MSU Women's Basketball Opens B1G Action Hosting Nebraska Saturday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will open Big Ten action on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. against Nebraska. Both the Spartans and the Huskers are off to a fast start this season. MSU is 7-1 after a 89-44 win over Miami (OH). Nebraska is 7-2 with a win on Dec. 5 against UNC Wilmington, 108-35. Kylen Mills and Christy Winters Scott will be on the call for the Big Ten Network.

• This week, MSU is now third in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. MSU is also third in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 52.3 percent from the field.

• The Spartans are looking to snap a two-game losing streak in Big Ten openers. Michigan State last won its B1G opener against Minnesota on the road during the 2020-21 season. Overall, the Spartans are 20-21 in season-opening league contests.

• Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is nearing another career milestone. After a win against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 3, she now holds a 199-77 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.

• Graduate guard Moira Joiner has scored in double-figures in all eight games of this season, as part of 10 consecutive games going back to the 2022-23 season, and in 11 of her last 12 games, now doing so in 37 career games.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA
Nebraska comes to the Breslin Center with a 7-2 overall record this season. The Huskers only losses this season came against Creighton at home on Nov. 19 and a neutral site loss to TCU on Nov. 25. The Spartans only loss this season also came against the Bluejays in Cancun on Nov. 24.

Last time out, Nebraska had a dominating win against UNCW, 108-35 on Dec. 5. The game was highlighted by Jaz Shelley recording a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. The win was the largest margin of victory by Nebraska in school history.

Nebraska is averaging 81.7 points per game, while allowing only 57.1 ppg. The Huskers are first in the Big Ten in rebound offense (42.9). Nebraska is also tied for first with Michigan in rebound margin (+10.8). Individually, Alexis Markowski is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.2 ppg, while also holding down the top spot in the Big Ten in rebounding with 9.6 rpg. Natalie Potts is first in the league in field goal percentage (.672).

Nebraska head coach Amy Williams is in her 17th season in coaching, holding a 315-210 record. She is in her eighth year at Nebraska where she has a record of 122-101.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska holds the overall series lead with Michigan State 10-6. Since 2019, the teams have been alternating wins and losses. MSU holds the advantage 5-3 at the Breslin Center, while Nebraska is on top in Lincoln 6-0. The series is tied 1-1 on neutral ground.

The last time the two teams met in East Lansing was on Dec. 30, 2021 when MSU came out on top 72-69. Nia Clouden led the way with 32 points. Last season, the Huskers won the battle in Lincoln, 71-67. Michigan State got revenge in the Big Ten Tournament with a 67-64 win in Minneapolis on March 2.

LAST TIME VS NEBRASKA
Behind a stellar performance at both ends of the floor by senior guard Moira Joiner, the No. 9-seeded Michigan State team edged No. 8-seeded Nebraska, 67-64, in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at the Target Center on on March 2, 2023. DeeDee Hagemann once again led the way with 18 points, adding three assists and two steals. Joiner was solid all around with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals.

FRALICK NEARING MILESTONE
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick is nearing another career milestone. After a win against Miami on Dec. 3, she now holds a 199-77 career record in eight seasons as a head coach at Ashland, Bowling Green and Michigan State.

BIG TEN OPENERS
Michigan State is 20-21 in Big Ten openers, having won seven of their 12. Last season, the Spartans fell to Purdue at home 76-71 in overtime. MSU fell to Iowa, 88-61, in the 2021-22 opener. During the 2020-21 season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers.

BY THE NUMBERS VS. MIAMI
• Michigan State improved to 5-0 at home this season and the Spartans ran their overall home win streak to six in a row and have won seven of the last eight home contests dating back to last season.

• MSU entered the game out-scoring the opposition, 188-87 in the second period, an average of 26.9-12.4, and maintained that average by out-scoring Miami, 17-7 in the second stanza, to now have a 205-94 advantage, an average of 25.6-11.8.

• The MSU defense also forced 29 turnovers, which is a season-high, bettering the previous season-high of 25, done in back-to-back games vs. Detroit Mercy (11/16/23) and Evansville (11/19/23). The 29 turnovers was the sixth game this season with 18 or more turnovers and the fourth with 20+ turnovers forced, joining the aforementioned 25 in two games, along with 21 vs. Oakland in the season opener (11/8/23).

TRIPLE-DIGIT THREATS
With a 102-64 win over DePaul on Nov. 30, MSU has now broken the triple-digit mark three times in the seven games this season, the most since the 2017-18 season.

LIGHTS OUT SHOOTING
Shooting 70.9 percent from the field (39-for-55) against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 16, the Spartans had another stellar performance from the field against Evansville on Nov. 19. MSU shot 63.6 percent from the field for the game, going 42-for-66 from the field. After starting the game 0-for-6 from long range, the Spartans ended the game shooting 47.1 percent (8-for-17).

AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND
The Spartans are third in the nation field goal percentage, shooting 52.3 percent from the field. Michigan State is also third in the country in assists per game, averaging 22.9 apg. The Spartans high-flying offense currently stands fourth in the nation in scoring margin, as well (+35.1). MSU is currently in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (43.5 percent).

Individually, Julia Ayrault is eighth in the nation in blocks with 24 and eighth in blocks per game (3.0 bpg). DeeDee Hagemann is fifth in the country 3-point field goal percentage (55.2 percent).

MAKING THE MOST OF IT
Graduate guard/forward Tory Ozment has been making the most of her minutes off the bench. Ozment is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game. She has scored in double figures in four of the last six games, including a season-high 16 against James Madison on Nov. 23. She has also been solid defensively, with 1.6 steals per game. She had a career-high four swaps in the game against JMU.

Against Miami, Ozment dished out a season-high six assists, marking the first time this season and 10th time of her career that she has topped the team in helpers, improving to 1-0 this season and 7-3 in her career when doing so. Ozment's six helpers topped her previous season-best of three, done twice before, most recently vs. JMU (11/23/23), and just one shy of her career-high of seven assists, also done three times previously, most recently vs. Penn State (3/10/21).

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Early on this season, Michigan State is first in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+35.1) and first in assists (22.8 apg). The Spartans are also first in the league in 3-point field goals made, averaging 10.9 per game. MSU is first in the conference in steals, averaging 11.0 spg after 16 against Miami on Dec. 3.

Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann and graduate guard Moira Joiner lead the Spartans in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game, which is 14th in the Big Ten. Hagemann is also tied for seventh in the league in assists, averaging 4.6 apg. Joiner is first in 3-point field goal percentage (.486). Guard/forward Julia Ayrault is second in the conference in blocks, averaging 3.0 bpg, just behind Wisconsin's Serah Williams (3.13 bpg).

AWESOME AYRAULT
Graduate guard Julia Ayrault earned a spot on the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team after a solid two games. In the two games, she averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game to go along with 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. She started with a breakout performance against James Madison with a career-high 25 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. She had the Spartans' first double-double of the season.

FINDING HER RHYTHM
Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock has found her groove in the last two games. She netted a career-high 17 points against Miami on Dec. 3, not only tallying double-figures but also career-high for the second-straight game after 14 points last time out vs. DePaul (11/30). It was Hallock's third double-digit outing of her career, as her previous career-high of 13 points vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (11/10/22).

Hallock also made a career-high 7-of-8 at the free throw line, tallying career-bests for both free throws made and attempted, bettering her previous top marks of 4-of-6, done twice before in her career, first doing so last year vs. Prairie View A&M (12/20/22) and again this season vs. Wright State (11/12/23).

THE DEFENSE AIN'T BAD EITHER
Michigan State has made a name for itself with its offense so far this season. But the Spartan defense hasn't been too shabby this season. MSU is first in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 11.0 spg. The Spartans are also third in the league in blocks with 4.8 per game. While scoring 93.9 ppg, Michigan State is allowing only 58.8 ppg.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
In tying the school record for assists with 34 against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 16, 11 of the 12 Spartans that played had at least one helper. Hagemann led the way with seven, which was just shy of her season high of eight. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault tied her career high with five assists.

COMING NEXT YEAR
MSU head coach Robyn Fralick announced the signing of four National Letters of Intent, including Sinai Douglas (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Start High School), Helen Holley (Cleveland, Ohio/Gilmour Academy), Juliann Woodard (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County High School) and Inés Sotelo Miguez (Ourense, Spain).

Douglas is a 5-4 guard, who is a native of Toledo, Ohio. She attends Toledo Start High School and is coached by Dane Franklin. Douglas is currently ranked No. 87 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.

Holley is a 6-1 forward, who is a native of Cleveland Ohio, plays for head coach Kevin Byrne at the Gilmour Academy. As a junior, she averaged 14.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. She captured second-team All-Ohio honors last season.

Woodard is a 6-0 forward, who is a native of North Vernon, Indiana, plays for head coach Kristi Sigler at Jennings County High School. Woodard is currently ranked No. 58 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.

Sotelo Miguez is a 6-3 forward, who is a native of Ourense, Spain. She has extensive international experience, including playing with the U18 Spanish National Team last summer in Konya, Turkey at the Eurobasket Tournament.

HALL OF FAMER
Spartan All-American Tori Jankoska was inducted into the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 5. Jankoska was a four-time all-state player for Freeland High School from 2010-13 where she scored a Saginaw County record 2,333 career points, also good for No. 9 all-time in the state of Michigan. During her four years at MSU, Jankoska (2013-17) became the program record holder in career points (2,212), field goals made (707), 3-pointers made (320), and finished second in assists (489). She is currently an assistant coach at Virginia.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced guard/forward Julia Ayrault and guard Moira Joiner as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2023-24 women's basketball team. The duo are the first captains that Michigan State has had since the 2019-20 season, when Victoria Gaines and Taryn McCutcheon were tabbed team leaders.

Ayrault is a guard/forward graduate student from Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. She is in her fifth season with the Spartans after red-shirting the 2021-22 season with a foot injury. Ayrault has played in 77 games at Michigan State, starting 15.

Joiner is a guard, who is a graduate student from Saginaw, Michigan. She is also in her fifth season with MSU after missing much of the 2021-22 season with concussion symptoms. She has played in 95 games at Michigan State, starting 54.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State women's basketball held Miami (Ohio) to single digits in three of the four quarters en route to an 89-44 win over the RedHawks Sunday at the Breslin Center.

Michigan State had four players in double figures led by a career high off the bench from sophomore guard Theryn Hallock. She had previously set a career high with 14 against DePaul on Nov. 30. Graduate guard Moira Joiner scored 15 points, now scoring in double figures in every game this season. Graduate guard forward Julia Ayrault was near a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, while junior guard DeeDee Hagemann added 12 points and two steals.

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
For the third-straight season, the conference will play an 18-game Big Ten schedule. MSU also played an 18-game schedule in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The conference additionally had 18-game schedules in both 2015-16 and 2014-15.

Nine of the Spartans' 2023-24 regular-season opponents competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, including both of Michigan State's opponents in the Cancun Challenge, James Madison and Creighton. From the Big Ten portion of the schedule, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Purdue and Ohio State reached the NCAA Tournament, including the Hawkeyes advancing to the National Championship game.

MSU Women's Basketball Opens B1G Action Hosting Nebraska Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

DeeDee Hagemann

Theryn Hallock

Moira Joiner

Tory Ozment