Women's Basketball Hosts Western Michigan Thursday
11/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2011
| rv/25 Michigan State (2-1) vs. Western Michigan (0-1) | |
| Date | Thursday, Nov. 17 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center |
| Television | none |
| Radio | WJIM 1240AM Rick Berkey (play-by-play); Mo Gerhardt (analyst) Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) |
| Internet Coverage | BTN.com Broadcast | |
| Tickets | Available on MSUSpartans.com |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Western Michigan |
| Statistics | Michigan State (html | pdf) | Western Michigan |
| Social Media | @MSU_wbasketball  | Facebook  |
ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan has played only one game so far this season, losing at Kansas, 76-64 on Sunday. A.J. Johnson led three Broncos in double-figures with 13 points, while Aurielle Anderson added 11 and Miame Giden had 10. Anderson led WMU with seven assists, while Giden posted a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds. The Broncos went 9-21 last year, finishing 5-11 in the MAC.
AGAINST THE BRONCOS
Michigan State is 12-8 all-time against Western Michigan, including a 4-3 mark in East Lansing. The Spartans have won the last five meetings and eight of the last nine, including wins the last two seasons. The Broncos last win in the series came in 1982.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS
Senior Lykendra Johnson entered the season with the reputation as one of the best rebounders in the nation, and she has lived up to that billing early in the 2011-12 campaign. After just three rebounds in the opener, Johnson has exploded for 28 rebounds in the last two games, including a career-high 20 in Tuesday win over IPFW. Those 20 rebounds were the seventh most ever by a Spartan and the most since Kristen Rasmussen grabbed 20 on Dec. 30, 1997. They are also the most in the Big Ten since Penn State's Nikki Greene had 20 on Jan. 23, 2011.
Johnson is now tied for third in the Big Ten with a team-best 10.3 per game, after finishing fifth in the conference last year (8.9).
Johnson moved into the top-10 on the MSU career rebounding list last season and is currently eighth with 775 rebounds. In terms of offensive rebounds, she is at an even quicker pace up the Spartan all-time charts. Since the stat began being recorded in 1986-87, Johnson has the third most offensive rebounds all-time (314) and her 3.1 a game average is second to Liz Shimek (3.4).
INJURY BUG STRIKES AGAIN
Redshirt freshman Madison Williams will miss the rest of the 2011-12 season, after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee in Tuesday's game vs. IPFW. A date for surgery has yet to be determined. The typical recovery time is 4-6 months.
The 6-7 center missed all of last season after tearing her right ACL in the Green & White scrimmage on Oct. 31, 2010. Williams had appeared in the first three games, playing only 25 minutes. She was averaging 3.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, while shooting 50.0% from the field.
Williams entered Michigan State with a laundry list of high school accolades. She was just the second McDonald's All-American in program history, in addition to being named an USA Today All-American, the 2010 Gatorade Michigan Player of the Year, the Associated Press Class B Co-Player of the Year and a four-time all-state selection. She led Detroit Country Day to a 100-4 record in her four seasons, highlighted by two Class B state titles and a runner-up finish as a senior. In her senior season, she averaged 12.5 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks.
MILLS NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Becca Mills was named the initial Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday. Mills averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds, earning all-tournament honors at the Iona Tip-Off Tournament. Starting the first two games, she shot 56.3% from the field and went 2-of-4 from behind the arc.
In her debut, Mills battled foul trouble throughout limiting her to 22 minutes, but totaled 12 points and nine rebounds, both team highs, going 5-of-8 from the field. Her 12 points are the 11th most by a Spartan in their debut, while her nine rebounds were fifth best. While playing 16 minutes vs. North Carolina A&T on Saturday, she posted another 12-point, 9-rebound effort, also adding a block and a steal.
Mills becomes the first Spartan to earn his honor in the two-plus seasons that award has been given out.
HISTORIC EFFORT
In the Spartans' 113-60 win over North Carolina A&T on Saturday, MSU scored the second-most points in program history, while also posting the sixth largest margin of victory all-time. Also, it was the 11th time in school history that the Spartans toppd 100 points.
Part of the Spartans' success was their domination on the boards. MSU outrebounded North Carolina A&T, 60-24. The +36 rebound margin was the largest in program history, while the 60 rebounds were the most since grabbing 62 vs. Alcorn St. in the NCAA Tournament First Round (March 19, 2005).
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Spartans are off to a positive start on the boards early in the 2011-12 season. Through the first three games, MSU leads the Big Ten in rebound margin (+19.3), including a +56 margin combind in its last two contests. Two Spartans rank among the top six in the conference individually with senior Lykendra Johnson tied for third with 10.3 a game and freshman Becca Mills is tied for sixth with 9.3. Mills is also tied for third with 4.0 offensive boards a game.
Last season, Michigan State led the Big Ten in rebound margin, offensive rebounds and both rebound percentage categories. MSU was +8-4 in rebound margin, which was also ninth in the nation and broke the school's single-season record. The Spartans also topped the league with 15.5 offensive rebounds a game, which tied the previous single-season record (2005-06).
MSU has out-rebounded 26 of its last 29 opponents dating back to last season.
STREAKING FROM THE LINE Senior Porsche Poole has made her first seven free throws of the 2011-12 season, and dating back to last year, has made 21 straight free throws over her last 10 games. Her streak is tied for the ninth longest in MSU history.
MAGIC NUMBERS
In head coach Suzy Merchant's tenure, when two numbers on the scoreboard were achieved it typically has been a sign of a MSU win. When the Spartans have scored at least 70 points, their record is 42-4 (91.3%), including winning their last 25 games, while when they hold opponents to 60 points or less, their record is 74-8 (90.2%).
AMONG SPARTAN GREATS
Lykendra Johnson enters her senior season among the program's leaders in many statistical categories, and has a chance to finish among the elite players in MSU history. Currently she is third all-time at MSU in offensive rebounds (314), fourth in blocks (108), eighth in rebounds (775), 16th with 174 steals, 16th in free throws made (233) and 17th with 48 3-point field goals. Johnson needs only 67 points to become the 22nd 1,000-point scorer in MSU history.
FROM DOWNTOWN
Last season, the Spartans set a new single-season record by making 221 3-point field goals, shattering the previous record of 176 (2004-05). Twelve different MSU players made a 3-pointer in 2010-11. However, this offseason the NCAA moved the women's 3-point line back to the men's line of 20-feet, 9-inches. It hasn't effected the Spartans to this point, as MSU has made 22 3-pointers (7.3 a game) in the first three games.
Taylor Alton is the top long-distance threat returning in 2011-12. She led the team and was eighth in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (36.9%). After joining the starting lineup for the final 15 games, Alton made 1.9 3-pointers a game, including seven in the two combined NCAA Tournament games. So far this season, Alton has made nine 3-pointers (3.0 a game), ranking her second in the Big Ten.
HOME COOKING
The 2011-12 basketball season will be the Spartans' 23rd inside the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. MSU has an all-time record of 228-79 (.743) at Breslin and have been even more dominant of late in its cozy confines, posting a mark of 94-17 (.847) since 2003.
FANS CONTINUE TO PACK BRESLIN
For the past seven-plus seasons, Michigan State has been one of the top programs in the country in regard to fan support. Last season marked the seventh straight season that the Spartans had been among the nation's top 15 in attendance, averaging 7,388 fans per game, which ranked ninth in the nation and second in the Big Ten. It set a new single-season attendance record, previously 6,787 in 2005-06, and tied for the highest nationally ranking (2006-07).
Michigan State had its first official sellout in program history vs. Michigan (Feb. 13) with a crowd of 14,797. It was the first sellout by a Big Ten school since Feb. 29, 2004 (Penn State), and just the ninth by a Big Ten school in their current home venue. With the sellout, the Spartans were the Big Ten Conference winner of the NCAA's Pack the House initiative.
In the 23-year history at Breslin, 1,190,542 fans have watched a MSU women's basketball game.
A WINNING START
Head coach Suzy Merchant, who won the most games by a Spartan coach over their first four seasons, is 97-42 (.698) since her arrival prior to the 2007-08 season. All-time, Merchant is 298-162 (.648) in her 17 years as a head coach, including stops at Eastern Michigan (1998-07) and Saginaw Valley State (1995-98).
ON THIS DATE
Michigan State is 3-0 all-time on Nov. 17, all at Breslin Center. MSU beat Arkansas State (76-50) in the 2000 opener, and came back to beat UCLA, 67-63 the next season. In the 2006 opener, the Spartans topped Bucknell, 68-51.
