MSU Women's Basketball Heads East to Face Quinnipiac Tuesday
12/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| RV/22 Michigan State (7-2) vs. Quinnipiac (6-1) | |
| Date | Tuesday, December 6 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | Hampden, Conn. | TD Bank Sports Arena |
| Tickets | Click To Purchase |
| Television | Watch Live |
| Radio | WJIM 1240 AM | SpartanSportsNetwork.com |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Quinnipiac |
| Statistics | Michigan State | Quinnipiac |
| Internet Coverage | Live Stats |
| Social Media | @MSU_WBasketball  | Facebook  | Instagram  |
EAST LANSING, Mich. - After a short one-game homestand, the Spartans hit the road for another two-game road trip. Michigan State will take on Quinnipiac on Tuesday, Dec. 6 and head to Rhode Island on Thursday, Dec. 8. The Spartans have faced both teams once. MSU defeated Quinnipiac in Burlington, Vermont and beat Rhode Island in East Lansing in 2006.
STARTING LINEUP
• Since the trip to the west coast to face Oregon in Eugene, to play in the Raddisson Thanksgiving Classic in Northridge, California, and followed up with a trip to Syracuse, New York, Michigan State has traveled a total over 6,355 miles. After the conclusion of this week and the travels to Hamden, Connecticut and Kingston, Rhode Island the Spartans will have traveled 8,041 miles in 18 days.
• Sophomore Jenna Allen has scored in double-figures in four of the six games she has appeared in so far this season. Against Oakland, she scored 13 points, tying a season-high. Her last 13-point game came against Western Michigan in her first debut of the 2016-17 season after returning from an injury.
• With a career-high 37 points against Oakland, senior guard Tori Jankoska passed Allyssa DeHaan (2006-10) and Kisha Kelley (1991-95) for fourth in the all-time MSU scoring record books. Jankoska now has 1,677 points during her Spartan career. She is now just 140 points from tying Aerial Powers as the all-time leading scorer.
• Senior guard Tori Jankoska is second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 23.4 points per game. Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell leads the league in scoring with 23.9 ppg. Jankoska is one of only five players in the Big Ten to average at least 20.0 ppg.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC
Quinnipiac is currently 6-1 this season, having won its last two games against Saint Peter's and Siena. The Bobcats only loss of the season came on the road against Temple, 71-68, last season.
The Bobcats average 72.6 points and 40.1 rebounds per game. Quinnipiac's opponents have had a slight rebounding edge this season 40.4-40.1. The Bobcats have a +15.6 scoring margin through seven games this season. QU is two games into conference action, standing 2-0 in MAAC play this year.
The Bobcats have two players averaging in double figures, led by Jen Fay who averages 12.0 ppg. Adily Martucci is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.1 ppg. Aryn McClure has started four games for QU this season and leads the team in rebounding with 7.4 boards per game.
Quinnipiac is first in the MAAC in scoring offense with 72.6 ppg, while also standing first in scoring defense, allowing only 57.0 ppg.
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD
Michigan State holds a slight 1-0 series lead over Quinnipiac. The two teams met on Nov. 23, 2009 in Burlington Vermont and captured the 81-48 win.
JANKOSKA'S CAREER NIGHT
Senior guard Tori Jankoska recorded her second double-double of the season and her 15th in her career. She scored a career-high 37 points and brought in 10 rebounds. Her 37 points is the third-most scored in a single game in the Michigan State record books. Maxann Reese scored 41 points against Iowa in 1999, while Aerial Powers scored 40 against Minnesota in 2016. The 37 points were the most points scored in MSU history in a non-conference game.
GETTING IN THE LINEUP
The Spartans have had five different starting lineups in the first eight games. Seniors Taya Reimer and Tori Jankoska along with freshman Taryn McCutcheon have started all nine games so far this season. Junior Lexi Gussert has started the last four games of the season, while sophomore Jenna Allen also has started a trio of games. Sophomore Hana Vesela, redshirt freshman Victoria Gaines and freshman Nia Hollie have all started two games this year.
Jankoska leads the way starting 90 games during her Michigan State career. Branndais Agee has the second most starts of any current Spartan with 38.
SCORING AND HELPING
Guard Tori Jankoska is in the top 10 in the Big Ten in both scoring and assists. She is second in the league and first on the team in scoring, averaging 23.4 points per game. Jankoska is fifth in the league in assists, averaging 4.7 apg. So far this season, she has scored 211 total points and added 42 helpers.
RAINING THREES
In Michigan State's win against Delaware, the Spartans set a school record with 14 3-pointers.
The previous record was 13 on three different occasions: vs. Minnesota on 2/8/15, 13 vs. Iona on 12/12/10 and 13 vs. Florida Gulf Coast on 12/13/09. The individual record is still intact. Jankoska ended the game with eight trey. Maxann Reese still holds the school record with 10 vs. Iowa, on 1/29/99.
JANKOSKA CLIMBING THE CHARTS
With a career-high 37 points against Oakland, Tori Jankoska jumped to fourth place on the MSU career scoring list with 1,677 points, passing Kisha Kelley (1991-95) and Alyssa DeHaan (2006-10). Jankoska is now 141 from becoming Michigan State's all-time leading scorer. Currently Lindsay Bowen (2002-06) is third with 1,739 point, while Liz Shimek (2002-06) is second with 1,780 points. Aerial Powers (2014-16) is the all-time leading scorer with 1,817 points scored in the Spartan Green and White.
Jankoska now has 228 career 3-pointers, staying in second place in the record books. She passed Maxann Reese who had 218 career treys. Jankoska is now 66 3-pointers away from tying Lindsay Bowen (2002-06) for first place. Bowen ended her MSU career with 294 treys.
GUESS WHO'S BACK
Sophomore forward Jenna Allen made her 2016-17 debut against Western Michigan after missing the first three games of the season with an injury. Allen came back in full force with her first career double-double in MSU's 68-64 overtime win over Western Michigan on Nov. 18. She scored 13 points to go along with 11 boards off the bench for the Spartans. Her 13 points were one shy from her career-high 14 points against Nebraska last season. The 11 boards were a career high with her previous high being eight against Purdue last year. Allen has scored in double figures in four of the six games in which she has played.
SPARTANS VS. THE BIG TEN
Several Michigan State players rank among the best in the Big Ten early this season. Freshman guard Taryn McCutcheon is third in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 5.3 apg. Senior guard Tori Jankoska is fifth in the league in assists (4.7 apg) and 11th in steals (1.8 spg). Jankoska is also second in the league in scoring, averaging 23.4 points per game. Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell is first in the conference in scoring, averaging 23.9 ppg. Jankoska is tied for second in the conference in 3-point field goals made with 3.3.
Redshirt senior guard Branndais Agee is 10th in the B1G in rebounding with 7.3 rpg. She is also seventh in the league in defensive rebounds with 6.0 rpg.
IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER
The Spartans are 111-38 (74.5%) all-time in the month of November. Under Coach Merchant, Michigan State is 51-10 (83.6%) in November, with seven of the 10 losses coming against top-10 opponents. The Spartans have won 26 of their last 30 in the month.
IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
The Spartans improved to 165-94 (.637) all-time in the month of December. Under Coach Merchant, Michigan State is 48-24 (.667) in the 12th month of the calendar year. The Spartans have won 20 of their last 31 games in December.
WELL CONDITIONED
Guards Taryn McCutcheon and Tori Jankoska have shown off their off-season conditioning so far this season. Jankoska is first in the league in minutes played, averaging 35.6 mph. McCutcheon is tied for second the Big Ten in minutes played, averaging 35.0 mpg through the nine games of the season.
SEASON OPENERS
Michigan State women's basketball opened the season with a 70-34 win over Davidson. All-time, the Spartans are 30-15 in season openers, but 22-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 7-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 13 of her last 16, including her time at Eastern Michigan.
CLOSING IT OUT
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 146 of their last 151 games (.967) when leading with five minutes left, including 97 of their last 103. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 182-8 (.958) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, the Spartans are 7-0.
BOUNCE BACK ABILITY
In Coach Merchant's first 10 seasons, the Spartans are 67-25 (72.8%) following a loss.
AGAINST IN-STATE SCHOOLS
Michigan State has had great success against other collegiate programs in the state of Michigan over the past 12 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, the Spartans are 49-4 (.925) against in-state rivals, including a 34-4 (.895) mark under Coach Merchant. All-time, Michigan State is 182-59 (.755) against other Michigan schools.
GETTING ON THE SCOREBOARD
Against Davidson, nine different Spartans scored at least two. Four different player scored their first points in the Green and White. Taya Reimer (9) and Taryn McCutcheon (11) both started and scored their first MSU points. Freshmen Mardrekia Cook and Nia Hollie scored five and two points, respectively.
THE SCHEDULE
The Spartans will take on 14 teams that reached either the NCAA Tournament or the Women's Invitation Tournament (WNIT) last season, including NCAA national runner-up Syracuse, as part of a 29-game regular-season schedule.
Last season, the Spartans ended the season 25-9 advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State brings back two starters in senior guard Tori Jankoska and redshirt senior guard Branndais Agee.
The Big Ten is returning to a 16-game women's basketball conference schedule format this season after all 14 team played 18 games the last two seasons. Michigan State will play Minnesota, Nebraska and Purdue at home and on the road. The Spartans will host Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Maryland and Penn State, while traveling to Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Rutgers and Wisconsin.
Overall, the Spartans will play 15 home games, including their exhibition against Northwood on Nov. 6.
Suzy Merchant RADIO SHOW
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant will start her weekly radio call-in show, the Suzy Merchant Radio Show, on Monday, Dec. 5 at Reno's East. Coach Merchant joins host Keaton Gillogly, the Spartans' play-by-play voice, from 12-1 p.m., for an in-depth look into the MSU women's basketball program.
The show, produced by the Spartan Sports Network, can be heard locally on WVFN 730 AM and will also be streamed live (both audio and video) on SpartanSportsNetwork.com, as well as available on the SSN mobile app.
The show is typically held on Wednesdays throughout the season if no conflicts.
Radio Show Dates
Monday, December 5
Wednesday, December, 14
Wednesday, December, 28
Tuesday, January 3
Wednesday, January 12
Wednesday, January 18
Tuesday, January 24
Wednesday, February 1
Wednesday, February 8
Wednesday, February 15
Tuesday, February 21
Wednesday, March 1
JANKOSKA EARNS PRESEASON HONORS
Senior guard Tori Jankoska was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team by both the coaches and the media. Michigan State was selected third in the Coaches Poll.
Big Ten regular season and tournament champion Maryland was picked first in both the Coaches and the Media polls, while the Hoosiers took the third spot in the media poll. Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell was named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year in both polls.
Last season, Jankoska was second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. She was first in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.877) during the 2015-16 season. Jankoska also earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors the last two seasons.
EUROPEAN ADVENTURE
Michigan State women's basketball spent the summer on a 10-day European excursion. The Spartans traveled to Europe from August 19-28. Michigan State played exhibition in each country, while taking side trips to Normandy, France and Oxford, England. The trip was as much about team bonding as it was basketball, as the learned about each other on and off the court.
"First and foremost, some of these guys are never going to have a chance to come over here and see some of the amazing things, starting out in Rome and ending in London. I think that the educational piece was really important," MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said. "I think that the team bonding was also important. We have a lot of new faces, so the ability to come together a little bit is huge, as well as the final component is to be able to practice and play some games."
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a career-high 37 points from senior guard Tori Jankoska, the No. 22 Michigan State women's basketball team stopped Oakland, 81-74, at the Breslin Center on Friday.
After playing five games on the road, the Spartans returned home for a brief one-game homestand. With the win, MSU improves to 7-2 this season, while the Golden Grizzlies fall to 4-3. The Spartans improve to 13-4 all-time against Oakland.
Jankoska had her second double-double of the season and 15th of her career with 37 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Jenna Allen added 13 points off the bench, while redshirt senior guard Branndais Agee scored 12 points with seven rebounds off the bench.
NEWCOMERS
The Spartans welcome five newcomers this season, including senior graduate student Taya Reimer. The forward graduated from Notre Dame in May. Reimer is an experienced player who went to the Final Four with the Irish. Guard Shay Colley is a transfer from South Carolina. Colley will have to sit out this season due to transfer rules.
Michigan State also welcomes three freshmen this season. Guard Taryn McCutcheon graduated from East Lansing High School. Forward Mardrekia Cook comes to MSU from Muskegon High School, while forward Nia Hollie is from Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
FANS CONTINUE TO PACK THE BRESLIN
Michigan State women's basketball continues to pack the Breslin Center, finishing the 2015-16 season seventh in the nation in home attendance. The Spartans averaged 6,561 fans in 15 home games this season. MSU had a total of 98,418 fans pass through the gates. This is the 12th-straight season that the Spartans have been ranked in the top 15 nationally in attendance. MSU has had a total attendance of at least 80,000 since 2005-06.
SPARTANS RANKED IN PRESEASON POLL
Michigan State women's basketball will open the 2016-17 season ranked No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The Spartans are receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, standing 26th with 78 votes.
The Spartans have five opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll, including No. 1 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish come to East Lansing for the second time in three years on Dec. 20. ACC/Big Ten Challenge opponent Syracuse is ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll. Big Ten opponent Maryland is No. 6, while Ohio State is No. 7. Indiana is currently ranked No. 23 in the preseason poll.
UP NEXT
Michigan State will head east to take on Quinnipiac on Dec. 6 and Rhode Island on Dec. 8 this week. The Spartans will have two more games to end the 2016 portion of the season. In a triple header MSU hosts Northeastern on Dec. 18 at Noon. The MSU hockey team will host the Huskies at 3 p.m. before the Spartan men's basketball team takes on Northeastern at 7 p.m.
2016-17 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNEES
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of Sidney Cooks (Kenosha, Wisc./St. Joseph) and Claire Hendrickson (Wyoming, Michigan/Wyoming HS) to a National Letter of Intent.
Cooks is a 6-4 forward who plays for head coach Lynell Collins at St. Joseph Catholic. She is currently ranked fifth overall and second at her position by ESPN HoopGurlz. In 2016, Cooks earned AP first-team All-State as well as USA Today first-team All-Wisconsin honors. She was named honorable mention WBCA Division 4 All-State in 2015. Last season, she surpassed the 1,000 point-plateau by scoring 20 points in a win.
Cooks earned all-state and all-area honors as a junior. She was first on the team, averaging 23.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 3.7 blocks per game. Cooks guided the Lancers to their first WIAA state tournament appearance where they were runner-up in Division 4. As a sophomore, she scored 14.1 ppg with 9.8 rpg as St. Joseph went 20-5.
She also has extensive international experience as a member of the USA U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas Championship in Chile. En route to a gold medal, she started all five games of the tournament, averaging 10.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She also captured a silver medal on the 3x3 U18 National Team that competed in Kazakhstan.
Hendrickson is a 5-11 guard from Wyoming, Michigan, who plays for head coach Troy Mast at Wyoming High School. She missed most of her junior season after sustaining an ACL injury, but will return for her senior campaign. As a sophomore, she averaged 14.0 points, 7.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.5 rebounds. She also was second on the team in blocked shots, averaging 3.4 per game. Hendrickson recorded two triple-doubles. Hendrickson also earned Honorable-Mention Class A All-State in 2015. As a freshman, she was part of the Wolves squad that went 21-3, capturing the OK Blue Conference championship and advancing to the regional semifinals. Hendrickson played AAU basketball for the Grand Rapids Storm. She is the daughter of Amy and Jon Hendrickson.
