Michigan State University
Hartford
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Balanced Attack Pushes No. 15 MSU Past Hartford 79-34
11/24/2019 4:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Julia Ayrault and Taryn McCutcheon both scores 14 in the win.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Taryn McCutcheon and Julia Ayrault had 14 points apiece, as No. 15 Michigan State cruised to a 79-34 win over Hartford on Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center.
Four Spartans were in double figures led by the 14 from McCutcheon and Ayrault, who set an new career high. Sophomore forward Kayla Belles earned her first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Nia Clouden also added added 12 points to go along with two steals.
Hartford was led by nine points from Jordan McLemore, while Sierra Smith had a team-high seven rebounds.
Michigan State is 5-0 for the first time since 2012-13, when MSU won its first eight games. Overall, it is the third time under head coach Suzy Merchant that the Spartans have started 5-0, joining 2012-13 and 2008-09.
Both teams start the game a little turnover happy before the Spartans started to settle down after a Julia Ayrault trey to take a 11-8 lead with under four minutes left in the first quarter. Ayrault went on to score 11-straight points for MSU to give them an 19-8 lead. Michigan State closed out the first period with an 11-0 run, nine of the points by Ayrault, for a 19-8 lead. The Hawks (0-6) were down 12 with two minutes left in the second quarter when the Spartans reeled off nine quick points for a 42-21 advantage at the break. MSU shot 65% (11 of 17) in the second quarter and Hartford 27% (4 of 15).
The Ayrault show continued in to the second quarter as she had her 13-point streak stopped by an Alyza Winston jumper. Michigan State made 6-of-8 to end the half and took 42-21 lead into the locker room. The Spartans ended the half on a 9-0 run. MSU ramped up its shooting in the second period going 11-for-17, good for 64.7 percent from the field.
A 13-1 run in the third quarter pushed the lead past 30.
In the fourth quarter, the Spartans made good use of their deep bench with guard Claire Hendrickson and Laurel Jacqmain getting quality minutes. Hendrickson drained a pair of treys and added two assists, while Jacqmain added three assists.
Hartford missed all eight of its 3-pointers and finished the game at 29.5% (13 of 44). The Hawks were only 8 of 17 from the foul line, were out-rebounded by 18 and had 29 turnovers.
Last season in Hartford, Michigan State pulled out an eight-point win in overtime.
The Spartans will now spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Bimini, Bahamas at the Junkanoo Jam Nov. 29-30. Michigan State will face LSU in the first game on Nov. 29 and will take on either Memphis of Kansas State on Nov. 30
Post-Game Notes - vs. Hartford
• Michigan State is 5-0 for the first time since 2012-13, when MSU won its first eight games ... Overall, it is the third time under head coach Suzy Merchant that the Spartans have started 5-0, joining 2012-13 and 2008-09 ... half of MSU's 5-0 starts have come under Coach Merchant, as the Spartans have a total of six 5-0 starts in program history, joining 1983-84, 1984-85, 1999-2000, 2008-09, 2012-13 and now 2019-20.
• MSU did not yield a 3-pointer to Hartford on Sunday, not only a season-low for the Spartan defense, but the first time of holding the opposition without a 3-pointer since Dec. 6, 2015 vs. Loyola Chicago (0-for-7).
• Michigan State's defense held Hartford to 34 points Sunday afternoon, which was the fewest points allowed since a 70-34 win over Davidson on Nov. 11, 2016 ... the 34 points allowed is the fourth time in five games that MSU has kept the opposition under 60 points.
• Sunday's +45 margin of victory was the Spartans' second-largest of the season behind +55 in a 110-52 victory for MSU over Detroit Mercy (11/8/19) ... the +45 margin of victory was the fourth +20 or greater margin of victory in the five games ... MSU entered the game 21st in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten in scoring margin at +29.0.
• The Spartans had a +18 rebounding advantage (48-30), as they have had a double-digit rebounding advantage in four of the five games ... MSU entered Sunday's game leading the B1G and ranked 18th in NCAA in rebounding margin at +14.5. MSU also swiped 16 steals in Sunday's contest, as they came into Sunday ranking first in the B1G and seventh in the NCAA in steals per game (14.5) ... the Spartans had a +10 steals advantage Sunday (16-6).
• Michigan State improved to 125-39 (.762) all-time in the month of November ... Under Coach Merchant, MSU is 65-11 (.855), including winning 39 of the last 43 in the 11th month of the calendar.
• Michigan State leads the all-time series vs. Hartford, 3-1, and Sunday's game was the Hawks' first-ever visit to East Lansing, meeting in Auburn Hills, Mich., in 2006 (W, 58-45) before the last two meetings in Hartford in 2007 (L, 54-51) and last season (W, 74-66 OT).
• Senior guard Taryn McCutcheon and freshman forward Julia Ayrault shared top-scoring honors for MSU with 14 points apiece ... Ayrault becomes the fourth different Spartan player to lead or share the scoring lead, as well as the third different Spartan to post a career-high when doing so.
• Ayrault's 14 points is a new career-high, the first time she has netted double-figures ... her previous high was nine points vs. Detroit Mercy (11/8/19) ... Ayrault matched her previous career-high in the first quarter alone, netting nine points, including six-straight points for MSU and eight of the Spartans' 10 points in a 10-0 spurt going from an 8-8 tie to taking an 18-8 lead and MSU never looked back, leading by no less than nine from there on out.
• Sophomore forward Kayla Belles registered the first double-double of her career with a career-best 11 rebounds to go with a season-high tying 11 points, one shy of her career-high ... the 11 rebounds tops her previous career-high of seven done twice in her career, most recently vs. Detroit Mercy (11/8/19) ... Belles' 11 points is her second-straight double-digit scoring outing and third in five games.
• McCutcheon has scored in double-figures in all five games this season ... her four 3-pointers is the second game in a row with four treys, as she has made two or more triples in four of the five games ... McCutcheon now has 937 points for her career, just 63 points away from becoming the 28th member of MSU's 1,000-point club ... she dished out one assist Sunday, giving her 486 for her career, three shy of tying former teammate Tori Jankoska (2014-17) with 489 for No. 2 on MSU's career assists list.
• Sophomore guard Nia Clouden tallied 12 points for her fourth game in double-figure scoring in the Spartans' five games this season.
• With McCutcheon, Ayrault, Clouden and Belles posting double-digits, the Spartans have had four score in double-figures and four or more player in double-digits in four of the five games.
• MSU has won 142 of its last 160 games (.888) when scoring at least 70 points, and MSU is 160-27 (.856) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard.
• The Spartans have won 198 of their last 210 games (.943) when leading with five minutes left, including 148 of their last 162 (.914).