Tuesday, December 20
East Lansing, Mich.
7 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Prairie View A&M
Photo by: Rey Del Rio
MSU Continues Homestand Against Prairie View A&M Tuesday
12/19/2022 3:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
This is the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Panthers.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will play its final game before the holiday break, taking on Prairie View A&M at the Breslin Center on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Tip off time is set for 7 p.m. on BTN+ with Owen Oszust and Zach Surdenik calling the action.
• The Spartans hold a 7-5 overall record this season and are 0-2 in Big Ten action play. Michigan State righted the ship after losing five-straight games. Prairie View A&M holds a 3-7, playing a tough non-conference schedule. The Panthers have lost four-straight contests.
•MSU pulled down 52 rebounds, its third-highest total of the season, behind the top mark 57 boards vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 22) and 53 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (Nov. 10). MSU had a 52-40 rebounding advantage, moving to 7-1 this season when out-rebounding the opposition.
• Redshirt-junior guard Julia Ayrault recorded a season-high 13 points, her first double-digit scoring game of the season and 13th of her career. Ayrault also set a career-high mark in made 3-point field goals with three, surpassing her previous career high of two, set on four occasions.
• Michigan State will end the 2022 portion of the season with two more home games. After facing Prairie View A&M (Dec. 20), The Spartans will return to Big Ten action against Indiana on Dec. 29.
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
The Panthers bring a 3-7 record into East Lansing for Tuesday's first-ever meeting on the court with MSU. Tuesday is also Prairie View A&M's final leg of a five-game road stretch, last playing at home on Nov. 21, having lost the previous four and PVAMU is also 0-6 on the road. Additionally, Tuesday's tangle with the Spartans is also the Panthers' final non-conference game, as they'll open Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action on Jan. 2 after the holiday break.
PVAMU is coming off an 82-67 loss at Arizona State on Dec. 17. Tuesday's match-up with Michigan State is also Prairie View A&M's fifth game against a Power 5 school, having also played at Washington State (L, 89-61) on Nov. 13; at Oregon State (L, 100-59) on Nov. 19; at Florida (L, 68-53) on Nov. 30.
In the loss at ASU, the Panthers battled the Sun Devils tough, trailing just 60-50 entering the fourth quarter before ASU pulled away. Three Panthers posted double-figures, led by 16 points apiece from senior forward Kennedy Paul and sophomore guard Nyam Thornton, while graduate senior guard TaMiracle Taylor tallied 11 points, and junior forward Gerlyn Smith pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.
PVAMU is averaging 71.4 points per game, while allowing 73.2 ppg, for a slim -1.8 scoring margin. The Panthers are shooting 36.9 percent (255-of-691) from the field, 27.7 percent from 3-point range (79-of-285) and 63.8 percent (125-of-196) at the free throw line. Prairie View A&M averages 35.3 rebounds per game, but has a -7.4 rebounding margin, as the opposition averages 42.7 rpg.
Senior guard/forward Diana Rosenthal is the lone Panther averaging in double-figures, netting 16.3 ppg, including making a team-high 21 3-pointers, shooting 36.2 percent (21-of-58) behind the arc and averaging 2.1 treys per game. Rosenthal also leads PVAMU with 24 steals (2.4 spg). Taylor is just shy of double-digits, averaging 9.9 points per game, and leads the Panthers in playing time, averaging 23.3 minutes per contest. Smith pulls down a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game and also tops the team with eight blocks (0.8 bpg).
Prairie View A&M head coach Sandy Pugh is in her fifth season leading the Panthers, posting a 47-70 record, leading PVAMU to the WNIT in each of the last two seasons. Pugh has amassed a 264-293 overall record in her 23rd season as a head coach. Prior to PVAMU, Pugh had an 18-year stint as head coach at Southern University (2000-18), where she logged a 217-223 record and led the Jaguars to seven outright or shared Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season titles. She also led Southern to four SWAC Tournament titles, four NCAA Tournament berths, and four NIT appearances.
SERIES HISTORY VS. PANTHERS
Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting on the hardwood between the Michigan State and Prairie View A&M women's basketball programs. MSU and PVAMU have met once in men's basketball, with the Spartans winning, 90-51, on Dec. 18, 2010 at the Breslin Center, in what is believed to be the only other previous head-to-head match-up, having met in golf and men's tennis invitational tournaments, as well as track & field meets.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. DETROIT MERCY
• Michigan State's starting line-up of graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel, sophomore guard Matilda Ekh, sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore forward Isaline Alexander and redshirt-senior guard/forward Tory Ozment was the Spartans' first game with that starting five. It was MSU's fifth different starting line-up. Ozment earned her first start of the season.
• MSU limited Detroit Mercy to four points in the first quarter, which was the Spartan defense's fewest in a first quarter this season, bettering the six points in the season-opener vs. Delaware State (Nov. 7). The four points also tied for the fewest in any quarter, matching the four-point second quarter vs. Oakland (Nov. 15).
A NEW AYRAULT
Redshirt-junior guard Julia Ayrault has stepped up with the absence of Gabby Elliott due to injury. She has scored 21 points in the last two games, including a season-high 13 points against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 18. She also has brought down 15 boards in the last two contests. Her three 3-pointers against Detroit Mercy was a new career high.
BACK IN THE STARTING FIVE
Redshirt-senior guard/forward Tory Ozment earned her first start of the 2022-23 season. Ozment, who has played in all 12 games this season, now has 27 career starts in 82 career games played. She also scored a season-best seven points in 20 minutes of work.
EVERYONE CHIPS IN
The Spartan bench out-scored Detroit Mercy's reserves, 45-21, as MSU improved to 7-2 when having more bench points. The 45 points by the Green & White's bench was its sixth game with 40+ bench points and third-highest of the season behind 53 points, done twice, first in the season-opener vs. Delaware State (Nov. 7) and again vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 17). MSU's bench also scored 42 vs. Central Michigan (Nov. 19), 41 against Purdue Fort Wayne (Nov. 13) and 40 vs. Oakland (Nov. 15).
CLOSE CALLS
During the Spartans five-game losing streak, four of the five loses have come by a margin of eight points or less. On Nov. 27, MSU fell to No. 18/18 Oregon, 86-78. MSU lost to Georgia Tech on Dec. 1, 66-63, before falling in overtime to Purdue on Dec. 5, 76-71. Against No. 3/4 Ohio State, the Spartans fell, 74-68. Michigan State has lost its last four games by a total of 22 points.
COLD AS ICE
Sophomore forward Isaline Alexander notched the first double-double of her collegiate career and the first of the season by a Spartan player, hauling in a game-high and career-high 10 rebounds. She also posted the first double-digit rebounding outing of the season by a Spartan player. Alexander booked a previous career-high eight boards against Western Michigan on Nov. 13. The Keswick, Ontario, native also dropped 10 points in addition to her strong performance on the glass. She scored in double figures for the third time in her career.
DID YOU KNOW?
MSU's 91 points Sunday was the Spartans' third game with 90+ points behind a season-high 109 vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 17) and 97 vs. Western Michigan (Nov. 13).
BIG TEN OPENERS
Michigan State is 20-21 in Big Ten openers, having won seven of their 12. MSU is 9-7 in league openers in Coach Merchant's 16 seasons after losing to Iowa in last season's league opener. During the 2020-21 season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers.
FACING THE TOP DOGS
The game against No. 3/4 Ohio State was the second top-10 game for Michigan State this season. On Nov. 24, the Spartans fell to No. 5/4 Iowa State, 80-49, in Portland. Last season, MSU went 1-2 against top-10 foes with a win No. 4/4 over Michigan (Feb. 24) and losses to No. 9/11 Iowa (Dec. 5) and No. 7/7 Indiana (Feb. 12).
KMAC ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel netted 28 points against No. 18/18 Oregon on Nov. 27, not only posting her first 20-point outing of the season, but doubling her previous season-high of 14, tallied three times, most recently vs. Florida A&M (11/17). McDaniel's 28 points is the most by an MSU player this season, as well as the Spartans' second 20-point scorer this season, joining 20 points by Matilda Ekh vs. Western Michigan (11/13). Her streak of three-straight 20-point games came to an end against No. 3/4 Ohio State on Dec. 11. She leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg.
MORE MO PLEASE
Senior guard Moira Joiner has had a resurgence since returning from concussion symptoms that shortened her 2021-22 season. In 12 games this season, she has averaged 9.2 points per game. Against Central Michigan on Nov. 19, she scored a season-high 17 points. She also tied her career high with five made 3-pointers. She also made five treys against Rutgers on Jan. 20, 2020 and Northwestern on Jan. 23, 2020, which were back-to-back games.
She has now started games against Iowa State (Nov. 24) and Ohio State (Dec. 11). Against the Buckeyes, she was just short of here season high with 16 points to go along with four assists. She also played a season-high 34 minutes against OSU. She also added 11 points against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 18. Overall, she has scored in double figures in six games this season.
FREQUENT FLYER
Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh returned to the lineup for the Spartans against Oregon on Nov. 27. After playing against Central Michigan on Nov. 19, Ekh traveled to Sweden for a National Team game against Israel. She arrived in Portland on Friday and scored 14 points for the Spartans against Oregon on Nov. 25. She also scored 14 points against Georgia Tech on Dec. 1 and 12 against Purdue on Dec. 5.
ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE HISTORY
This season, Michigan State played in the 15th ACC/Big Ten Challenge, falling to Georgia Tech, 66-63. This was the third time that MSU faced GT in the Challenge with a 1-2 record. Last season, MSU fell to 6-8 overall after a 76-71 loss to No. 24/25 Notre Dame. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was no Challenge during the 2020-21 season. During the 2019-20 season, MSU lost to No. 8 Florida State, 78-68.
BALANCED ATTACK
Without All-American Nia Clouden to dominate the box score this season, the Spartans are looking for a more balanced attack. In 12 games this season, Michigan State has spread out the scoring. Senior forward Taiyier Parks led in scoring with a career-high 18 against Purdue Fort Wayne. Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh was atop the score sheet with 20 against Western Michigan and 16 against Florida A&M. Three players led MSU in scoring against Central Michigan with sophomore forward Isaline Alexander, junior guard Gabby Elliott and senior guard Moira Joiner all scored 17 points. Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel scored 22 points against Purdue for her third-straight 20-point game. Ekh and redshirt-junior guard Julia Ayrault tied for the team in scoring against Detroit Mercy with 13 points each.
TOPPING THE CHARTS
Michigan State is among the Big Ten's leaders this season. The Spartans are currently second in the B1G in turnover margin (+8.6) and second in steals (12.1 spg). MSU is also first in the league in offensive rebounds per game (15.5) and fourth in the conference in assists (18.7 apg).
Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh is second in the Big Ten in 3-point field percentage, shooting .408. She is also third in made 3-pointer per game with 2.6. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann stands third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ration (2.7). Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel is 19th in the league in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg.
AROUND THE NATION
This week, Michigan State is 12th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.7, behind Ohio State (19.9 apg). MSU is also 10th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+7.5).
Individually, sophomore DeeDee Hagemann is 22nd in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2.69). Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel is 33rd in the nation and fifth in the league in total free throws made with 50.
SEASON OPENERS
All-time, the Spartans are 35-15 in season openers, but 28-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 13-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 19 of her last 22, including her time at Eastern Michigan. Last season, the Spartans earned a dominating 86-37 win over Delaware State on Nov. 7.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will end the 2022 portion of the schedule against Indiana on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 3 p.m. Michigan State will open the 2023 part of the schedule on the road against Northwestern on Monday, Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. ET.
TITLE IX CELEBRATION
Throughout the season, Michigan State will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. MSU Athletics kicked off its year-round celebration on June 23, 2022. While the work in advancing women's athletics is not complete, the Spartans will celebrate the advancements that have been made in the last 50 years.
LEGENDARY SPARTAN
Former Michigan State women's basketball guard Nia Clouden was drafted 12th in the first round by the Connecticut Sun at the 2022 WNBA Draft. Clouden was the 12th Big Ten student-athlete drafted by the Sun franchise (which began as the Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002). Clouden, an Owings Mills, Maryland native, became the eighth Spartan to be selected in the WNBA draft. Tori Jankoska was the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Sky, while Aerial Powers was the fifth overall pick in 2016 going to the Dallas Wings.
Maxann Reese and Kristen Rasmussen were the first Spartans selected in the WNBA, drafted in 2000. Reese was taken in the third round, while Rasmussen was selected in the fourth. In 2003, Syreeta Broomfield was drafted in the third round. In 2005, Kristin Haynie was the ninth overall pick by Sacramento, while Liz Shimek was taken in the second round by Phoenix in 2006.
SPARTANS: THE NEW CLASS
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of two National Letters of Intent on Thursday, including Jordan Wood (Chicago, Illinois/Carmel Catholic High School) and Bree Robinson (Mississauga, Ontario/ Webb School).
Wood is a 6-4 forward, who is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She attends Carmel Catholic High School and is coached by Ben Berg. Wood is currently ranked No. 62 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. As a junior, she scored 1,000 points, as well as leading the Corsairs to a Class 3A Illinois State Championship. Last season, she averaged 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while also leading the team in assists (3.2 apg). She is a three-time All-East Suburban Catholic Conference and All-Area honoree, as well as capturing First-Team All-State accolades. Wood played AAU for Midwest Elite, competing on the EYBL Nike National circuit for coach Ralph Gesuado.
Robinson is a 5-8 guard, who is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, plays for head coach Matthew Shewmake at the Webb School (Tenn.). She helped lead the Webb school to a Tennessee State Championship, earning First-Team All-District 3 honors in the process. She also has a vast amount of international experience playing for Team Canada. She was the captain for Team Canada, playing in the U16 FIBA Americas in 2021, capturing a silver medal. She was also named Canletes 2022 All Canadian Player of the Year. She played for AAU Become One, competing on the GUAA Under Armour circuit for coach Handel Kipp.
CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 245 of its last 258 games (.950) when leading with five minutes left, including 195 of their last 210. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 279-21 (.930) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 7-0 when leading with five minutes remaining.
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. The Green & White have won 177 of their last 209 games (.847) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 197-43 (.821) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is 7-2 this season when scoring 70 points. The Spartans have losses to Oregon and Purdue went reaching the 70-point mark.
• The Spartans hold a 7-5 overall record this season and are 0-2 in Big Ten action play. Michigan State righted the ship after losing five-straight games. Prairie View A&M holds a 3-7, playing a tough non-conference schedule. The Panthers have lost four-straight contests.
•MSU pulled down 52 rebounds, its third-highest total of the season, behind the top mark 57 boards vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 22) and 53 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (Nov. 10). MSU had a 52-40 rebounding advantage, moving to 7-1 this season when out-rebounding the opposition.
• Redshirt-junior guard Julia Ayrault recorded a season-high 13 points, her first double-digit scoring game of the season and 13th of her career. Ayrault also set a career-high mark in made 3-point field goals with three, surpassing her previous career high of two, set on four occasions.
• Michigan State will end the 2022 portion of the season with two more home games. After facing Prairie View A&M (Dec. 20), The Spartans will return to Big Ten action against Indiana on Dec. 29.
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
The Panthers bring a 3-7 record into East Lansing for Tuesday's first-ever meeting on the court with MSU. Tuesday is also Prairie View A&M's final leg of a five-game road stretch, last playing at home on Nov. 21, having lost the previous four and PVAMU is also 0-6 on the road. Additionally, Tuesday's tangle with the Spartans is also the Panthers' final non-conference game, as they'll open Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action on Jan. 2 after the holiday break.
PVAMU is coming off an 82-67 loss at Arizona State on Dec. 17. Tuesday's match-up with Michigan State is also Prairie View A&M's fifth game against a Power 5 school, having also played at Washington State (L, 89-61) on Nov. 13; at Oregon State (L, 100-59) on Nov. 19; at Florida (L, 68-53) on Nov. 30.
In the loss at ASU, the Panthers battled the Sun Devils tough, trailing just 60-50 entering the fourth quarter before ASU pulled away. Three Panthers posted double-figures, led by 16 points apiece from senior forward Kennedy Paul and sophomore guard Nyam Thornton, while graduate senior guard TaMiracle Taylor tallied 11 points, and junior forward Gerlyn Smith pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.
PVAMU is averaging 71.4 points per game, while allowing 73.2 ppg, for a slim -1.8 scoring margin. The Panthers are shooting 36.9 percent (255-of-691) from the field, 27.7 percent from 3-point range (79-of-285) and 63.8 percent (125-of-196) at the free throw line. Prairie View A&M averages 35.3 rebounds per game, but has a -7.4 rebounding margin, as the opposition averages 42.7 rpg.
Senior guard/forward Diana Rosenthal is the lone Panther averaging in double-figures, netting 16.3 ppg, including making a team-high 21 3-pointers, shooting 36.2 percent (21-of-58) behind the arc and averaging 2.1 treys per game. Rosenthal also leads PVAMU with 24 steals (2.4 spg). Taylor is just shy of double-digits, averaging 9.9 points per game, and leads the Panthers in playing time, averaging 23.3 minutes per contest. Smith pulls down a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game and also tops the team with eight blocks (0.8 bpg).
Prairie View A&M head coach Sandy Pugh is in her fifth season leading the Panthers, posting a 47-70 record, leading PVAMU to the WNIT in each of the last two seasons. Pugh has amassed a 264-293 overall record in her 23rd season as a head coach. Prior to PVAMU, Pugh had an 18-year stint as head coach at Southern University (2000-18), where she logged a 217-223 record and led the Jaguars to seven outright or shared Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season titles. She also led Southern to four SWAC Tournament titles, four NCAA Tournament berths, and four NIT appearances.
SERIES HISTORY VS. PANTHERS
Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting on the hardwood between the Michigan State and Prairie View A&M women's basketball programs. MSU and PVAMU have met once in men's basketball, with the Spartans winning, 90-51, on Dec. 18, 2010 at the Breslin Center, in what is believed to be the only other previous head-to-head match-up, having met in golf and men's tennis invitational tournaments, as well as track & field meets.
BY THE NUMBERS VS. DETROIT MERCY
• Michigan State's starting line-up of graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel, sophomore guard Matilda Ekh, sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore forward Isaline Alexander and redshirt-senior guard/forward Tory Ozment was the Spartans' first game with that starting five. It was MSU's fifth different starting line-up. Ozment earned her first start of the season.
• MSU limited Detroit Mercy to four points in the first quarter, which was the Spartan defense's fewest in a first quarter this season, bettering the six points in the season-opener vs. Delaware State (Nov. 7). The four points also tied for the fewest in any quarter, matching the four-point second quarter vs. Oakland (Nov. 15).
A NEW AYRAULT
Redshirt-junior guard Julia Ayrault has stepped up with the absence of Gabby Elliott due to injury. She has scored 21 points in the last two games, including a season-high 13 points against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 18. She also has brought down 15 boards in the last two contests. Her three 3-pointers against Detroit Mercy was a new career high.
BACK IN THE STARTING FIVE
Redshirt-senior guard/forward Tory Ozment earned her first start of the 2022-23 season. Ozment, who has played in all 12 games this season, now has 27 career starts in 82 career games played. She also scored a season-best seven points in 20 minutes of work.
EVERYONE CHIPS IN
The Spartan bench out-scored Detroit Mercy's reserves, 45-21, as MSU improved to 7-2 when having more bench points. The 45 points by the Green & White's bench was its sixth game with 40+ bench points and third-highest of the season behind 53 points, done twice, first in the season-opener vs. Delaware State (Nov. 7) and again vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 17). MSU's bench also scored 42 vs. Central Michigan (Nov. 19), 41 against Purdue Fort Wayne (Nov. 13) and 40 vs. Oakland (Nov. 15).
CLOSE CALLS
During the Spartans five-game losing streak, four of the five loses have come by a margin of eight points or less. On Nov. 27, MSU fell to No. 18/18 Oregon, 86-78. MSU lost to Georgia Tech on Dec. 1, 66-63, before falling in overtime to Purdue on Dec. 5, 76-71. Against No. 3/4 Ohio State, the Spartans fell, 74-68. Michigan State has lost its last four games by a total of 22 points.
COLD AS ICE
Sophomore forward Isaline Alexander notched the first double-double of her collegiate career and the first of the season by a Spartan player, hauling in a game-high and career-high 10 rebounds. She also posted the first double-digit rebounding outing of the season by a Spartan player. Alexander booked a previous career-high eight boards against Western Michigan on Nov. 13. The Keswick, Ontario, native also dropped 10 points in addition to her strong performance on the glass. She scored in double figures for the third time in her career.
DID YOU KNOW?
MSU's 91 points Sunday was the Spartans' third game with 90+ points behind a season-high 109 vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 17) and 97 vs. Western Michigan (Nov. 13).
BIG TEN OPENERS
Michigan State is 20-21 in Big Ten openers, having won seven of their 12. MSU is 9-7 in league openers in Coach Merchant's 16 seasons after losing to Iowa in last season's league opener. During the 2020-21 season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers.
FACING THE TOP DOGS
The game against No. 3/4 Ohio State was the second top-10 game for Michigan State this season. On Nov. 24, the Spartans fell to No. 5/4 Iowa State, 80-49, in Portland. Last season, MSU went 1-2 against top-10 foes with a win No. 4/4 over Michigan (Feb. 24) and losses to No. 9/11 Iowa (Dec. 5) and No. 7/7 Indiana (Feb. 12).
KMAC ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel netted 28 points against No. 18/18 Oregon on Nov. 27, not only posting her first 20-point outing of the season, but doubling her previous season-high of 14, tallied three times, most recently vs. Florida A&M (11/17). McDaniel's 28 points is the most by an MSU player this season, as well as the Spartans' second 20-point scorer this season, joining 20 points by Matilda Ekh vs. Western Michigan (11/13). Her streak of three-straight 20-point games came to an end against No. 3/4 Ohio State on Dec. 11. She leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg.
MORE MO PLEASE
Senior guard Moira Joiner has had a resurgence since returning from concussion symptoms that shortened her 2021-22 season. In 12 games this season, she has averaged 9.2 points per game. Against Central Michigan on Nov. 19, she scored a season-high 17 points. She also tied her career high with five made 3-pointers. She also made five treys against Rutgers on Jan. 20, 2020 and Northwestern on Jan. 23, 2020, which were back-to-back games.
She has now started games against Iowa State (Nov. 24) and Ohio State (Dec. 11). Against the Buckeyes, she was just short of here season high with 16 points to go along with four assists. She also played a season-high 34 minutes against OSU. She also added 11 points against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 18. Overall, she has scored in double figures in six games this season.
FREQUENT FLYER
Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh returned to the lineup for the Spartans against Oregon on Nov. 27. After playing against Central Michigan on Nov. 19, Ekh traveled to Sweden for a National Team game against Israel. She arrived in Portland on Friday and scored 14 points for the Spartans against Oregon on Nov. 25. She also scored 14 points against Georgia Tech on Dec. 1 and 12 against Purdue on Dec. 5.
ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE HISTORY
This season, Michigan State played in the 15th ACC/Big Ten Challenge, falling to Georgia Tech, 66-63. This was the third time that MSU faced GT in the Challenge with a 1-2 record. Last season, MSU fell to 6-8 overall after a 76-71 loss to No. 24/25 Notre Dame. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there was no Challenge during the 2020-21 season. During the 2019-20 season, MSU lost to No. 8 Florida State, 78-68.
BALANCED ATTACK
Without All-American Nia Clouden to dominate the box score this season, the Spartans are looking for a more balanced attack. In 12 games this season, Michigan State has spread out the scoring. Senior forward Taiyier Parks led in scoring with a career-high 18 against Purdue Fort Wayne. Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh was atop the score sheet with 20 against Western Michigan and 16 against Florida A&M. Three players led MSU in scoring against Central Michigan with sophomore forward Isaline Alexander, junior guard Gabby Elliott and senior guard Moira Joiner all scored 17 points. Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel scored 22 points against Purdue for her third-straight 20-point game. Ekh and redshirt-junior guard Julia Ayrault tied for the team in scoring against Detroit Mercy with 13 points each.
TOPPING THE CHARTS
Michigan State is among the Big Ten's leaders this season. The Spartans are currently second in the B1G in turnover margin (+8.6) and second in steals (12.1 spg). MSU is also first in the league in offensive rebounds per game (15.5) and fourth in the conference in assists (18.7 apg).
Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh is second in the Big Ten in 3-point field percentage, shooting .408. She is also third in made 3-pointer per game with 2.6. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann stands third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ration (2.7). Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel is 19th in the league in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg.
AROUND THE NATION
This week, Michigan State is 12th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 18.7, behind Ohio State (19.9 apg). MSU is also 10th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+7.5).
Individually, sophomore DeeDee Hagemann is 22nd in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio (2.69). Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel is 33rd in the nation and fifth in the league in total free throws made with 50.
SEASON OPENERS
All-time, the Spartans are 35-15 in season openers, but 28-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 13-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 19 of her last 22, including her time at Eastern Michigan. Last season, the Spartans earned a dominating 86-37 win over Delaware State on Nov. 7.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will end the 2022 portion of the schedule against Indiana on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 3 p.m. Michigan State will open the 2023 part of the schedule on the road against Northwestern on Monday, Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. ET.
TITLE IX CELEBRATION
Throughout the season, Michigan State will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. MSU Athletics kicked off its year-round celebration on June 23, 2022. While the work in advancing women's athletics is not complete, the Spartans will celebrate the advancements that have been made in the last 50 years.
LEGENDARY SPARTAN
Former Michigan State women's basketball guard Nia Clouden was drafted 12th in the first round by the Connecticut Sun at the 2022 WNBA Draft. Clouden was the 12th Big Ten student-athlete drafted by the Sun franchise (which began as the Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002). Clouden, an Owings Mills, Maryland native, became the eighth Spartan to be selected in the WNBA draft. Tori Jankoska was the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Sky, while Aerial Powers was the fifth overall pick in 2016 going to the Dallas Wings.
Maxann Reese and Kristen Rasmussen were the first Spartans selected in the WNBA, drafted in 2000. Reese was taken in the third round, while Rasmussen was selected in the fourth. In 2003, Syreeta Broomfield was drafted in the third round. In 2005, Kristin Haynie was the ninth overall pick by Sacramento, while Liz Shimek was taken in the second round by Phoenix in 2006.
SPARTANS: THE NEW CLASS
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of two National Letters of Intent on Thursday, including Jordan Wood (Chicago, Illinois/Carmel Catholic High School) and Bree Robinson (Mississauga, Ontario/ Webb School).
Wood is a 6-4 forward, who is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She attends Carmel Catholic High School and is coached by Ben Berg. Wood is currently ranked No. 62 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. As a junior, she scored 1,000 points, as well as leading the Corsairs to a Class 3A Illinois State Championship. Last season, she averaged 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while also leading the team in assists (3.2 apg). She is a three-time All-East Suburban Catholic Conference and All-Area honoree, as well as capturing First-Team All-State accolades. Wood played AAU for Midwest Elite, competing on the EYBL Nike National circuit for coach Ralph Gesuado.
Robinson is a 5-8 guard, who is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, plays for head coach Matthew Shewmake at the Webb School (Tenn.). She helped lead the Webb school to a Tennessee State Championship, earning First-Team All-District 3 honors in the process. She also has a vast amount of international experience playing for Team Canada. She was the captain for Team Canada, playing in the U16 FIBA Americas in 2021, capturing a silver medal. She was also named Canletes 2022 All Canadian Player of the Year. She played for AAU Become One, competing on the GUAA Under Armour circuit for coach Handel Kipp.
CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 245 of its last 258 games (.950) when leading with five minutes left, including 195 of their last 210. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 279-21 (.930) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 7-0 when leading with five minutes remaining.
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. The Green & White have won 177 of their last 209 games (.847) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 197-43 (.821) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is 7-2 this season when scoring 70 points. The Spartans have losses to Oregon and Purdue went reaching the 70-point mark.
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