Women's Basketball Squares Off Vs. Providence Friday
12/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2002
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MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (4-4)VS. PROVIDENCE FRIARS (2-4)When Friday, Dec. 20, 2002 - 7 p.m.Site Providence, R.I. - Alumni Hall (2,620)Radio The Fan 730 AM (Michael Sinnott, play-by-play)Television NoneCoaches MSU: Joanne P. McCallie (Northwestern, 1987) Overall: 200-109 (11th season); MSU: 33-35 (Third season) Providence: Susan Yow (Tennessee Tech, 1974) Overall: 224-300 (20th season); PC: 2-4 (First season)
TIP-OFF: Michigan State continues an unusual two-game road trip Friday when the Spartans visit Providence. MSU traveled south from Michigan to battle No. 20 Georgia on Tuesday, before heading to the northeast to square off with Providence. The Spartans opened the trip with an 64-61 loss against the Lady Bulldogs. Providence, meanwhile, has been idle since Dec. 6, when the Friars competed against another Big Ten foe. Minnesota handed Providence a 67-55 loss in Providence on that date.
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: Michigan State hopes to avoid its string of tough luck this season, as the Spartans' four losses have come by a combined total of 11 points with none of the losses coming by more than three points. The latest close call was a 64-61 loss at No. 20 Georgia in a game that the Spartans led by as much as 13 points in the first half. MSU has outscored its opponents by a total of 46 points this season, but stands just 4-4 due to the fact that the Spartans have yet to win a game in which the final margin is in single figures. All four MSU wins have come by double-digit scoring margins.
SCOUTING PROVIDENCE: Providence is 2-4 and has lost two straight. The Friars opened with a victory against Navy before falling to Vermont and Brown. Providence rebounded to defeat Lamar, but then fell to Alabama and Minnesota. The Friars have had trouble offensively this season, scoring just 59.5 points per game while shooting 39.1 percent from the floor and 67.2 percent from the free throw line.
Michal Epstein leads Providence by averaging 13.5 points per game, while Brooke Freeburg is the only other Friar averaging double digit points (10.2). Gayle Nwafili averages a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game despite playing just 17.3 minutes per game.
SERIES RECORDS: Michigan State leads the all-time series with Providence, 2-0. The Spartans won the first meeting, 96-71, Dec. 28, 1990, in Miami, Fla. MSU won last year's contest in the Breslin Center, 64-47.
MSU JUST MISSES IN UPSET BID AGAINST NO. 20 GEORGIA: Michigan State had a chance to upend a nationally-ranked Georgia squad for the second straight season, but the Spartans squandered several late chances en route to a 64-61 loss to the No. 20 Bulldogs Dec. 17.
Trailing 62-61, the Spartans had the ball with 36 seconds left. Kelli Roehrig missed a jumper in the paint, but Julie Pagel forced a jump ball on the rebound, and MSU maintained possession with 11 ticks left. Kristin Haynie drove the lane, but was called for travelling with 6.3 seconds remaining. Georgia's Sherill Baker sank two free throws with 2.5 seconds left, and Haynie's desperation three-pointer from beyond halfcourt missed at the buzzer.
Liz Shimek led a balanced attack with 14 points and nine rebounds for MSU, while Lindsay Bowen had 13 points. Haynie and Roehrig chipped in 11 points each, and Syreeta Bromfield added 10. Roehrig grabbed eight boards for MSU, while Haynie had seven assists and six boards.
MSU controlled the game in the opening 20 minutes, leading by as many as 13 points. Leading 10-9, Shimek and Haynie had two baskets each during an 11-0 run that gave the Spartans a 21-9 advantage. Bowen floated in a basket from the lane to give MSU its biggest edge at 27-14 with 8:30 left. The Spartans still led 36-25 after a Roehrig putback, but a Georgia trey in the closing minute trimmed the halftime lead to 36-28.
Another Shimek basket gave the Spartans a 40-31 lead with 17:59 left when Georgia mounted a comeback. A 9-2 spurt sliced the lead to 42-40, then the Lady Dogs earned their first tie at 47 on a Mary Beth Lycett three-pointer with 12:01 left. Another Georgia three-pointer, this one by Alexis Kendrick, gave Georgia a 50-47 edge for the Dogs' first lead since 7-5.
Trailing 57-53, Shimek scored in the lane, and Pagel followed with a basket to knot the score at 57. Roehrig pushed the run to 6-0 and gave MSU a 59-57 lead with a bucket with 4:55 left, but MSU would score only two more points the remainder of the game. The Spartans had four opportunities to add to the 59-57 lead, but committed three turnovers and missed one shot.
MSU still led 59-57 when Georgia's Marquita Driskell hit a three with 1:37 left. Kendrick stole a Pagel pass and scored on the fastbreak to give the lady Dogs a 62-59 lead. Bromfield scored from the left baseline to pull MSU within 62-61 with 1:10 left, setting up the Spartans' final opportunities.
MSU, which entered the game ranked sixth in the nation with a +13.4 rebounding edge per game, was outrebounded for the first time this season, 47-45. Georgia pounded the glass for 24 offensive rebounds, including 15 in the second half, en route to taking 80 shots to just 61 for MSU. The Spartans were also victimized by 16 turnovers while only forcing seven. MSU outshot Georgia, sinking 41.0 percent of its shots to 32.5 percent for the Lady Dogs.
WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN: After losing an eight-point halftime lead Tuesday at Georgia, MSU is now just 3-3 in games that the Spartans held a halftime lead. MSU previously lost a two-point halftime lead to Toledo and a 10-point halftime edge at Memphis, eventually dropping both games by three points. Ironically, the only two times MSU was outscored in the first half, the Spartans rebounded to outscore their opponents in the second stanza, including a comeback win against Oakland.
10-4 GOOD BUDDY: After a 14-point, nine-rebound performance at Georgia Tuesday, freshman Liz Shimek now is the possessor of a rather unique statistic. Shimek has exactly the same number of points as rebounds, having now scored 83 points and having grabbed 83 rebounds. Shimek is averaging a double-double, averaging 10.4 points and rebounds for the season.
200 AND COUNTING: MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie notched career win No. 200 Dec. 5 at Oakland. In her 11th season as a head coach, McCallie now owns a career record of 200-108.
BROMFIELD NAMED BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Syreeta Bromfield was named Big Ten co-Player of the Week Dec. 9 after her performance in two MSU victories. Bromfield averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.5 steals and 5.5 assists while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
During an 85-72 against Kent State Dec. 3, Bromfield had career-highs of 30 points, eight steals and six assists while adding seven rebounds. In an 88-77 win at Oakland Dec. 5, she had team-highs of 23 points, nine rebounds, five steals and five assists.
Bromfield's eight steals against Kent State tied for fifth most in a single game in MSU history, and were the most by a Spartan since Jamie Wesley set the school record by recording 12 steals vs. Minnesota Feb. 2, 1996. She also became the first Spartan to score 30 points in a game since Maxann Reese did it against Purdue on Feb. 17, 2000.
THE NASTY NINE: Michigan State, which started the offseason with 12 players, had been down to eight due to a rash of injures just two games into the season. Junior guard Candice Jackson was the latest casualty, tearing her left ACL Nov. 24 against Miami (Ohio). The Spartans had already lost senior forward Maria Recker (shoulder) and freshman guard Patrice McKinney (ACL) for the year to injuries, and junior transfer Caroline Nixon from Australia was not cleared to play by the NCAA. As a result, the Spartans turned to Michigan State's Final Four field hockey team for help, as junior guard Theresa Pusateri was added to the roster in time for the Thanksgiving trip to Memphis. Pusateri played in 17 games for the field hockey squad this fall, scoring one goal and adding an assist.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS: Last season Michigan State outrebounded its opponents by 4.3 rebounds per game. This year the Spartans are doing even better. MSU has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 11.5 rebounds per game, and led the Big Ten and ranked sixth nationally as of Dec. 16. MSU has been particularly impressive on the offensive boards, as MSU has nearly as many offensive rebounds (138) as its opponents have defensive rebounds (141). MSU outrebounded Mercer on Nov. 29 by a whopping 62-30 margin.
JUST SHOOT ME: The Spartans appear to have improved their shooting touch during the offseason, as MSU has hit 45.8 percent of its shots during the first eight games, including 39.4 percent from three-point distance. Last year, MSU shot 41.7 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from downtown. MSU also sank 75.8 percent of its free throws in the opening eight games - an improvement from last year's 69.4 percent. MSU ranks second in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally in three-point field goal percentage, and fifth in the conference and 36th nationally in field goal percentage as of Dec. 16.
IF YOU INVITE THEM, THEY WILL COME: Michigan State set a new school attendance record Dec. 3 when 12,058 witnessed MSU's 85-72 victory against Kent State. The crowd consisted largely of fourth and fifth-grade students who were invited as part of the When I Grow Up program. Activities before the game, during timeouts and halftime and on the concourse were set up to promote education and to assist kids in thinking about possible career paths. The crowd easily surpassed MSU's previous record of 7,733, established Feb. 20, 2000, vs. Michigan.
Thanks largely to that game, MSU currently ranks 12th nationally in attendance, averaging 5,255 fans per game.
PUTTING IN OVERTIME: Michigan State's injuries and subsequent lack of depth have forced players into playing more minutes than they otherwise might have. Freshman guard Lindsay Bowen has been on the court for 282 of a possible 320 minutes already this season, averaging 35.8 minutes per game. Senior Syreeta Bromfield has averaged 32.2 minutes, while freshman Liz Shimek is averaging 30.3 minutes. Sophomore guard Kristin Haynie, who played just 13 minutes in the opener after recovering from an illness, has averaged 32.0 minutes in the last seven games.
THE DEFENSE RESTS: From the "Maybe defense doesn't always win games" department, Michigan State is 3-1 this year when allowing more than 65 points, and 1-3 when the Spartans surrender fewer than 65 points.
FAB FRESHMEN: Michigan State has received big boosts from its freshmen this year. Lindsay Bowen scored 26 points against Fresno State in her Spartan debut Nov. 23, and is averaging 13.6 points while sinking 19-of-44 three-point shots (43.2 percent). Liz Shimek has posted double-doubles in three contests, and ranks second in the Big Ten and 24th nationally averaging 10.4 rebounds, including 16 in 24 minutes vs. Mercer, while adding 10.4 points per game.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: Michigan State started its season by scoring 82 points in the season opener against Fresno State, then 84 points vs. Miami (Ohio). Last season, it took 27 contests before the Spartans scored 80 or more points in a game. MSU had not started a season with two games of 80+ points since 1994. The Spartans added 85 points Dec. 3 vs. Kent State, then scored 88 Dec. 5 at Oakland, which was the most points scored by MSU since getting 101 vs. Chicago State Nov. 26, 2000.
ON THE REBOUND: Freshman Liz Shimek's 16 rebounds Nov. 29 against Mercer are the most by a Spartan since Kristin Rasmussen pulled down 17 vs. Central Michigan Dec. 8, 1999. Shimek has pulled down double-digit rebounds in four of MSU's eight games this season.
CALLIER'S BIG NIGHTS: Senior Jennifer Callier had just five points and two rebounds in MSU's first two games combined, but then exploded for 12 points on five-of-eight shooting and added four rebounds and a block vs. Toledo. In her next game, she matched a career-high with 15 points vs. Mercer and added five rebounds and a career-best four assists.
EN FUEGO: Sophomore Kelli Roehrig ranked fourth in the Big Ten as a freshman, shooting .564 from the field, which ranks second-best for a freshman in MSU history. This season, she's been even hotter, sinking 60.3 percent of her field goal attempts, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 36th nationally. Roehrig is averaging 13.1 points per game for MSU.
USELESS STAT OF THE WEEK: Michigan State's all-time record against schools that are named after the cities in which they reside but don't include the word "state" (ex.: San Diego State) or the name of the state in which they reside (ex.: Wisconsin-Green Bay) is 31-17. MSU has competed against Akron (3-0), Buffalo (1-0), Cincinnati (3-0), Dayton (6-2), Detroit (10-7), Houston (1-0), Louisville (1-0), Memphis (0-1), Miami (2-1), Pittsburgh (0-2), Providence (2-0) and Toledo (1-4). MSU has a winning record against 10 of the 13 opponents.
OPENING ACT: By defeating Fresno State 82-68 in the season opener, MSU improved to 19-12 all-time in season openers, including an 11-2 record when the opener is at home. The Spartans have now won four straight season-opening games.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Liz Shimek and Syreeta Bromfield were named to the Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament team Nov. 30. Shimek averaged 12 points and 14 rebounds in two games, including career-highs of 16 rebounds vs. Mercer and 15 points vs. Memphis. Bromfield had a double-double vs. Mercer with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Bromfield and Kelli Roehrig were named to the Spartan Chevrolet Classic All-Tournament team Nov. 24. Bromfield averaged 19.5 points and seven rebounds in two games, including 28 points and nine boards Nov. 24 vs. Miami (Ohio). Roehrig had 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting vs. Fresno State before adding 13 points vs. Miami. Joining the Spartans on the All-Tournament team were tournament MVP Heather Cusick and Jana Butler from Miami (Ohio), Jeanette Gray from Valparaiso and Lindsay Logan from Fresno State.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Freshman Liz Shimek proved that it was no fluke that she was named Ms. Basketball for the state of Michigan last year. Shimek started her MSU career with two double-doubles, scoring 10 points against both Fresno State and Miami (Ohio) while grabbing game-high rebounds total of 14 vs. Fresno State and 11 vs. Miami. She added her third double-double vs. Memphis Nov. 30, scoring a career-high 15 points with 12 rebounds.
INJURY BUG: Michigan State has seen its depth depleted by injuries already this season. Junior guard Candice Jackson was the latest casualty, going down with a torn left ACL Nov. 24 vs. Miami (Ohio). Jackson is expected to be out for the season.
Freshman guard Patrice McKinney suffered a torn ACL in her right knee during an individual workout Oct. 3, and is expected to redshirt this season. Senior forward Maria Recker has had a lingering shoulder injury since her freshman season that will keep her out of action this year.
Junior guard Caroline Nixon (hamstring) was held out of the game against Athletes In Action, while junior forward Julie Pagel has been suffering from a back injury, which kept her out of the second exhibition contest.
In addition, sophomore center Kelli Roehrig fractured a bone in her left (non-shooting) thumb in late October, but did not miss any action. Sophomore guard Kristin Haynie suffered from mononucleosis this summer, and an illness kept her out of the Oct. 26 Green-White scrimmage.
THE BACK COURT: Sophomore Kristin Haynie is a returning starter at guard, while senior Syreeta Bromfield returns at the wing. Haynie set MSU freshman records with 177 assists and 77 steals last year and was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team. She averaged 7.8 points, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals last year, ranking seventh in the Big Ten in steals and 11th in assists. Bromfield was MSU's leading scorer (15.6 ppg) and rebounder (6.5 rpg) last year, while earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.
One newcomer who is seeing plenty of action is freshman Lindsay Bowen. Bowen was a four-time class C all-state pick at Dansville High who is the third leading scorer in Michigan High School history. Bowen was runner-up to current teammate Liz Shimek for Michigan Ms. Basketball honors last season.
THE FRONT COURT: The Spartans return forward Julie Pagel and centers Jennifer Callier and Kelli Roehrig from last year's team. Pagel ranked second for MSU averaging 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds. Callier started 13 of the 31 games in which she played and averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds, while Roehrig poured in 8.2 points and grabbed 3.7 boards while starting 16 games.
A pair of freshmen have been added to the mix. Liz Shimek, a 6-1 forward from Empire, Mich., was named Michigan's Ms. Basketball last year after averaging 24.0 points and 15.0 rebounds for Maple City-Glen Lake. Megan Osmer, a 6-2 center, joins the Spartans after leading Bellevue (Wash.) High to four league titles and two district championships.
BROMFIELD LEADS THE WAY: Syreeta Bromfield had an impressive first season for Michigan State, and looks to continue her production in 2002-03. Last year, Bromfield led MSU in scoring 15 times and in rebounding 15 times, while also posting a team-best four double-doubles.
EUROPEAN VACATION: Junior Julie Pagel was a member of the 2002 Big Ten Foreign Tour squad during the summer, travelling to the Netherlands and Belgium during her 10-day visit. Pagel averaged team-highs of 11.0 points and 8.6 rebounds while leading the Big Ten team to a 5-0 record.
SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE: One of the cornerstones of Joanne P. McCallie's teams is a stingy defense. Last season MSU ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (62.7 ppg), after ranking first in McCallie's initial season. In addition, the Spartans led the Big Ten by averaging 11.3 steals per game last year.
More of the same should be expected for this season. MSU returns its top three ball thieves from last year, all of whom ranked in the top 13 in the Big Ten in steals. Kristin Haynie, who ranked seventh in the Big Ten in steals, narrowly edged Syreeta Bromfield, who ranked ninth, for the team lead (77 steals to 75). Julie Pagel was third on the team and 13th in the conference with 59 steals.
LOOK, I'M ON TELEVISION: The Spartans will make a minimum of eight appearances on television in 2002-03. Two MSU contests will be featured by FOX Sports Chicago, including a Jan. 30 home game against Michigan and a Feb. 20 game at Purdue. Also, FOX will broadcast all of the Big Ten Tournament games with the exception of the championship, which will air on espn2, meaning at least one more Spartan contest will be on FOX Sports.
In addition, five MSU home games will be televised by AT&T Broadband. Games scheduled to be televised include the Dec. 3 game vs. Kent State, Jan. 23 vs. Minnesota, Feb. 9 against Penn State, Feb. 13 vs. Ohio State and Feb. 24 vs. Illinois.
All of MSU's games will be broadcast live on the radio (The Fan 730 AM) and on the internet at www.msuspartans.com.
THE SCHEDULEThe Spartans face a challenging schedule in 2002-03. MSU will play 12 games against teams that competed in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, and four more against 2002 WNIT teams. NCAA Tournament teams include Georgia, Oakland, Kent State, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. The WNIT post-season tournament participants include Illinois, Michigan and Valparaiso.
In the Big Ten schedule, the Spartans will face Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue twice and Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin once.
SPARTANS SIGN FOURMSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie signed four players to national letters of intent to join the Spartans women's basketball program in 2003-04. The signees include Myisha Bannister (C, 6-3, Cleveland, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School), Katrina Grantham (C, 6-1, Saginaw, Mich./Heritage High School), Lorenda "Rene" Haynes (G, 5-10, Columbus, Ohio/The Wellington School) and Victoria Lucas-Perry (F, 5-11, Flint, Mich./Powers Catholic High School).
Bannister earned Division III All-Ohio honorable mention honors as a junior by averaging 11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.5 steals per game. She helped guide Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School to the district championship and her team, which started five juniors, advanced to the regional finals before falling.
Grantham was a second-team all-state selection in 2001 by The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press after leading Heritage to the state championship game. She is currently in her third season as a captain and has twice been named first-team All-Saginaw Valley.
Haynes has been named team MVP, first team all-league and first-team all-district each of her first three years at The Wellington School. She was named first-team all-state and district Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 27.8 points, 9.2 rebounds 3.8 steals and 2.4 assists per game. Haynes was the league MVP and second-team all-state as a sophomore after averaging 23.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.1 steals and 4.1 assists.
Lucas-Perry was averaging 22.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season. She has led Powers Catholic to two straight Class B state championships, plus a state runner-up finish. She was a first-team all-state pick as a junior, and was one of 48 juniors in the country to be invited by USA Basketball to play in an Olympic festival last June.
