MSU Women's Basketball Travels to Michigan on ESPN2 Sunday

Sunday, January 5

Ann Arbor, Mich.

12 PM

Michigan State University

Michigan

Photo by: Dale Young - MSU Athletic Communications

MSU Women's Basketball Travels to Michigan on ESPN2 Sunday

1/3/2020 7:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

MSU Notes Michigan Notes Watch Live Live Stats Listen Live Buy Tickets

This is the first of two meetings this season between the Spartans and the Wolverines.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball hits the road to take on in-state rival Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 12 p.m. on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbrod on the call. MSU is now 8-5 this season and 1-1 in the Big Ten after snapping a three-game losing streak. The Wolverines are 10-3 overall and are also 1-1 in league action.

• The Spartans have faced several injuries throughout this season. Against Nebraska on Dec. 31, MSU used the starting lineup of senior guard Taryn McCutcheon, sophomore guard Nia Clouden, freshman guard Moria Joiner, senior forward Nia Hollie and freshman forward Taiyier Parks. This was Michigan State's seventh different starting lineup of the season.

•For the second-straight year, the MSU vs. UM women's game will coincide with the MSU vs. UM men's game. The Michigan State men's team will host Michigan on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Last season on Feb. 24, the Spartan women defeated the Wolverines in East Lansing, while the MSU men stopped the UM men in Ann Arbor.

• Sophomore guard Nia Clouden is sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.7 ppg. She is also is 56th in the nation and fifth in the league in steals with 30. She is just nine steals away from tying last year's total of 39.

• Last time out, MSU had a 53-35 rebounding advantage against Nebraska on Dec. 31. It was MSU's seventh game this season with a double-digit rebounding advantage. The Spartans are 7-0 when having a bigger number in the rebounding column.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Michigan is 10-3 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten action. The Wolverines opened league play with a loss to No. 12 Maryland on the road, 70-55, before dominating Penn State at home, 82-48. MSU and Michigan shared five non-conference opponents with both teams going 3-2 against. Both teams defeated Oakland and Eastern Michigan, while both have losses against No. 8 Florida State. MSU stopped Notre Dame, while UM lost at home. Michigan defeated Syracuse, while MSU fell to the Orange in Florida in December.

Michigan has three players scoring in double-figure in Naz Hillmon (14.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Kayla Robbins (12.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Amy Dilk (10.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg). Hillmon is 10th in the B1G in scoring and tied for sixth in rebounding.

The Wolverines are second in the league in rebound margin (+7.0) and in fourth in field goal percentage (.455). Michigan is first in the Big Ten in rebounding defense (33.1), while Michigan State is first in the league in rebounding offense (42.2).

SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN
Overall, the Spartans hold a commanding 72-19 series lead over the Wolverines. Michigan State has won seven of the last eight meetings, including both games last season. The Spartans sent Jenna Allen out in style with a 74-64 win in East Lansing on Senior Day last season on Feb. 24. Allen led the team in scoring with 18 points. In the first meeting of the year, MSU captured a 77-73 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor on Jan. 27. In that battle, MSU had four players in double figures led by 14 points from Allen, Taryn McCutcheon and Shay Colley.

LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN
Michigan State women's basketball completed the series sweep with a 74-64 win over Michigan on Senior Day on Feb. 24, 2019, paced by an 18-point performance by its lone senior Jenna Allen.

The Spartans celebrated Senior Day on Sunday. Michigan State snapped its three-game losing streak and improves to 18-9 overall and 8-8 in Big Ten contests. Michigan had its season-long seven-game winning streak halted by the Spartans, falling to 19-10 overall and 10-7 in league play.

This was the first game since the 77-73 win at Michigan on Jan. 27 that redshirt-junior guard Shay Colley and freshman guard Nia Clouden were not the leading scorers. Allen was one of four Spartans to reach double figures with her 18 points.

BIG TIME OVERTIME
In the Spartans 78-70 overtime win over Nebraska on Dec. 31, Michigan State scored 19 points in the five-minute overtime period. The 19 points were the most scored in an overtime period since scoring 18 against Iowa on Feb. 9, 2017. It was also more than MSU had scored in each of the first three quarters of the game.

BIG TEN OPENERS
Michigan State is now 19-19 in Big Ten openers, having won six of their last nine. MSU is now 8-5 in league openers in Coach Merchant's 13 seasons. Last season, the Spartans won their opener in East Lansing against No. 16 Iowa, 84-70. The last time that Michigan State played Indiana in a B1G opener was to start the 2017-18 league action with MSU winning 68-46.

With the win over Nebraska on Dec. 31, Michigan State is now 25-13 in B1G home openers.

REACHING THE PINNACLE
After reaching the 1,000 career points mark last game vs. Indiana, McCutcheon's 15 points against Nebraska on Dec. 31 give her 1,024 career points. McCutcheon moves up to No. 27 on MSU's career scoring list, passing Jill Prudden (1974-78) with 1,012 points, and just 10 points shy of No. 26 spot held by Brenda Jezowski (1980-85). McCutcheon also dished out four assists, giving her 511 for her career. The senior guard became the 28th-member of the 1,000-point club against IU on Dec. 28.

FABULOUS FRESHMEN
The Spartan freshmen continue to be key contributors this season. Julia Ayrault (5.6 ppg, 20th), Moira Joiner (4.8 ppg, 23rd), Taiyier Parks (4.1 ppg, 27th) and Alyza Winston (3.8 ppg, 28th) are all in the top 30th in the Big Ten in scoring among freshmen. Ayrault has led MSU in rebounds five times this season, which is the most on the team. Overall, the rookie leads the Spartans on the boards, averaging 5.2 rpg, which is fourth among B1G rookies. Parks is 10th among Big Ten freshmen in rebounding with 4.1 rpg. Ayrault is third in the league among rookies in blocks (1.1 bpg), while Parks is fourth (1.0 bpg.)

SWITCHING STARTERS
Through 13 games this season, Nia Clouden and Taryn McCutcheon are the only two players to have started every game. Overall, the Spartans have had seven different starting lineups. Against Nebraska, the Spartans debuted a new lineup in Clouden, McCutcheon, Moira Joiner, Taiyier Parks and Nia Hollie. The start against the Cornhuskers was the first of her MSU career. Gaines had become a fixture in the starting five after returning from a sprained ankle and had started the six-straight games before missing the game on Dec. 31. Shay Colley and Mardrekia Cook have both missed time to injury, forcing them to come in and out of the starting five.

FINDING CONSISTENCY
Nia Clouden has been the most consistent Spartan this season, leading the team in scoring seven times this year. Taryn McCutcheon has led four times, while Julia Ayrault has led twice including tying with McCutcheon once. Alyza Winston is the only other player to lead MSU in scoring.

On the boards is a very different story, eight different players have led the squad in rebounds. Julia Ayrault has led the team in rebounding five times.

MASTER THIEVES
With 12 steals against Indiana on Dec. 28, the Spartans reached double figures in takeaways for the 10th time in 13 games. This was the first double-digit steal game since Morehead State on Dec. 15 when MSU also had 12. Freshman guard Julia Ayrault tied her career high with four takeaways. She also had four against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 8. Sophomore guard Tory Ozment also tied her career high with three, which she has now done four times. The most double-figure steal games that MSU has had since Coach Merchant's arrival during the 2007-08 season was 17 during the 2010-11 season. During the 2005-06 season, MSU had 20 double-digit steal games. As a team, Michigan State is averaging 12.0 spg, which is second in the Big Ten.

CLOUDEN CLIMBS THE CHARTS
Sophomore guard Nia Clouden is among the best in several categories in the Big Ten. She is currently sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game. Rutgers' Arella Guirantes leads the league in scoring with 19.7 ppg. She is also tied for fifth in free throw percentage (.795). She is providing help on the defensive end of the ball as well, standing tied for fifth in steals (2.3 spg).

EXCLUSIVE COMPANY
Guard Taryn McCutcheon is part of an exclusive Michigan State group. She is one of only five players in Spartan history with at least 900 points and 400 assists. Tori Jankoska is the all-time points leader with 2,212 points, while current MSU assistant coach Kristin Haynie holds the all-time assist crown with 574 helpers. McCutcheon and Haynie are now the only Spartans with at least 1,000 points and 500 assists.

Player Pts   Assists
Tori Jankoska (2013-17)   2,212   489
Kristin Haynie (2001-05)   1,199   574
Taryn McCutcheon (2017-) 1,024   511
Brittney Thomas (2007-11) 932   401
Deb Traxinger (1978-82)   926   443

BEING A BOSS AT THE BREZ
The Spartans continue to dominate at home. Last season, Michigan State set a record with 15 wins at home. Since the 2016-17 season, the Spartans are 42-9 at the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. MSU has won 24 of the last 25 games at home. This season, the Spartans are 6-0 at home.

AGAINST THE GREAT LAKES STATE
Michigan State has had great success against other collegiate programs in the state of Michigan over the past 17 seasons. Since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, the Spartans are 62-5 (.925) against in-state rivals, including a 47-5 (.904) mark under Coach Merchant. All-time, Michigan State is 195-60 (.765) against other Michigan schools.

MAKING HISTORY
Taryn McCutcheon dished out four assists against Morehead State on Dec. 15, as she became just the second player in MSU women's basketball history with 500 career assists. With four more against Nebraska on Dec. 31, she now with 511 for her career. McCutcheon needs just 63 more helpers to tie current Spartan assistant coach Kristin Haynie for the all-time assists record with 574. McCutcheon is currently second on the team in assists behind Nia Clouden with 42.

SPARTANS IN THE B1G/NCAA RANKINGS
After 13 games, Michigan State is 15th in the nation in steals per game (12.0 spg), which is also second in the Big Ten. After holding Hartford and LSU to no 3-pointers earlier this season, the Spartans are third in the nation and first in the league in 3-point field goal defense, holding teams to 20.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Sophomore guard Nia Clouden is 60th in the nation and fifth in the league in steals, averaging 2.3 spg. She is 17th in the nation and third in the league in total free throws made with 62.

REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
With a start against Indiana, senior guard Taryn McCutcheon earned her 111th career start. She has missed only one game during her MSU career against Michigan on Jan. 23, 2018. She is now eighth in the MSU record books in career starts. Fellow senior Victoria Gaines has now played in 117 career games as a Spartan. She is just nine games away from reaching the top 20 in career games played.

FREQUENT FLIER
Three Spartans earned international experience during the offseason. MSU head coach Suzy Merchant earned a silver medal as the head coach of U.S. Pan American team that competed in Lima, Peru. Sophomore guard Nia Clouden also participated in the U.S. U19 World Cup Trials in Colorado Spring in May. Redshirt-senior guard Shay Colley continues her quest for the 2020 Olympics continuing training with the Canadian National Team.

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. Against Nebraska, Michigan State took its first lead of the game at 52-51, capping a 10-0 scoring run, with 5:07 left in regulation and still led by that score with 5:00 remaining. The Spartans have won 201 of their last 214 games (.939) when leading with five minutes left, including 151 of their last 166 (.910). Under Merchant, MSU is now 236-19 (.925) when holding a lead with five minutes to play. The Spartans are now 8-1 this season when leading with five to go, with the only loss coming at Florida State.

CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 201 of their last 214 games (.939) when leading with five minutes left, including 151 of their last 166. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 236-19 (.925) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 8-1 when leading with five minutes remaining with the only loss coming against No. 8 Florida State.

RETURN TO THE GREAT LAKES STATE
Michigan State adds two new coaches to the staff this season in Dean Lockwood and former Spartan All-American Kristin Haynie. Lockwood and Haynie come to Michigan State with extensive basketball roots in the state of Michigan, as well as highly-decorated careers. During his 15-year tenure as an assistant coach at Tennessee, Lockwood won two NCAA titles. Haynie returns to Michigan State where she earned All-American honors, leading MSU to the 2005 National Championship game.

UP NEXT
After taking on Michigan on the road on Jan. 5, the Spartans stay away from home to take on Penn State on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. MSU returns home to face Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3 p.m.

GAME REWIND: MSU 78, Nebraska 70 OT
Behind five players in double figures, Michigan State women's basketball captured its Big Ten home opener, 78-79, in overtime on New Year's Eve at the Breslin Center. MSU trailed by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but chipped away at the deficit.

With the win, the Spartans snapped a three-game losing streak and improve to 8-5 this season and 1-1 in league contests. Nebraska had its six-game winning streak halted and falls to 11-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. With Tuesday's Big Ten home opener victory, Michigan State is now 25-13 in B1G home openers.

Sophomore guard Nia Clouden had a strong second half for MSU to lead the Spartans in scoring with 16 points, scoring 14 of her 16 in the second half. She also added seven assists and five rebounds.

Postgame Notes vs. Nebraska
• MSU snapped a three-game losing skien both overall and the series with Nebraska, and cut the Cornhuskers lead in the series to 8-4, while MSU leads, 4-2, in games played in East Lansing.

•MSU had five scorers in double-figures led by Clouden's 16 points, followed by McCutcheon with 15 points, Joiner's 13 points and 11 points from sophomore forwards Tory Ozment and Kayla Belles ... it was the first time five scored in double-figures also since the Spartans' last win, a 93-48 rout of Morehead State on Dec. 15 ... MSU is now 3-0 this season when five score double-digits.

SEASON OPENERS
All-time, the Spartans are now 33-15 in season openers, but 25-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 10-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 16 of her last 19, including her time at Eastern Michigan

SIGNING DAY
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of Kendall Bostic (Kokomo, Indiana/Northwestern High School) to a National Letter of Intent. Bostic is a 6-2 forward who plays for head coach Katie Layden at Northwestern High School in Kokomo, Indiana and AAU basketball for Tony Marlin and the Indiana Flight/Elite. Bostic is ranked No. 16 at her position and No. 67 overall by ESPN HoopGurlz. As a junior, Bostic averaged 18.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on 68 percent shooting from the field. Last season, Northwestern captured its second consecutive state championship, as Bostic earned State Championship Player of the Game accolades, along with AP First-Team All-State and Co-Player of the Year honors.

She is the daughter of Kevin and Angie Bostic. Her mom, Angie (Cree) Bostic, played basketball at Indiana from, 1991-92.