Spartans Begin Four-Game Homestand Friday Vs. Central Michigan
12/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2005
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No. 10/12 Michigan State Spartans (8-3) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (9-1)
When: Friday, Dec. 30, 7 p.m.Site: East Lansing, Mich. (Breslin Center - 14,759)
COACHES:
MSU: Joanne P. McCallie (Northwestern, 1987) (109-59, sixth year at MSU; 276-132 overall, 14th year)CMU: Eileen Kleinfelter (Findlay, 1979) (45-77, fifth year at CMU; 267-158 overall, 15th year)
PROMOTIONS - Kristin Haynie NIGHT: MSU will honor former Spartan standout Kristin Haynie at Friday's game. First 2,000 fans will receive a Kristin Haynie poster. Kristin Haynie will sign autographs on the concourse from 5:30 p.m. to tipoff.
MEDIA COVERAGE:
TV: Comcast Local. Ben Holden (play-by-play) and Sue Carter (color) will have the call.
Radio: WVFN - 730 AM and www.msuspartans.com
Internet: Gametracker available at www.msuspartans.com.
MSU BEGINS FOUR-GAME HOMESTAND FRIDAY VS. CMU: The No. 10/12 Michigan State women's basketball team, in the midst of playing six games in 13 days, opens a four-game homestand Friday, Dec. 30 vs. Central Michigan at 7 p.m. The Spartans (8-3) fell at No. 3 LSU on Wednesday, 72-52, while CMU defeated Saint Louis, 65-55, on the same night. MSU hosts Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 1, Penn State Thursday, Jan. 5 and No. 9/9 Rutgers Saturday, Jan. 7.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE CHIPPEWAS
• Overall: MSU leads, 26-8
• Last meeting: MSU 81, CMU 52 (Dec. 20, 2000 - East Lansing)
• In East Lansing: MSU leads, 13-2
• Current streak: MSU has won the last five meetings
• Streak in East Lansing: MSU has won six in a row at home in the series
• Longest MSU winning streak: MSU won eight in a row from 1977-1981
• Longest CMU winning streak: CMU won three in a row in 1976
• Last CMU win: CMU 60, MSU 59 (Nov. 29, 1993 - Mt. Pleasant)
• Last CMU win in East Lansing: CMU 86, MSU 76 (Dec. 7, 1985)
A GLANCE AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (9-1)
• With a 9-1 mark, Central Michigan is off to its best start since 1979-80.
• The Chippewas enter the contest on a three-game winning streak after defeating Saint Louis Wednesday night at Rose Arena.
• CMU opened the season with six straight victories, including a 22-point win over Michigan Nov. 30 in Ann Arbor.
• CMU's lone loss came at Central Florida, a 57-48 decision on Dec. 16.
• Ann Skufca leads the team with 13.0 ppg and 7.1 rpg
• Central went 10-18 last season and tied for sixth in the MAC West with a 4-12 league record.
• The Chippewas returned four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team.
SHIMEK LEADS BIG TEN IN SCORING, SECOND IN REBOUNDING: Senior All-America candidate Liz Shimek leads the Big Ten in scoring with 20.6 points per game. The forward is also second in the conference in rebounding (9.0 pg) and offensive rebounds (3.8 pg), and fourth in field-goal percentage (.600). Named Big Ten Player of the Week three times already this season, Shimek is even more dominating at home - in MSU's five games at the Breslin Center, she is pouring in 27.0 points per game and grabbing 9.8 rebounds per game. Shimek is also tied for second in the Big Ten with four double-doubles.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Michigan State is in the midst of the longest home-court winning streak in school history. The Spartans won their 18th-straight at home on Dec. 17 over Houston. MSU established a new school record for consecutive home wins with its 16th-straight victory at the Breslin Center vs. Pepperdine on Dec. 4. The Spartans went 13-0 at home last season, and are 5-0 this season. The Spartans have not lost at Breslin since dropping the home finale on Feb. 26, 2004 to Penn State, 63-51. The Spartans won 15 straight from Feb. 12, 1999 -- Feb. 17, 2000. In addition, the Spartans have won 19 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.
DOMINATING AT HOME: The Spartans have crushed their five opponents (UC Santa Barbara, Western Carolina, Pepperdine, Detroit and Houston) at home this season by an average of 24.0 points a game. Here's a look at some more notes from MSU's home games:
• The Spartans are shooting .475 percent from the field.
• Liz Shimek is averaging 27.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and shooting a blazing .787 from the floor (59-of-75).
• MSU is posting a +13.8 rebounding margin.
• The Spartans have 100 assists (20.0 pg) compared to the opponents' 57 (11.4 pg).
RECORD WATCH:
• Lindsay Bowen continues her pursuit of the MSU scoring record. Bowen eclipsed the 1,400-point plateau earlier this season to move into fifth place on the MSU scoring charts. She currently has 1,470 career points, just 198 away from Kisha Kelly's record 1,668 points. Bowen, the leading 3-point shooter in school history, is fourth in Big Ten history with 252 made.
• Liz Shimek scored her 1,400th-career point vs. Oklahoma on Dec. 21, and with her 10 points at LSU, passed Eileen Shea and moved into sixth place on the MSU all-time scoring charts. Shimek passed Kris Emerson and moved into second place all-time at MSU in rebounds in the Oklahoma game with 14 boards. Shimek grabbed seven rebounds at LSU and has 949 for her career, just 19 shy of Kristen Rasmussen's school-record 964 rebounds. Shimek is looking to become the first Spartan with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Kristin Haynie NIGHT: Former Spartan standout Kristin Haynie will be honored at Friday night's game vs. Central Michigan. The Mason, Mich., product earned honorable mention All-America honors as a point guard last season en route to helping MSU to its best season in school history. Here's a brief look at Haynie's career:
• In 2004-05, Haynie was first-team All-Big Ten, most outstanding performer of the Big Ten Tournament, most outstanding performer of the Kansas City Regional and a member of the All-Tournament team at the Final Four.
• She averaged 10.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and Big Ten bests of 5.4 assists and 3.3 steals, while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from 3-point range and 82.1 percent from the free throw line.
• She broke MSU's single-season steals record last season with 117 (fifth best in Big Ten history), and was the only player in the Big Ten ranked among the league leaders in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Haynie had the school's second-ever triple-double, posting 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 victory over Vanderbilt.
• Haynie left MSU as the school's all-time leader in both assists (574) and steals (346). She finished eighth in MSU history in scoring (1,199 points) and 16th in rebounding (601).
• Haynie was the ninth selection in the first round at the 2005 WNBA Draft. She was drafted by Sacramento, and the Monarchs went on to win the WNBA Championship.
• She averaged 3.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 1.4 apg in 30 games in the regular season for the Monarchs, and played in all eight playoff games en route to the championship.
Myisha Bannister OUT FOR SEASON WITH TORN ACL: Junior forward Myisha Bannister is out for the remainder of the season after tearing her ACL in her right knee on Dec. 21 in the second half of the Oklahoma game. Bannister played in 10 games and started in six, averaging 11.2 minutes, 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds. She was a key contributor on defense, leading the team in blocks.
LAST TIME OUT:
SPARTANS FALTER AT NO. 3 LSU, 72-52: Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles scored 20 points apiece as third-ranked LSU defeated No. 10 Michigan State 72-52 Wednesday night in a matchup of two of last year's Final Four teams.
Augustus, who was the target of the Spartans' box-and-one defense, shot 8-for-14 from the field. Fowles, who equaled her career-high with 17 rebounds, was 7-of-12. Scholanda Hoston scored a season-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead the Lady Tigers (9-0).
Victoria Lucas-Perry matched a season-high with 15 points for Michigan State (8-3). Liz Shimek had 10 points, 12 below her season average.
Holding a 35-29 halftime lead, the Lady Tigers quickly padded their advantage in the first 5 minutes of the second half. Hoston made a basket and a pair of 3-pointers as LSU outscored Michigan State 15-4.
The Lady Tigers made all six of their field goals during that stretch, which ended on a basket by Fowles. The Spartans turned the ball over five times while falling behind by 17 points. Michigan State couldn't get closer than 11 the rest of the game.
LSU's largest lead came when Quianna Chaney made a foul shot to put the Lady Tigers ahead 68-46 with slightly more than 4 minutes left.
An 18-5 run in the late stages of the first half enabled LSU to take a six-point advantage into the break. Consecutive baskets by Shimek, Lindsay Bowen and Aisha Jefferson gave Michigan State a 21-17 lead with 9:48 remaining in the first half.
The Lady Tigers went ahead by one point after Fowles made a free throw and a field goal and Hoston made a basket.
LSU POST-GAME NOTES:
• Victoria Lucas-Perry scored 15 points for the fourth time this season and second game in a row...it matched her season high.
• Liz Shimek passed Eileen Shea and moved into sixth-place all-time at MSU in scoring. Shimek scored 10 points and now has 1,410 for her career.
TEAM HIGHS/LOWS:
• The Spartans were outrebounded for only the second time this season. LSU held a 42-28 advantage on the boards. MSU was also outrebounded by Maryland.
• LSU shot 50 percent (28-for-56) and collected 13 steals, both bests for a Spartan opponent this season.
• MSU registered season-lows in points (52), rebounds (28), free-throw attempts (six) and free-throws made (four).
CRASHING THE BOARDS: The Spartans are third in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+6.5) and second in offensive rebounds (15.6 pg). MSU averages 42.9 boards a game. The Green and White ranked 12th nationally last season with a +7.1 rebounding margin.
