, Michigan State lost another close battle to No. 14/14 Indiana, 94-91, before falling to No. 5/5 Ohio State on Feb. 11. Three of the Spartans' four losses to ranked teams have come by five points or less. MSU's last win against a ranked team came against Indiana. On Dec. 29, 2022, the Spartans upset No. 3/3 Indiana, 83-78 in East Lansing.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are 10th in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Michigan State is also seventh in the country in assists per game, averaging 19.4 apg. They still stand first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.74). The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands fifth in the nation in scoring offense, as well (85.6 ppg). MSU is currently ninth in the nation in 3-pointers made (9.4/game).
Individually, Julia Ayrault is 22nd in the nation in blocks with 53 and 22nd in blocks per game (2.2 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is seventh in the country assist/turnover ratio (2.90).
NET RANKING
Through Feb. 14, Michigan State holds a NET ranking of No. 23, which is fourth-best in the Big Ten. Iowa is first at No. 5, followed by Ohio State at No. 8 and Indiana at No. 12.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. OHIO STATE
• Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock's team-high 18 points was her fourth-straight game in double-figures as part of the 12th time this season and 13th of her career. The 18 points is also her third-most of the season behind a career-high 24 points vs. Purdue (1/4/24) and 21 points at Penn State (12/30/23).
• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault's 10 points was her sixth-straight game with double-digits in the scoring column, tying her season and career-long for consecutive games in double-figures, matching six in a row from Dec. 17, 2023 - Jan. 9, 2024.
• Michigan State suffered defeat in back-to-back games for the first time this season after winning its previous four in a row. The Spartans have still won five of their last eight and 10 of their last 15 as part of 12 of the last 17, now 17-7 overall and 7-6 in B1G action.
HISTORY HAS ITS EYE ON YOU
First-year Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is the first Spartan head coach to post a Victory for MSU over Michigan in their first meeting since Karen Langeland's first season of 1976-77 in a 63-62 triumph on Jan. 24, 1977. Overall, Fralick is the third MSU head coach to do so, joining inaugural head coach Mikki Baile in the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines on Feb. 3, 1973.
DID YOU KNOW?
With only five games remaining in the regular season, the Big Ten standings are very tight. With the Spartans holding a 7-6 record, they stand fifth in the standings just behind Nebraska. Ohio State stands first with a 13-1 mark, while Iowa and Indiana are tied for second with 12-2 records. Just behind MSU, Michigan and Penn State are tied at 7-7.
DID YOU ALSO KNOW?
Moira Joiner's two treys against Ohio State on Feb. 11 gives her 59 3-pointers for the season, needing just nine more 3-pointers to crack the top 10 of MSU's single-season 3-pointers list, as Tori Jankoska (2014-15) and Lindsay Bowen (2005-06) co-hold the No. 9 spot with 68 3-pointers.
Joiner now has 186 career 3-pointers, now just 14 away from becoming the fifth player in Spartan women's basketball history with 200 career triples.
LOOK AT ME NOW
With the 363 points, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault needs just 71 more points to equal the combined sum of her previous three seasons in a Spartan uniform, as she had a combined 434 points in the 2019-23 seasons.
GETTING IN THE LINEUP
Sunday's Spartan starting line-up of junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore guard Abbey Kimball junior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, graduate guard Moira Joiner and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault was Michigan State's 15th-straight game with those five Spartans on the court for tip-off. MSU has had those five starters in 21 total games this season, now 14-7 with that starting five. The only other two Spartans to start this season are sophomore guard Theryn Hallock and junior forward Isaline Alexander.
DEEDEE MAKING HER MARK
Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann dished out a team-high four assists against Ohio State on Feb. 11, which put her over the 400-career assists mark, now with 403, becoming the ninth player in MSU program history to reach the 400-career assists plateau, and vaulting to tie for No. 7 on the Spartans' career assists list with Tamika Matlock (1995-97) with 403 helpers, passing Brittney Thomas (2007-11) with 401 assists.
She is the first person since Taryn McCutcheon (2017-20) to reach 100 assists in her first three seasons. McCutcheon is the all-time MSU leader in assists with 568.
MOVIN' ON UP
Several Spartans are moving up the MSU record books. With one block against Ohio State, graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault moves her season-total to 53 blocks on the year, the most in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections. The 53 blocks moved Ayrault up to No. 7 on MSU's single-season blocks list, tying Kristen Rasmussen (1999-2000) with 53 rejections.
Graduate guard Moira Joiner now has 186 made 3-pointers. Joiner made two 3-pointers against Ohio State to separate from a tie with Kalisha Keane (2007-11) for the No. 5 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, as Joiner now has sole possession with 186 treys., Even though she is just a junior, guard DeeDee Hagemann already has 403 career assists. Hagemann dished out a team-high four assists, which put her over the 400-career assists mark, now with 403, becoming the ninth player in MSU program history to reach the 400-career assists plateau, and vaulting to tie for No. 7 on the Spartans' career assists list with Tamika Matlock (1995-97) with 403 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 209-83 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.
AYRAULT SWATTING HER WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault swatted one block against Ohio State on Feb. 11 for her 53rd block of the season and 124th of her career. The 53 blocks are the most by a Spartan in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections. Now with 53 blocks, Ayrault has moved up to tie for the No. 6 spot on MSU's single-season blocks list, matching Kristen Rasmussen (1999-2000) with 53 rejections.
Ayrault's 124 blocks is at No. 5 on MSU's career blocks list, just 10 shy of the No. 4 spot held by Kelli Roehrig (2001-05) with 134 blocks.
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HER...JOINER
Graduate guard Moira Joiner topped the 1,000 career point mark with a 3-pointer at the 6:39 mark for her fifth point of the game against Purdue on Jan. 24. 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 now has scored 1,075 career points which puts her tied for 27th all-time in the MSU record books, tied with Jamie Wesley (1994-98).
Joiner made two 3-pointer against Ohio State to separate from a tie with Kalisha Keane (2007-11) for the No. 5 spot on MSU's career 3-pointers list, as Joiner now has sole possession with 186 treys.
AROUND THE BIG TEN
This season, Michigan State is fourth in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+17.1) and second in assists (19.4 apg). The Spartans are also second in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 9.38 per game. MSU is second in turnover margin (+6.92) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.74).
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game, which is 11th in the conference, while graduate guard Moira Joiner is 12th with 14.9 ppg. Ayrault is also seventh in rebounding with 7.3 rpg and fifth in field goal percentage (.523). Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann is seventh in the league in assists, averaging 4.9 apg and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.90). Ayrault is also second in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.2 bpg, behind Wisconsin's Serah Williams.
PUTTING UP THE POINTS
Sunday's game against Ohio State was just the eighth time this season that the Spartans have been held under 80 points, now 2-6 when doing so, compared to 15-1 when scoring 80 or more points.
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. The Spartans are in the midst of their first two-game losing streak of the season after losses to No. 14/13 Indiana and No. 5/5 Ohio State.
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
In the second meeting between the teams, Michigan State fell to No. 5/5 Ohio State 86-71 in its annual Pink Game for breast cancer awareness on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center.
Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann became just the ninth player in MSU history to reach the 400 career assists with four helpers today. She and graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault both also added 10 points. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock led the Spartans in scoring with 18 points off the bench.
Ohio State was led by 20 points from Celeste Taylor.
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