Balanced Attack Leads Spartans Past Valparaiso, 98-44, in Season Opener

Tuesday, November 3

East Lansing, Mich.

6:30 PM

Michigan State University

1-0,0-0Big Ten

Valparaiso

0-1,0-0MVC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Valparaiso	9	0	20	15	44
Michigan St.	23	24	36	15	98

11/3/2026 10:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score MSU 98, Valpo 44

Four Spartans reach double figures in the lop-sided win.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball used steady scoring and stifling defense to win the season opener against Valparaiso, 98-44, Tuesday night at the Breslin Center.

MSU improves to 1-0 with the win, while Valpo falls to 0-1. With the win, Michigan State moves to 4-0 in season openers under head coach Robyn Fralick. Overall, the Spartans have won 13-straight home openers.

Thirteen of 15 Spartans got into the game led by 15 points off the bench from sophomore guard Amy Terrian. Freshman forward Kathy-Emma Otto scored 13 points in her MSU debut with seven rebounds and four steals. Graduate guard Theryn Hallock and junior guard Kennedy Blair both added 12 points with Blair adding a game-high nine assists.

Allia von Schlegell led the Beacons in scoring with nine points and five rebounds.

The Spartans scored the first six points of the game before jumping out to an early 11-3 advantage, leading to an early Valpo timeout. In her Spartan debut, freshman center Lilly Williams got her first basket off a steal at the 4:38 mark. MSU used a 10-0 run to take a 21-9 lead. Blair led all scorers with eight points in the first period, as Michigan State led 23-9.

In the second quarter, the Spartans scored the first 21 points to make it a 44-9 game with less than two minutes left in the period. Michigan State went on to not allow a point in the quarter, taking a 47-9 lead into the break. It is the first time in school history that MSU held a team scoreless in a quarter. The previous low was two points allowed by Fralick's alma mater Davidson in 2016. Sophomore guard Anna Wypych led MSU with seven points in the period, while the Spartans' swiped nine steals.

A Williams lay up made it the palindromic score of 61-16 with six minutes remaining in the third period. The third quarter was tighter with MSU out-scoring Valpo 36-20 in the period. Amy Terrian went 3-for-3 from long range in the quarter for nine points, while Hallock added seven.

In the fourth quarter, Michigan State mixed up lineups and got several players in the game. The Beacons forced four Spartan turnovers in four minutes, showing fight in the final minutes of the game.Freshman guard Emma Broliron, sophomore Uche Kaine and junior forward Alie Bisballe all saw playing time in the waning minutes of the game.

Michigan State will now hit the road for the first time, traveling to Toledo on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Post-Game Notes
• Thirteen of 15 players on Michigan State's roster saw action, only Carter McCray and Isaline Alexander did not play . . . six Spartans played 10:00 or more minutes, with four playing 20:00 or more.

• Freshman Lilly WIlliams, Freshman Kathy-Emma Otto, freshman Emma Broliorn, freshman Monique Bobongie, junior Tabitha Betson, sophomore Uche Kaine, sophomore Anna Wypych and junior Alie Bisballe all made their debuts in the Green & White.

• Michigan State has won its 13th-straight season-opener and four 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 17-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.

• Prior to the game, the Spartans announced their captains for the season in senior guard Theryn Hallock, junior guard Kennedy Blair and junior forward Tabitha Betson.

• Graduate guard Theryn Hallock returned to the Spartan starting lineup after missing much of last season with a foot injury. Her last game was against Rutgers on Dec. 28, 2025.

• The Spartan swiped 20 steals, just shy of the school record of 24 set three times, most recently last season against Mercyhurst. MSU also forced 30 turnovers.

• For the season opener, Michigan State used the starting lineup of guard Theryn Hallock, guard Kennedy Blair, guard Monique Bobongie, forward Tabitha Betson and forward Kathy-Emma Otto. Hallock and Blair are the only two to have started a game with Michigan State.