No. 22 MSU Women Continue Homestand against Eastern Illinois Thursday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Spartan women's basketball continues its six-game homestand on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. against Eastern Illinois. Michigan State has started the season 4-0 after a 98-44 win over Western Michigan on Sunday. Jack David and Audrey Dayton will be on the call for B1G+.

• Eastern Illinois is in search of its first win of the season. The Panthers have started the season 0-3 with a home loss to Drake and road losses to Purdue and Indiana State.

• MSU's 98 points against WMU marked the fourth time out of the four games this season that the Spartans scored 90+ points. MSU has now scored 90 or more points in the first four games of the last two seasons. The Spartans have netted 90+ points a total of 22 times under Coach Fralick.

• The Spartans are first in the nation in three categories this week. Michigan State is first turnover margin (+21.75), assist/turnover ratio (3.14) and assists per game (27.5 apg.). MSU is also fifth in steals per game (18.3 spg) and third in scoring margin (+54.0).

• MSU improved to 4-0 for the third time in as many seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick and the seventh-straight season overall, as the Spartans were 3-1 through the first four games of 2018-19.

SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS
Eastern Illinois comes to East Lansing with an 0-3 record. The Panthers started the season with a 83-65 loss to Drake on Nov. 3 at home. They then suffered a pair of road losses to Purdue, 82-67, on Nov. 6 and Indiana State, 90-69, on Nov. 11.

Ava Stoller has been stellar for the Panthers this season. She is first on the team in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game. She is shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 94.7 percent from the free throw line. Lalani Ellis is the only other Panther averaging in double figures with 10.0 ppg. As a team, EIU is scoring 67.0 ppg, while allowing 85.0 ppg.

Marqus McGlothan is in his second season at the helm of Eastern Illinois. He holds a career record of 18-15. He is a 2015 graduate of St. Cloud State.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE PANTHERS
This is only the second meeting between the Spartans and the Panthers. No. 12 Michigan State defeated Eastern Illinois 85-45 in the Breslin Center on Dec. 9, 2004. The Spartans would go on to reach the Final Four that season.

BY THE NUMBERS vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN

The Spartans swiped 17 steals for the second-straight game with 17 on Sunday and 17 last time out vs. Youngstown State on Tuesday. MSU has 15+ steals in all four games this season.
Michigan State scored 31 points in the first quarter and 33 points in the third quarter and have now scored 30+ points in a quarter five times, as the 33 points was the second-highest scoring quarter, trailing the season-high for points in a quarter of 36 points in the first frame vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25)

GETTING IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Michigan State used the same starting lineup for the fourth-straight game of senior forward Grace VanSlooten, senior forward Marah Dykstra, senior guard Threryn Hallock, junior guard Rashunda Jones and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair. MSU is 4-0 with that lineup.

PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS
The Spartans have scored 90+ points in their first four games for the second-straight year under head coach Robyn Fralick. MSU has now scored 90 or more 22 times under Coach Fralick, now with four in 2025-26 after six in 2024-25 and 12 in 2023-25. The Spartans improved to 21-1 under Coach Fralick when scoring 90+ points, with the lone loss coming in a 94-91 loss at No. 14/13 Indiana on Feb. 8, 2024.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT
After missing all of the 2024-25 season and much of the 2023-24 season, senior forward Isaline Alexander returned to action on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst. Alexander scored a career-high 20 points against Western Michigan. She topped her previous career-high of 17 points from Nov. 19, 2022 vs. Central Michigan for her first career 20-point outing and just her seventh career double-figure scoring outing .

She netted her career-best 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the floor, also a career-high, bettering her previous career-high field goal outing of seven field goals, vs. Oregon (11/27/22).

BIG TIME BIG TEN NUMBERS
The Spartans are first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 102.8 ppg. Michigan State is also first in scoring margin (+54.0). The Spartans stands first in field goal percentage (.556).

Individually, Rashunda Jones is first in steals per game, averaging 3.75 spg. Kennedy Blair is also third in assists with 7.25 apg.

SPARTANS VS. THE NCAA
After the first four games, Michigan State stands first in the nation in assists per game (27.5 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.14). The Spartans are also tops in the NCAA in turnover margin (+21.8). Michigan State is also fourth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 102.8 ppg. MSU has also been strong on the defensive end of the ball, standing fifth in the country in steals per game (18.3 spg).

WELCOME BACK
After tearing her ACL on Jan. 22, 2025 against Penn State, Juliann Woodard returned to the lineup against Eastern Michigan. Woodard entered the game at the 3:46 mark of the fourth quarter. At the 3:39 point, she drained her first shot, which was a 3-pointer. Her trey gave the Spartans a 32-point advantage.

DID YOU KNOW?
MSU's four turnovers marked the Spartans' second game out of the four this season in single-digit turnover after just three miscues in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair made the most of her first Spartan start against Mercyhurst on Nov. 4. She captured her first double-double with 14 points and 12 assists against Mercyhurst on Nov. 4.

ADDING UP THE ACCOLADES
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List Presented by AXIA Time. She was one of 50 players named to the watch list that honors the best players in the nation.

VanSlooten is one of 13 Big Ten players named to the watch list, including her team USA teammate Hannah Stuelke from Iowa. VanSlooten was also named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team earlier this month as well the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List.

RANKED TEAMS IN BIG TEN
This Big Ten continues to be one of the toughest conferences in the country with three teams in the top 10 in the rankings. In the AP poll, UCLA is No. 3, while Michigan and Maryland stand No. 6 and No. 9, respectively. USC is just outside the top 10 at No. 11. Iowa holds the No. 19 spot followed by Michigan State (No. 22) and Washington (No. 25).

HOLDING ON TO THE BALL
The Spartans only had three turnovers on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst, also setting a school record for fewest turnovers, bettering the previous record of five done three previous times, first done in a 56-55 win at Northwestern on Jan. 22, 1989, then again in a 76-69 win vs. Stanford on March 29, 2005 and most recently in a 68-66 win over Toledo on March 18, 2018.

SEASON OPENERS
Michigan State has won its 12th-straight season-opener and three in a row under head coach Robyn Fralick. MSU's last season-opening loss was on Nov. 11, 2013 at #6/7 Notre Dame. The Spartans have won 16-consecutive home openers, as their last loss in the first home game of the season was on Nov. 19, 2009 vs. #5/6 Notre Dame.

VANSLOOTEN EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
Michigan State women's basketball senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named 2025-26 Preseason All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. In her first season with the Spartans, VanSlooten earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. She was first on the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. She scored a career-high 480 points her junior season. She was tied for 15th in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. In a win against, Vanderbilt at the Acrisure Classic on Nov. 27, she scored her 1,000th career point.

BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
Three players earned gold medals for their home countries this summer. Grace VanSlooten won the FIBA Women's Americup for Team USA. Marah Dykstra won gold for Canada in the FIBA 3x3 Junior Pan American Games. Inés Sotelo and Spain won a gold medal in the 2025 FIBA Eurobasket.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced senior forward Grace VanSlooten and senior guard Abbey Kimball as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2025-26 women's basketball team. This is the first time that either has been named a captain for Michigan State. VanSlooten is in her second season with MSU after transferring from Oregon. Kimball is in her fourth season as a Spartan.

REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
After scoring 107 points in last year's season-opener vs. Oakland in a 107-42 Victory for MSU on Nov. 5, 2024, the Spartans have scored 100+ points in back-to-back season-openers for the first time in school history after scoring 125 against Mercyhurst on Nov. 4. The closest MSU had been to reaching the century back in consecutive lid-lifters to a season was in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 season-openers when the Spartans scored 100 in a 100-58 win over Robert Morris in on Nov. 11, 2017, and then 99 the next year in a 99-69 win over Bowling Green on Nov. 6, 2018.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior forward Isaline Alexander's career night helped the No. 24 Spartan women's basketball team past Western Michigan, 98-44, on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center.

For the fourth-straight game, the Spartans had at least four players reach double figures led by a career-high 20 points from Alexander off the bench. Her previous career high was 17 points against Central Michigan on Nov. 19, 2022. She missed nearly two seasons with injury and reached double-figures in scoring for the first time this season.

NEW DIGS
The Spartans welcome four transfers to the 2025-26 season. Rashunda Jones is a junior guard, who comes to Michigan State after two years at Purdue. Marah Dykstra is a senior forward who spent three season at Montana State in the Big Sky Conference. Jalyn Brown is the second-straight player to come to MSU from Arizona State. The guard played two seasons at ASU. Last season, senior Jaddan Simmons spent one season with MSU. Finally, Sara Sambolić is a junior guard from Slovenia who transferred from the University of Ljubljana.

ROBYN FRALICK RADIO SHOW
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Robyn Fralick started her weekly radio call-in show, the Robyn Fralick Radio Show, on Nov. 18 at One North Kitchen and Bar. Coach Fralick joins host Dalton Shetler, the Spartans' play-by-play voice, from 12-1 p.m., for an in-depth look into the MSU women's basketball program. The show is held at One North Kitchen and Bar on 1310 Abbott in East Lansing.

Radio Show Dates
Tuesday, Nov. 18
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Tuesday, Dec. 9
Tuesday, Dec. 16
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Tuesday, Jan. 20
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Tuesday, Feb. 3
Tuesday Feb. 10
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Tuesday, Feb. 24

No. 22 MSU Women Continue Homestand against Eastern Illinois Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Isaline Alexander

Kennedy Blair

Jalyn Brown

Marah Dykstra

Rashunda Jones

Abbey Kimball

Jaddan Simmons

Grace VanSlooten

Juliann Woodard

No. 22 MSU Women Continue Homestand against Eastern Illinois Thursday

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Isaline Alexander

Kennedy Blair

Jalyn Brown

Marah Dykstra

Rashunda Jones

Abbey Kimball

Jaddan Simmons

Grace VanSlooten

Juliann Woodard

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