Spartans Continue Homestand Saturday with Eastern Michigan

Dec. 2, 2011

Michigan State (5-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (5-1)
Date	Saturday, Dec. 3
Time	3 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 \| Live Stats (Mobile Users)
Tickets	Available on MSUSpartans.com
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Eastern Michigan
Statistics	Michigan State (html \| pdf) \| Eastern Michigan
Social Media	@MSU_wbasketball \| Facebook

ABOUT EASTERN MICHIGAN
The Eagles enter the weekend at 5-1 overall, and are finishing up a five-game road trip, despite not playing since last Sunday. Tavelyn James leads the EMU offensive attack, ranking fifth in the nation with 25.0 points per game. Paige Redditt averages nearly a double-double with 9.8 points and 10.0 rebounds. The Eagles apply a lot of defensive pressure, forcing 24.8 turnovers a game, good for 11th in the nation, and hold a +8.5 turnover margin, ranking 18th nationally. Eastern Michigan has also been strong on the boards, posting a +9.2 margin, and gathering 20.5 offensive rebounds a game.

Eastern Michigan is coached by former Michigan State assistant coach AnnMarie Gilbert, who was with the Spartans from 2002-07.

AGAINST THE EAGLES
Michigan State leads the all-time series 15-3 against Eastern Michigan, including a 9-1 mark in East Lansing. The teams have not met since Nov. 28, 2003, a 79-62 Spartan win at Breslin Center. A Suzy Merchant-led Eagle team beat Michigan State 66-59 exactly 11 years ago today in a game at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Prior to that game, MSU had won 11-straight over EMU.

AGAINST IN-STATE SCHOOLS
Michigan State has had great success against other collegiate programs in the state of Michigan over the past 10 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, the Spartans are 30-1 (.968) against in-state rivals, including a 15-1 (.938) mark under Coach Merchant. All-time, Michigan State is 163-56 (.744) against other Michigan schools.

LAST TIME OUT (No. 9 Miami 76, MSU 60)
Turnovers and poor outside shooting doomed the Spartans as they lost to No. 9 Miami, 76-60 on Thursday night in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The two conferences tied the Challenge at six games apiece. Senior Porsche Poole was the lone Spartan in double-figures, scoring 17 points, while junior Courtney Schiffauer, who played a career high 34 minutes, and freshman Jasmine Hines each added nine points apiece. Miami forced MSU into 19 turnovers which resulted in 23 points. The Spartans couldn't find their stroke from 3-point range, going 3-of-18 (18.8%).

300 AND 100
With the win over Oakland on Sunday, head coach Suzy Merchant became the fastest head coach to 100 wins as a Spartan. In her five seasons, she has posted a 100-44 (.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 301-165 (.646) 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. She is the winningest coach in Eastern Michigan history, compiling a 147-91 record in her nine seasons.

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 after a defeat. With their win at Milwaukee, the Spartans have not lost back-to-back games in a season since Jan. 2010. In Coach Merchant's four seasons, the Spartans are 33-9 (78.6%) following a loss.

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 eight games this season, she leads the team with 14.4 points per game, which is 12th-best in the Big Ten. Poole has scored in double-figures in six games, including the last five, the longest stretch of her career. She also ranks among the top-10 in the Big Ten in all three shooting percentages (first in free throw, fifth in field goal and ninth in 3-point field goal).

Poole has also done a great job distributing the ball, leading the team and ranking seventh in the Big Ten with 3.9 assists per game. She already has 31 assists this season, more than three-quarters of the way to her career high of 40 set as a sophomore.

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 with 9.5 rebounds a game. 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 moved into the top-10 on the MSU career rebounding list last season and is currently eighth with 820 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 second-most offensive rebounds all-time (330) and her 3.1 a game average is second to Liz Shimek (3.4).

Johnson's value on the floor for the Spartans is undeniable. So far this season, MSU is +108 with her on the court, but are -4 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.

STREAKING FROM THE LINE
Senior Porsche Poole has made 37 of her last 38 (97.4%) free throw attempts, dating back to last season. She has currently made 16 in a row, after having a streak of 21-straight snapped earlier this season. The stretch was tied for the ninth longest in MSU history. Currently, Poole leads the Big Ten and is seventh in the nation in free throw percentage (95.8%).

CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Spartans are off to a positive start on the boards early in the 2011-12 season. Through the first eight games, MSU leads the Big Ten and is sixth in the country in rebound margin (+13.5). The Spartans also lead the Big Ten in both rebound percentage categories, grabbing 44.4% of all offensive rebound opportunities and 72.7% 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 9.5 a game and freshman Becca Mills is seventh with 7.6. Mills and Johnson are tied for fifth in the conference with 3.3 offensive rebounds.

MSU has out-rebounded 31 of its last 34 opponents dating back to last season, including all eight teams this season.

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).

PRODUCTIVE MINUTES
Freshman Jasmine Hines came to East Lansing as Michigan's high school career points and rebounds record holder. It was thought she would need some time to adjust to the collegiate game, but through the first month of the season that hasn't been the case. Hines is fifth on the team with 7.1 points, despite playing only 10.1 minutes a game. She has shot a Big Ten-best 77.8% (21-of-27) from the field and grabbed 2.7 rebounds. If you pro-rate her production over 40 minutes, she would be averaging 28.1 points and 10.7 rebounds.

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 77-8 (90.6%).

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 second all-time at MSU in offensive rebounds (330), fourth in blocks (111), eighth in rebounds (820), 14th in free throws made (242), 14th with 181 steals and 16th with 49 3-point field goals. Johnson needs only 31 points to become the 22nd 1,000-point scorer in MSU history.

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 230-80 (.742) at Breslin and have been even more dominant of late in its cozy confines, having won 23 of its last 25 games (.920).

FANS CONTINUE TO PACK THE BRESLIN CENTER
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, 1,202,091 fans have watched a MSU women's basketball game.

ON THIS DATE
Michigan State is 8-5 all-time on December 3.