No. 20 Michigan State Stops Clemson to Capture Baha Mar Nassau Championship

NASSAU, Bahamas - Led by a 22-point performance by redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair, the No. 20/21 MSU women's basketball team defeated Clemson,72-64, to win the Baha Mar Nassau Junkanoo Division Championship on Sunday night.

This is the third tournament that the Spartans have won in head coach Robyn Fralick's third season. Last year, MSU won the Acrisure Classic and during the 2023-24 season it won the Cherokee Invitational.

With the victory, the Michigan State improves to 8-0 this season. With the loss, Clemson falls to 5-3. This is only the third meeting between the teams with Spartans now leading the series 2-1.

Grace VanSlooten was named MVP of the tournament, while Kennedy Blair was named to the all-tournament team.

For the second-straight game, three Spartans reached double figures led by a 22-point, 12-rebound performance from Blair It was her second double-double of the season and her second 20-point game of the year. Junior guard Rashunda Jones scored 16 points, including going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was a force, scoring 15 points with three assists and two blocks in a season-high 32 minutes of action.

Clemson was led by 17 points from Rusne Augustinaite.

A Jayln Brown trey gave MSU an early 10-4 lead at the 5:48 mark, as both teams were slow to get going. Neither teams had significant runs but the Spartans maintained the lead the whole period. Behind Blair's nine first-quarter points, the Spartans led after the first 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, VanSlooten scored her third-straight basket for MSU to make it a 19-12 at the 9:30 mark. Both teams went nearly three minutes out a field goal before VanSlooten stopped the drought for MSU. The Spartans took their first double digit-lead 31-19 after a Blair trey. MSU used a 7-0 run to stretch the lead to 38-22. The Tigers bounced back with an 8-0 run of their own in the final 1:10 to make it a 38-30 game at half time.

Clemson scored the first six of the third quarter to make its a 38-37 game, which was a close as the Spartans came to relinquishing their lead. MSU re-established its 10-point lead after an Isaline Alexander layup 52-42. With a flair for the dramatic, Blair hit a trey with eight second left in the third quarter to take a 55-44 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.

In the fourth quarter, MSU maintained the double-digit lead for much of the half. The Spartans were able to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard for over three minutes before a Taylor Johnson-Matthews bucket made it a 65-53. Jones was huge for MSU in sealing the win. In the fourth quarter, she scored 10 points, including going 4-for-4 from the line. She played all 10 minutes of the fourth period for the Green and White.

The Spartans return stateside but remain on the road. Michigan State opens Big Ten play at Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. on BTN.

2025 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship
Junkanoo Division All-Tournament Team
Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State - Most Valuable Player
Kennedy Blair, Michigan State
Mia Moore, Clemson
Kaylah Turner, Temple
Ally Hollifield, Western Carolina
Ary Dizon, Western Carolina

Michigan State Women's Basketball Post-Game Notes

• In winning the 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship of the Junkanoo Division in Nassau, Bahamas, Michigan State won its third tournament title in as many seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick, as the Spartans won the 2023 Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee, N.C., in Coach Franlick's first season, then won the 2024 Acrisure Classic crown last year in Palm Springs, Calif.

• Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named Tournament MVP of the 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship of the Junkanoo Division, while redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair joined her on the All-Tournament team.

• Michigan State debuted its new Spartan green uniforms.

• The Spartans improved to 8-0 for the third-straight season under head coach Robyn Fralick . . . MSU is 8-0 for the third time in the last four years and fourth in the last six seasons, joining the 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2024-25 Spartan squads . . . MSU opened 8-0 in 2020-21, 7-0 in 2022-23 and 11-0 last season.

• After netting 90 or more points in their first six games, the Spartans were held under 90 for the second-straight game after 85 in Wednesday's semifinal win over Temple (85-50), and Sunday's 72-64 win was not only a season-low for points, but the most points yielded to the opposition.

• With Sunday's victory for MSU, the Spartans won their last three in a row played in the Bahamas, moving to 6-2 in the eight overall games played on the island . . . Michigan State went 1-1 in 2019-20, 1-1 in 2015-16 and 2-0 in 2009-10.

• Along with held to a season-low total points, the Spartans were limited to just six 3-pointers in tying a season-low, matching six triples vs. Western Michigan (11/15/25) . . . the six treys also snapped a streak of three-straight games with double-digit 3-pointers, and just the third time in single-digit treys this season, including eight vs. Eastern Michigan (11/9/25).

• While the six 3-pointers tied a season low, MSU was efficient in their shooting from distance, going 6-of-9 behind the arc for a new season-high of 66.7 percent shooting from 3-point range . . . the Spartans shot 40.0 percent or better from long range for the fourth game in a row and the sixth time out of the eight games, in topping the previous season-high of 48.0 percent (12-of-25) vs. Youngstown State (11/12/25).

• MSU was out-rebounded for just the third time out of the eight games . . . Sunday was also the first time that the Spartans had more turnovers than the opposition, 16-15, and just the fourth game this season with double-figure miscues.

• The Spartans have swiped a season-low steals for the second game in a row, after eight steals Friday, MSU only had seven steals on Sunday, as Michigan State entered Sunday leading the Big Ten and ranking fourth in the NCAA in steals at 17.4 spg.

• MSU also entered Sunday leading both the B1G and the NCAA in assists per game at 26.0 apg, and the Spartans dished out a season-low for the second game in a row with only 14 helpers and just the first game under 20 assists.

• The Spartans had at least four players net double-figures in the first four games on the season, before having only three players in double-figures for the fourth-straight game . . . redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair spearheaded the Spartan offensive attack with her second double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while junior guard Rashunda Jones tallied 16 points and senior forward Grace VanSlooten chipped in with 15 points.

• Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair registered her second career double-double with a game-high 22 points to go with 12 rebounds for her first double-double with points and rebounds, after her first double-double came with 14 points and 12 assists in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25).

• The double-double by Kennedy was MSU's second of the weekend and third this season, after senior forward Grace VanSlooten had 11 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's win over Temple.

• Blair's 22 points was her second 20-point outing of both the season and her career, with both coming in the last three games after her career-high 25 points vs. Oakland (11/23/25).

• The 12 rebounds was also Blair's second double-digit rebounding game of both season and career, joining her career-high 15 boards vs. Eastern Illinois (11/20/25).

• Blair also dished out a team-leading five assists to register her third-straight game with five or more helpers, as part of her sixth game this season with a five or bigger number in the assists column.

• Junior guard Rashunda Jones netted 16 points Sunday to notch double-figures for the second game in a row and fifth time in the eight games this season . . . Jones has 34 points in her last two games after her Spartan career-high 18 points Friday vs. Temple.

• Jones was a game and season-high 8-for-8 from the free throw line and made 13 in a row, after going 6-for-7 on Friday night, missing her second attempt, and then making her next five . . . the eight made free throws was Jones' fourth game with three or more made from the charity stripe, as part of the third game in making five or more at the free pitch line.

• Jones also dished out for assists for her fourth game in a row with four or more helpers and sixth time out of the eight games.

• Tournament MVP senior forward Grace VanSlooten posted 15 points and two rebounds Sunday , after logging a double-double last time out with 11 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's Victory for MSU over Temple, as she logged 26 points and 12 rebounds in the two games.

• VanSlooten logged her eighth double-figure scoring outing in as many games this season . . . VanSlooten has now scored 10+ points in the last 27 games, including netting double-digits in 27 of her last 39 games played as a Spartan, being held to single digits twice last season, and she also missed one game due to illness.

• Additionally, VanSlooten has now tallied double-figures scoring 88 times out of 102 career games, registering 10+ points in 55 games during her time at Oregon.

• VanSlooten swatted two shots as part of having two or more blocks in four of the last five games and all nine of her blocks this season have come in the last five games.

No. 20 Michigan State Stops Clemson to Capture Baha Mar Nassau Championship

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Team Stats

Kennedy Blair

Rashunda Jones

Grace VanSlooten

Jalyn Brown

Players Mentioned

Isaline Alexander

Kennedy Blair

Rashunda Jones

Grace VanSlooten