Spartans Head to Cancun for Caribbean Classic
12/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2011
| Michigan State (7-4) vs. Colorado State (3-7) and Pittsburgh (5-5) Caribbean Classic | |
| Date | Tuesday, Dec. 20/Wednesday, Dec. 21 |
| Time | 3:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. ET |
| Location | Cancun, Mexico | Moon Palace |
| Television | none |
| Radio | WJIM 1240AM Rick Berkey (play-by-play) Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Colorado State | Pittsburgh |
| Statistics | Michigan State (html | pdf) | Colorado State | Pittsburgh |
| Social Media | @MSU_wbasketball  | Facebook  |
ABOUT COLORADO STATE
The Rams enter the tournament with a 3-7 record, but are 0-5 in games away from Fort Collins. Colorado State has won its last two games, topping North Dakota, 58-52, and Maryville, 73-35. CSU is led by Kim Mestdagh who is avergaing 16.8 points and 3.9 assists. Sam Martin is the only other Ram in double-figures with 14.7 points, while Meghan Heimstra paces the team with 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks. The Rams have had troubles turning over the ball, averaging 21.8 a game.
AGAINST THE RAMS
Michigan State and Colorado State are meeting for the first time.
ABOUT PITTSBURGH
The Panthers come to Cancun with a 5-5 record overall, and are coming off a 65-56 win over Valparaiso on Saturday. Pittsburgh has already played eight home games and has lost games away from home, losing at Duke and High Point. Brianna Kiesel paces the offense with 12.7 points, also dishing out a team-high 3.3 assists. Kyra Dunn leads the team with 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. The Panthers are averaging only 60.2 points a game, making only 2.7 3-pointers a game and shooting 25.2% from behind the arc.
AGAINST THE PANTHERS
Michigan State has lost its two previous meetings with Pittsburgh, but the two teams have not met in over 30 years. In a home-and-home series during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons, the Panthers won in Pittsburgh, 55-52, on Jan. 20, 1979, and in East Lansing, 78-56 on Jan. 18, 1980.
IN REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS
Michigan State is 74-41 all-time in regular-season tournaments. The Spartans are 19-5 over the last nine seasons, including splitting a pair of games at the season-opening Iona Tip-Off Tournament in November.
PLAYING OUTSIDE THE U.S.
The Spartans are 6-4 all-time when playing outside of the United States, but have won their last five games. MSU went 1-2 at both the 1994 San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico and the 2005 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since then, the Spartans have gone 2-0 at both the 2007 Caribbean Challenge in Cancun and the 2009 Junkanoo Jam in Grand Bahama Island.
LAST TIME OUT (No. 24 Texas 61, MSU 53)
The Spartans were unable to overcome foul trouble and poor shooting in the second half, losing at No. 25/24 Texas, 61-53 on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Frank Erwin Center. Early in the first half, Lykendra Johnson became the 22nd Spartan to surpass 1,000 career points.
The Spartans jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the first five minutes, but Texas put together an 18-5 run over a nine minute span to take the lead at 23-18 with 5:54 to go in the first half, and would not trail again. Seven unanswered points by the Spartans early in the second half tied the game at 37 for the first time since midway through the first half. The game stayed close for the next four minutes, eventually ending up tied at 43 with 12:17 left. Texas however went on a 13-3 run, including a six minute scoreless drought for the Spartans, to match its largest lead of the night at 56-46 with 3:48 left. A L. Johnson 3-pointer would cap a 7-0 Spartan run to cut the UT advantage to three (56-53) with 1:15 left. That would be as close as MSU got, as Texas went 5-of-6 from the line in the final minute for the 61-53 final.
After shooting 6-of-12 (50.0%) from behind the arc in the first half, the Spartans couldn't knock down a shot in the final 20 minutes, going 1-for-15 (6.7%). Overall, MSU shot only 28.1% in the second half. Poole led MSU with 13 points, the lone Spartan in double-figures. L. Johnson added 11 rebounds and three blocks. Kiana Johnson dished out four assists and Taylor Alton grabbed a career-high four steals.
REACHING A MILESTONE
With a 3-pointer early in the first half (16:23) at Texas on Dec. 10, Lykendra Johnson became the 22nd Spartan in program history to surpass 1,000 career points. She has now totaled 1,004 points in her MSU career. Johnson also is now one of five Spartans to have totaled at least 1,000 points and 800 rebounds, joining Liz Shimek, Kristen Rasmussen, Kris Emerson and Allyssa DeHaan.
Currently she is among the program's leaders in many statistical categories, ranking second all-time in offensive rebounds (342), fourth in blocks (123), sixth in rebounds (855), 13th in free throws made (250), 13th with 185 steals and 16th with 54 3-point field goals. Johnson is also tied for 11th in career starts (95).
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. She currently leads the Big Ten and is 24th in the country with 10.1 rebounds a game, despite playing just 26.8 minutes a game. She also leads the conference in offensive rebounds with 3.5 and is tied for the league lead with four double-doubles.
Johnson moved into the top-10 on the MSU career rebounding list last season and is currently sixth with 855 rebounds, only four away from reaching the top-5. 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 second-most offensive rebounds all-time (342) and her 3.1 a game average is second to Liz Shimek (3.4).
Earlier this season she set a career-high with 20 on Nov. 15 vs. 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's value on the floor for the Spartans is undeniable. So far this season, MSU is +126 with her on the court, but are -9 when she is sitting on the bench. In Big Ten games last year, the Spartans were +187 with Johnson on the floor, but -49 when she was on the bench.
FRESHMAN REVITALIZED
Freshman point guard Kiana Johnson started the first four games for the Spartans, but lost her starting spot for four games, before regaining the honor for the last three contests. During her time coming off the bench, Johnson struggled, averaging just 4.3 points and 2.3 assists (compared to 2.3 turnovers), while shooting 26.1% from the field. Since returning to the starting five, she is averaging 6.3 points, 5.3 assists (compared to only 2.0 turnovers) and 3.0 steals, while shooting 40.9%. In those three games, MSU is +38 with her on the floor, but have been -22 with her on the bench.
LOCKING DOWN THE TOP THREAT
Michigan State has been effective in shutting down the opponent's top scorer in each game this season. After the season-opening loss to Villanova, each team's leading scorer has been held below her scoring average. They have combined to average 18.3 points entering the game, but have managed only 9.9 points on 28.8% shooting in the 10 games. (See game notes for full chart)
GETTING TO THE LINE
A common theme between Michigan State's wins and losses has been its ability to get to the free throw line. The Spartans are 7-0 this season when attempting at least 12 free throws, but have attempted 11 of fewer in their three losses. In the wins, MSU has shot 147 free throws (21.0 a game), in comparison to 9.5 a game in the losses (38 total).
BOUNCE BACK ABILITY
Michigan State has done a great job of bouncing back after a loss over the last couple seasons, winning its last 11 games in-season after a defeat. With their win vs. Eastern Michigan last Saturday, the Spartans have not lost back-to-back games in a season since Jan. 2010. In Coach Merchant's four seasons, the Spartans are 34-9 (79.1%) following a loss.
LET'S PLAY MORE TIME
The Spartans have relished playing extra time over the past nine seasons. With last Saturday's overtime win over Eastern Michigan, Michigan State has won 15th straight overtime games, dating back to the 2003-04 season. The streak is the longest such run among Big Ten schools. Surprisingly, only three of the 15 wins have come at home. MSU's last overtime loss came on Feb. 28, 2002 against Ohio State, 89-82, in the Big Ten Tournament.
300 AND 100
With the win over Oakland on Nov. 27, head coach Suzy Merchant became the fastest head coach to 100 wins as a Spartan. In her five seasons, she has posted a 102-45 (.694) record since her arrival prior to the 2007-08 season. Both Karen Langeland and Joanne P. McCallie needed 155 games to win 100, while Merchant accomplished the feat in 143 games.
Coach Merchant claimed her 300th career victory on Nov. 22 at Milwaukee. All-time, Merchant is 303-165 (.647) in her 17 years as a head coach, including stops at Eastern Michigan (1998-07) and Saginaw Valley State (1995-98). Merchant is facing her former school for the first time.
SPLASH IN THE POOLE
Senior Porsche Poole has increased her scoring average in each of her seasons at MSU, averaging 3.8 as a freshman, 4.6 as a sophomore and 6.1 last season. Through 11 games this season, she leads the team with 12.3 points per game, which is among the top-25 in the Big Ten. Poole has scored in double-figures in seven games, including five-straight at one point, the longest stretch of her career.
Poole has also done a great job distributing the ball, leading the team and ranking 10th in the Big Ten with 3.5 assists per game. She already has 38 assists this season, surpassing her total from all of last season and closing in on her career high of 40 set as a sophomore. Poole entered the season with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio (109-to-147), but this season has done a great job taking care of the ball, ranking third in the Big Ten with a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (38-to-21).
STREAKING FROM THE LINE
Senior Porsche Poole has made 40 of her last 44 (90.9%) free throw attempts, dating back to last season. She had an 18 consecutive made streak snapped on Dec. 3, after previously having a streak of 21-straight snapped earlier this season. The 21 in a row stretch was tied for the ninth longest in MSU history.
Currently, Poole is first on the team and fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (86.7%). Oddly enough, she entered this season as only a career 61.2% free throw shooter.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Spartans are off to a positive start on the boards early in the 2011-12 season. Through the first 11 games, MSU leads the Big Ten and is 17th in the country in rebound margin (+10.0). The Spartans also lead the Big Ten in both rebound percentage categories, grabbing 40.9% of all offensive rebound opportunities and 71.6% of all defensive rebound chances. Two Spartans rank among the top-10 in the conference individually with senior Lykendra Johnson leading the Big Ten with 10.1 a game and freshman Becca Mills is tied for seventh with 6.9. Johnson also leads the conference with 3.5 offensive boards, while Mills is fifth with 2.8.
MSU has out-rebounded 33 of its last 37 opponents dating back to last season, and was outrebounded for the first time this season in the last game at Texas.
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).
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 44-4 (91.7%), including winning their last 27 games, while when they hold opponents to 60 points or less, their record is 79-8 (90.8%).
ON THIS DATE
Michigan State is 8-6 all-time on December 20, and has won its last four games, with its last loss in 1997. On December 21, the Spartans are 10-4 and have won its last seven on this date, including the last three seasons.
