Second-Quarter Surge Helps Spartans Past Minnesota, 76-65

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball built a huge 47-24 half time lead, and never looked back en route to a 76-65 win over Minnesota Monday night to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day at the Breslin Center.

With the victory, the Spartans have now won four-straight games to improve to 17-5 overall and 7-4 in Big Ten action. The seven league wins matches the win total from last season when MSU was 7-10. Since defeating MSU on Jan. 20, Minnesota has now lost four-straight games, falling to 14-8 overall and 4-7 in Big Ten play.

Overall, four Spartans reached double figures in the victory, led by graduate guard Moira Joiner's 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Joiner has reached the 20-point mark four times this season. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault added 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann scored 13 points, while adding five helpers. Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock scored 10 points.

The Golden Gophers missed their first five attempts, as MSU jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Minnesota corrected and used a 7-0 run to take its first lead 8-6. Michigan State was hitting from long range early on with five treys in the first quarter alone. A 3-pointer by Tory Ozment made it a 20-12 game with 51.4 seconds remaining in the period to put MSU up 20-12.

After an old-fashioned 3-pointer by Ayrault MSU took its first double-digit lead 26-16. The run extended to 9-0 to put the Spartans on top 29-16 with under seven left in the half. Michigan State ended the half on an 8-0 run to lead 47-24 at the break. MSU shot an eye-popping 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, going 9-for-18. Ayrault led the Spartans with 13 points, including 3-for-3 from long range.

Minnesota scored the first nine points of the second half to trim the MSU advantage to 47-33, leading to a Spartan timeout at the 7:08 mark. Whenever the Spartans bounced back, the Gophers had an answer. Despite out-scoring MSU 22-13 in the period, Michigan State retained a 60-46 lead, heading into the fourth quarter. Mallory Heyer led Minnesota with seven points in the period, while Joiner scored eight for the Spartans.

In the fourth quarter, the Gophers got it down to a single-digit deficit 71-62 after a Heyer 3-point play with two minutes left. Joiner drilled the Spartans 12 trey of the games to put MSU back up by double digits, 76-65 with 43 seconds remaining.

The 12 3-pointers were the most by the Spartans since drilling 13 against Northwestern at home on Jan. 17. MSU has reached double figures in treys 10 times this season.

The Spartans continue a busy week taking on No. 14 Indiana on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. on Peacock. MSU concludes the week hosting No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. also on Peacock.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Notes
• Michigan State posted its fourth-straight victory ... MSU has won five of its last six and 10 of the last 13, as well as winning 12 of the last 16 games.

• The Spartans improved to 17-5 overall, surpassing last season's win total, when MSU was 17-14 ... the 17 wins are the most by Michigan State since the 2018-19 when the Spartans were a palindromic 21-12.

• MSU also moved to 7-4 in B1G action, tying its league wins from last year when the Green & White were 7-10 in conference play ... the Spartans have now posted at least seven B1G wins for the 22nd-straight season since 2001-02 when Michigan State was 6-10.

• The Michigan State 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 Monday's game was MSU's 12th-straight contest opening with that starting five ... Michigan State has started with that opening five in 19 total games out of the 22-game season ... MSU improved to 14-5 when those five Spartans are on the court for opening tip-off.

• Michigan State avenged last month's 69-50 loss at Minnesota on Jan. 20 ... the Spartans have now split the season series with the Golden Gophers in each of the last two seasons, both winning on their respective home courts both seasons ... MSU has won five of the last seven meetings with Minnesota, and now leads the all-time series, 48-25 ... the Spartans have won the last 11 match-ups in East Lansing, improving to 28-8 on their home hardwood.

• MSU's 76 points was the second time in the last six contests held under 80 points and both occasions have come against Minnesota after the Spartans' 69-50 loss in Minneapolis last month ... the 76 points in the Victory for MSU was just the Spartans' second win when scoring under 80 points, now 2-5 when scoring 79 or fewer points, as 15 of the 17 wins have come when scoring 80+ points ... Michigan State's other win when scoring under 80 was a 74-69 triumph over the Terrapins of Maryland on Jan. 9.

• The four Spartans in double-figures improved MSU to 8-1 when four score in double-digits.

• Hallock's 10 points led the way for MSU's 17-6 bench points advantage, as the Spartans improved to 14-3 when having more bench points.

• With the team-high 21 points, graduate guard Moira Joiner posted her fourth game with 20+ points this season, as the Spartans moved to 4-0 this season when she nets 20 or more, as well as improving to 17-4 when Joiner scored in double-digits, and 4-1 when she leads the team in scoring

• Monday was also her fourth-straight game in double-digits, as her streak of scoring 10+ points was halted at 19-straight games in last month's loss at Minnesota for the first and only time this season that Joiner has been held to single-digits ... Joiner has now netted double-figures in 21 of the 22 games this season and 24 of her last 26 career games ... MSU improved to 17-4 when Joiner scored in double-digits, and 4-1 when she leads the team in scoring

• The three treys moves Joiner up to tied for No. 5 on MSU's career 3-pointers list with 183 treys, tying her Kalisha Keane (2007-11).

• Joiner also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, one shy of her second double-double of the season ... the nine boards was her second-highest of the season behind her season-best 10 boards vs. James Madison (12/20/23).

• MSU is now 2-0 when Joiner leads the team on the glass.

• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault netted double-figures for the fourth-consecutive game and the 16th game this season and 29th of her career.

• Ayrault snared seven rebounds for her fifth-straight with five or more rebounds as part of her 17th contest with five+ boards out of the 22 games played.

• Ayrault swatted four blocks to register at least one block for the fourth-straight game and the 19th game with at least one block ... it was her 16th game this season with multiple blocks, in addition to her eighth game with three or more blocks.

• The four blocks adjusts Ayrault's season-total to 52 blocks on the year, the most in a single-season since 2009-10 when Allyssa DeHaan had 101 rejections ... the 52 blocks moved Ayrault up to No. 7 on MSU's single-season blocks list, passing the 50 blocks by Kelli Roehrig (2004-05), and now just one shy of the No. 6 spot held by Kristen Rasmussen (1999-2000) with 53 rejections.

• Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann tallied 13 points and distributed five assists. The 13 points was Hagemann's second double-figure scoring outing in the last three contests and fourth in the last six outings ... Hagemann has now tallied 10+ points in 14 games this season.

• Hagemann's five assists was her sixth game in the last seven outings with five or more helpers as part of 12 total times this season in 21 games played.

• The five assists gives Hagemann 99 helpers this season, one shy of her third 100-assist season in as many years in the Green & White.

• With five assists, Hagemann now has 389 for her career, closing in on becoming the eighth Spartan women's basketball player with 400 career assists and also closing in on the No. 8 spot on MSU's career assists list held by Brittney Thomas (2007-11) with 401 helpers.

• Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock's 10 points was her third double-digit outing in the last four games as part of the 10th time this season and 11th in her career.

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Team Stats

Moira Joiner

Julia Ayrault

DeeDee Hagemann

Theryn Hallock

Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

DeeDee Hagemann

Theryn Hallock

Moira Joiner

Abbey Kimball

Tory Ozment

Jocelyn Tate