MSU Women's Basketball Hosts ETSU Sunday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State continues its three-game homestand to open the season on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. at the Breslin Center hosting East Tennessee State. This is just the second meeting between the Spartans and the Bucs with MSU winning in overtime last season.

STARTING FIVE
• The Spartans return four of their top five scorers from last season in redshirt-junior Shay Colley (12.4 ppg), junior Taryn McCutcheon (10.2 ppg), senior Jenna Allen (9.9 ppg) and freshman Sidney Cooks (9.5 ppg).

• Against Bowling Green, junior guard Taryn McCutcheon dished out a career-high tying 12 assists, tying her career-best for the fourth time, last doing so vs. Iowa (2/1/18). It was McCutcheon's sixth double-figure assist game, with four last season and two in her freshman season of 2016-17.

• Senior center Jenna Allen earned her first double-double of the season and the third of her career with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against BG.

• Freshmen Nia Clouden and Tory Ozment both made the collegiate debuts for the Spartans. Clouden scored 14 points in her collegiate debut, while Ozment added two rebounds and an assist. Redshirt-freshman Claire Hendrickson also registered her first points in a Spartan uniform with six points.

SCOUTING EAST TENNESSEE STATE
The Bucs opened the season with a 77-64 loss against Cincinnati on the road on Friday. They were led by 17 points by Erica Haynes-Overton. Raven Dean added 14 points, while Micah Scheetz scored 12.

In a battle of teams that reached the WNIT a year ago, the Buccaneers dropped their season-opening contest and fall to 0-1. Meanwhile, the Bearcats, who won 19 games last year, improved to 2-0 and avenged a loss to these same Bucs in the 2017-18 season opener.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ETSU
Michigan State and East Tennessee State have met only once all time, last season in Johnson City, Tennessee on Dec. 16, 2017, The Spartans used a school record 15 blocks in the 83-74 overtime win. MSU out-scored ETSU, 17-9 in extra time. Forward Sidney Cooks and center Jenna Allen both scored 16 points in the victory, while guard Taryn McCutcheon earned her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists. The Bucs open the season against Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.

SEASON OPENERS
All-time, the Spartans are now 32-15 in season openers, but 24-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 9-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 15 of her last 18, including her time at Eastern Michigan.

IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER
The Spartans are 116-38 (75.3%) all-time in the month of November. Under Coach Merchant, Michigan State is 56-10 (84.8%) in November, with six of the nine losses coming against top-10 opponents. The Spartans have won 30 of their last 34 in the month.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Senior center Jenna Allen came out of the gate strong in the season opener against Bowling Green with a career-high 15 rebounds. Her previous career-high in rebounds was 11 against Western Michigan on Dec. 3, 2017. She was the first Spartan with at least 15 rebounds since Branndais Agee had 17 against Indiana on March 1, 2018 in the Big Ten Tournament. She also earned her first double-double of the season and the third of her career with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

THE SCHEDULE
For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Big Ten will have an 18-game schedule after two seasons of a 16-game docket. The conference played an 18-game league schedule in both 2015-16 and 2014-15. It is the sixth time in the last 12 years the conference has played an 18-game schedule.

The Spartans will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Mexico at the Cancun Challenge, November 22-23. Michigan State will take on N.C. State on Thursday Nov. 22, before facing Kennesaw State on Friday, Nov. 23. The Spartans will close out the month of November hosting Virginia on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

During the 2018-19 season at least 12 Michigan State women's basketball games will be televised on either the ESPN2 or the Big Ten Network. MSU will also have seven regular-season home contests aired on BTN Plus.

FREQUENT FLIER
Redshirt-junior guard Shay Colley spent time overseas this summer playing for the Canadian National Team. Playing in Europe, Colley helped guide Canada to the quarterfinals of the FIBA Women's World Cup.

FANS CONTINUE TO PACK THE BRESLIN
Michigan State women's basketball continues to pack the Breslin Center, finishing the 2017-18 season 10th in the nation and second in the Big Ten home attendance. The Spartans averaged 5,689 fans in 16 home games this season. MSU had a total of 91,026 fans pass through the gates. This is the 14th-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.

TV TIME
Big Ten schools will be featured on national television at least 78 times during the 2018-19 season. BTN will televise at least 69 games and ESPN2 will carry nine contests. In addition, for the fifth consecutive year, every Big Ten women's basketball conference game, including 126 regular-season contests and all 13 Big Ten Tournament games, will be produced and distributed by BTN, BTN Plus or an ESPN network.

During the 2018-19 season at least 12 Michigan State women's basketball games will be televised on either the ESPN2 or the Big Ten Network. MSU will also have seven regular-season home contests aired on BTN Plus.

COLLEY EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
To kickoff the beginning of Big Ten Women's Basketball Media Week, the conference released the Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, in addition to the preseason All-Big Ten teams on Monday. Michigan State redshirt-junior guard Shay Colley was earned Preseason All-Big Ten honors by the coaches.

Maryland was voted to finish first in both the coaches and the media polls, while Iowa was picked second in both. In the coaches poll, Michigan was voted third, while Minnesota earned the third spot in the media poll. Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Megan Gustafson of Iowa was voted Preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media.

Last season, Colley led the Spartans in scoring and was 23rd in the Big Ten, averaging 12.4 points per game. Colley was also tied for eighth in assists with 4.3 apg. In her first season with the Spartans, the guard also ended the season tied for fifth in steals with 1.9 spg.

The Spartans finished the 2017-18 season with a 19-14 record, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT. Michigan State will return four of its top scorers last season led by All-Big Ten honorees Colley, Taryn McCutcheon and Jenna Allen.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Eight Big Ten schools are ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press or USA Today/WBCA polls, led by No. 9 (AP)/No. 10 (USA Today) Maryland. Iowa is also ranked in both polls at No. 13/17, while Michigan and Minnesota are receiving votes in both polls. In addition, Nebraska earned votes in the AP poll, while Illinois, Michigan State and Ohio State received votes in the coaches' balloting.

UP NEXT
Michigan State will close out the homestand against Wright State on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. It is the first half of a doubleheader with the MSU men's team. The Spartans will then head south to play in the Cancun Challenge, taking on N.C. State on Nov. 22 and Kennesaw State on Nov. 23.

LAST TIME OUT
Five Spartans scored in double figures as the Michigan State women's basketball team stormed past Bowling Green, 99-69, in the season opener at the Breslin Center. Michigan State has now won the season opener five times and the home opener nine-straight years.

The Spartans were led by a double-double from senior center Jenna Allen, who scored a team-high 17 points to go along with a career-high 15 rebounds. Junior guard Taryn McCutcheon also had a double-double with 16 points and 12 assists, which tied a career-high. Freshman guard Nia Clouden (14), sophomore forward Sidney Cooks (13) and redshirt-junior guard Shay Colley (11) also scored in double figures.

Bowling Green head coach and Okemos native Robyn Fralick was making her season debut for the Falcons. BGSU was led by a game-high 19 points from Andrea Cecil.

Postgame Notes vs. Bowling Green
• Taryn McCutcheon netted 16 points for her fourth career double-double, with all four being points-assists . . . the junior guard netted her 13th-consecutive game with multiple 3-pointers and her 35th career game with multi treys . . . the four 3-pointers Tuesday was McCutcheon's seventh-straight game with three or more treys dating back to last season.

• Sophomore forward Sidney Cooks also tied her career-best with three 3-pointers, marking the fifth time in her Spartan career of hitting triple the triples, including the second in last three games played, last doing so vs. Toledo last season (3/19/18) . . . Cooks netted three 3-pointers for the second season-opener in a row, netting three treys in last year's opener vs. Robert Morris . . . it was also Cooks' 10th game with multiple 3-pointers.

• Colley tied her career-high with three 3-pointers, matching three treys in last season's final game, at South Dakota . . . Tuesday was Colley's third career game with multiple 3-pointers.

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Players Mentioned

Branndais Agee

Jenna Allen

Nia Clouden

Shay Colley

Sidney Cooks

Claire Hendrickson

Taryn McCutcheon

Tory Ozment