No. 24/25 MSU Women Travel to DePaul Sunday

Sunday, December 14

Chicago, Ill.

5:30 PM ET

Michigan State University

DePaul

12/12/2025 4:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

MSU Notes DePaul Notes Live Stats Listen Live Watch Live

This is the third-straight season the teams have met.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 25/24 Michigan State women's basketball will remain on the road to take on DePaul on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Wintrust Arena. Noah Reed and Kim Adams will be on the call for FS1. The Spartans look to rebound from a Big Ten opener road loss to Wisconsin 78-64.

• DePaul snapped a five-game losing streak with a 78-48 win over UMass Lowell on Dec. 11. With the win, the Blue Demons improve to 3-8 overall and hold an 0-2 record in Big East action.

• The Spartans are one of 10 teams in the country with both their men and women's teams ranked in the AP top 25. MSU joins other Big Ten teams Michigan, UCLA and Nebraska. Other teams that have both teams ranked are UConn, Iowa State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Louisville.

• After the first nine games, Michigan State stands first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.40). The Spartans are also tops in the NCAA in turnover margin (+15.3). MSU is third in scoring margin (39.3).

• With the team-high 16 points against Wisconsin, Kennedy Blair led MSU in scoring for the second game in a row and the third time this season. She posted double-figures also for the second-straight game and third in the last four contests.

SCOUTING DEPAUL
The Blue Demons snapped a five-game losing streak with a 78-48 win over UMass Lowell at home on Dec. 11. DePaul is now 3-8 overall and 0-2 in Big East play. In league action, the Blue Demons have losses to Marquette and No. 1 UConn.

Kate Novik is the only Blue Demon averaging in double figures, scoring 12.8 ppg. She also leads the team in rebounding with 6.6 rpg. Natiah Nelson is second scoring, averaging 9.3 ppg. As a team, DePaul is scoring 63.5 ppg, while allowing 69.4. The Blue Demons are shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Spartan fans will see a familiar last name on the Blue Demon roster. Sophomore guard Devin Hagemann is the young sister of All-Big Ten guard DeeDee Hagemann. Devin Hagemann is in her first season with DePaul after playing her freshman season at East Carolina.

Jill Pizzotti is in her first official season the helm of the Blue Demons after acting as interim head coach last season. She holds a 16-27 record at DePaul. Prior to DePaul, Pizzotti spent 10 seasons at St. Louis. Overall in 12 years, she has a career record of 129-194 career record. Also on the DePaul roster is former Big Ten Player of the Year Kathleen Doyle, who played at Iowa.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BLUE DEMONS
Michigan State leads the overall series with DePaul, 5-0. This is the third-straight season that the two teams have battled and the second-time in Chicago in three seasons. Last season in East Lansing, MSU came out on top 89-61. The Spartans set the school record for blocks with 14.

Michigan State is 3-0 when playing in Chicago, while holding a 2-0 record in East Lansing.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Spartans are one of 10 teams in the country with both their men and women's teams ranked in the AP top 25. MSU joins other Big Ten teams Michigan, UCLA and Nebraska. Other teams that have both teams ranked are UConn, Iowa State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Louisville.

BIG TEN OPENERS
After losing its Big Ten Conference opener against Wisconsin, Michigan State is now 21-23 all-time in Big Ten openers. Last season, MSU defeated Iowa, having won eight of their last 15. The win against Iowa was the first time that the Spartans opened league play with the Hawkeyes since 2021-22 season, and the win avenged that 88-61 loss. During the 2023-24 season, the Spartans fell to Nebraska at home 80-74 on Dec. 9. During the 2022-23 season, the Spartans fell to Purdue at home 76-71 in overtime. During the 2020-21 season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers.

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. 4, while Michigan and Maryland stand No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. Iowa holds the No. 11 spot followed by No. 16 USC. Michigan State (No. 25), Washington (No. 20) and No. 24 Nebraska round out the group. The Big Ten matched a record with nine teams ranked this week. Last season, the B1G also had nine teams ranked on Dec. 2.

BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
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 Fralick's first season, then won the 2024 Acrisure Classic crown last year in Palm Springs, Calif.

BY THE NUMBERS vs. WISCONSIN

Junior forward Isaline Alexander's 12 points was just her second double-figure scoring outing of the season, joining her career-high 20 points vs. Western Michigan (11/16/25).
Michigan State was dealt defeat for the first time this season after starting 8-0 for the third-straight season under head coach Robyn Fralick and are now 8-1 with the loss.

GETTING IN THE STARTING LINEUP
After using the same starting lineup for seven games, Michigan State used a different starting lineup against Clemson on Nov. 30. After an injury to Theryn Hallock, MSU went with the lineup for senior forward Grace VanSlooten, senior forward Marah Dykstra, senior guard Emma Shumate, junior guard Rashunda Jones and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair. MSU is 1-1 with that lineup.

LOOKING AT THE NET
In the current women's basketball NET ranking, the Spartans stand No. 10. They are fourth among Big Ten schools behind No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 UCLA and No. 9 Iowa. UConn stands No. 1.

SPARTANS VS. THE NCAA
After the first nine games, Michigan State stands first in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.40). The Spartans are also tops in the NCAA in turnover margin (+15.3). Michigan State is also sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 92.8 ppg. MSU has also been strong on the defensive end of the ball, standing ninth in the country in steals per game (14.8 spg). Junior guard Rashunda Jones is ninth in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (3.58).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten's 11 points and 10 rebounds against Temple on Nov. 28 was MSU's second double-double this season, joining redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair's 14 point-12 assist outing in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25). In the championship game against Clemson on Nov. 30, Blair added her second double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 boards in the win.

While VanSlooten logged her first double-double of the season, it was the eighth of her career.

LAST TIME OUT
No. 20 Michigan State women's basketball dropped its first game of the season in its Big Ten opener, 78-64, at Wisconsin Sunday night at the Kohl Center.

For the first time this season, Michigan State had only two players reach double figures led by redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair, who scored 16 points to go along with seven assists and seven rebounds. Senior forward Isaline Alexander scored 12 points with seven rebounds.

BIG TIME BIG TEN NUMBERS
The Spartans are first tied for first in the Big Ten in scoring offense with Michigan, averaging 92.8 ppg. Michigan State is also first in 3-point field goal field percentage (.410). The Spartans stand first in assists per game, averaging 23.2 apg and steals per game with 14.8 spg.

Individually, Rashunda Jones is second in the league in steals per game, averaging 3.1 spg, while senior forward Grace VanSlooten is fourth (2.6 spg). Kennedy Blair is also fourth in assists with 6.2 apg. Jones is first in the B1G in assist/turnover ratio (3.58).

PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS
The Spartans topped 100 points for the second game in a row as part of the third time this season against Oakland on Nov. 23, marking the second-straight season that MSU has reached the century mark three times, which also came in the Spartans' first six games of the season. MSU also scored 100 points in game six last year, with a 101-44 Victory for MSU over Detroit Mercy, which was its third 100-point outing.

Michigan State's 102 points against Oakland on Nov. 23 marked the Spartans' sixth time out of six games scoring 90+ points. MSU continues its program history making stretch of scoring 90+ in the first six games of the season. Last season, the Spartans scored 90+ points in the first four games, but only 79 points in game five, finishing the year with six total games scoring 90+ points, as this year's MSU squad has now tied that mark of six games with 90+ games through the just the first six games of the season.

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.

STRONG BENCH
Against Oakland on Nov. 23, Michigan State's bench out-scored the Grizzlies 37-9. The Spartans' 59 points scored by their bench was more than Eastern Illinois' entire team scoring of 53 points on Nov. 20. This season, the MSU bench has out-scored opponents 342-155.

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.

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).

OH WHAT A NIGHT!
With her career-best 25 points against Oakland on Nov. 23, redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair is the second Spartan to score 20 points this season, as well as the first MSU player with 25 or more points since Theryn Hallock netted 29 points last year at Ohio State (2/26/25).

One game earlier against Eastern Illinois, Blair became the first Spartan player with 15 or more rebounds since former Spartan great Julia Ayrault had 15 boards, nearly two years to the day, on Nov. 23, 2023, vs. James Madison.

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 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.

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, 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