Post-Game Quotes: Michigan Tech
10/22/2025 10:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Michigan State Head Coach Robyn Fralick
Opening Statement
I really, really didn't like our second half. I thought we played the score instead of playing the game the right way. So, you know, the second half gives us a lot of film and things to work on. The second half's defense was… it'll give us a lot of motivation and practice.
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On Rashunda Jones impact...Â
Well, she's so consistent and solid. She does a great job on both sides of the ball. She's a really reliable defender. She gets in the paint. She has an ability to create separation, get in the paint, create. She's been a great addition. She's also a really good learner. So she's been able to pick up on things quickly.
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On Marah Dykstra's impact...
Well, Marah's super solid. She knows what's going on. She's reliable defensively. She does a great job rebounding and, you know, she'll score. I thought tonight she got some good looks. We feel confident that those will go in. One of her greatest gifts is she just always knows what's going on, which makes her easy to play with.
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What do you expect Grace VanSlooten's impact to be for the whole season and being a leader on the scene...Â
 Well, her motor is such a separator with her size, her athleticism. She has a relentless effort through possessions, whether it's, you know, going after offensive rebounds, being able to guard a lot of spots. I thought she did a good job finishing. She did a great job getting to the free throw line. So, what we love about Grace is just her impact on the game comes through her competitive spirit and her effort.
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On if there were any pleasant surprises...
Well, I don't know if I'd say pleasant surprise. I thought Emma Shumate was excellent off the bench. She went, let me see it here, 6-for-8 from 3. You know, shot when she was open, created space. She got a pick six in the passing lane. That is what we need out of her. And it was so good to see her just shoot it really confidently.
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On using exhibitions as a learning tool...
Oh, it's so helpful. I mean, when you go against each other, it's hard to know what that means all the time. So to get another opportunity, We've got so many defensive clips of things that we have to tighten up and do a better job of. I shared with the team after too, like for us as a staff, these are games where we're figuring out who we can count on. We're figuring out who's good together, who can we count on, who executes, who's paying attention as the game goes on. So it's obviously really important for us, but it's an important time for them. And opportunities right now, and everybody's getting opportunities. So we're paying attention to who's making the most of them.
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On improvements you would like to see...
 They scored way too many points in the second half. And we took off our press pretty early, which is obviously a huge part of our identity. You know, that's the way we play, but you have to be able to play multiple ways. There's going to be plenty of teams that we play where we don't press or we press some of the game or we have to be able to play multiple ways efficiently.
On how the defensive pressure will throw teams off…
Well, when we do it right, it's disruptive, it changes the speed of the game, and it gets people on a system. In the second quarter, we fouled way too much while we were pressuring. I think they were shooting free throws with five minutes left in the second quarter. So, when we do it right, it creates chaos, tempo, and a pace that we are comfortable with.
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On how much these first few games help them determine the rotation come conference play…
 Oh, I mean, that's what we're paying attention to all the time. I say that our job isn't to guess and check, right? Our job is to watch a ton of film and pay great attention to lineups and plus minuses. We use an analytic player impact, so right now, everybody's getting those opportunities. So, we're paying close attention to that.
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Opening Statement
I really, really didn't like our second half. I thought we played the score instead of playing the game the right way. So, you know, the second half gives us a lot of film and things to work on. The second half's defense was… it'll give us a lot of motivation and practice.
Â
On Rashunda Jones impact...Â
Well, she's so consistent and solid. She does a great job on both sides of the ball. She's a really reliable defender. She gets in the paint. She has an ability to create separation, get in the paint, create. She's been a great addition. She's also a really good learner. So she's been able to pick up on things quickly.
Â
On Marah Dykstra's impact...
Well, Marah's super solid. She knows what's going on. She's reliable defensively. She does a great job rebounding and, you know, she'll score. I thought tonight she got some good looks. We feel confident that those will go in. One of her greatest gifts is she just always knows what's going on, which makes her easy to play with.
Â
What do you expect Grace VanSlooten's impact to be for the whole season and being a leader on the scene...Â
 Well, her motor is such a separator with her size, her athleticism. She has a relentless effort through possessions, whether it's, you know, going after offensive rebounds, being able to guard a lot of spots. I thought she did a good job finishing. She did a great job getting to the free throw line. So, what we love about Grace is just her impact on the game comes through her competitive spirit and her effort.
Â
On if there were any pleasant surprises...
Well, I don't know if I'd say pleasant surprise. I thought Emma Shumate was excellent off the bench. She went, let me see it here, 6-for-8 from 3. You know, shot when she was open, created space. She got a pick six in the passing lane. That is what we need out of her. And it was so good to see her just shoot it really confidently.
Â
On using exhibitions as a learning tool...
Oh, it's so helpful. I mean, when you go against each other, it's hard to know what that means all the time. So to get another opportunity, We've got so many defensive clips of things that we have to tighten up and do a better job of. I shared with the team after too, like for us as a staff, these are games where we're figuring out who we can count on. We're figuring out who's good together, who can we count on, who executes, who's paying attention as the game goes on. So it's obviously really important for us, but it's an important time for them. And opportunities right now, and everybody's getting opportunities. So we're paying attention to who's making the most of them.
Â
On improvements you would like to see...
 They scored way too many points in the second half. And we took off our press pretty early, which is obviously a huge part of our identity. You know, that's the way we play, but you have to be able to play multiple ways. There's going to be plenty of teams that we play where we don't press or we press some of the game or we have to be able to play multiple ways efficiently.
On how the defensive pressure will throw teams off…
Well, when we do it right, it's disruptive, it changes the speed of the game, and it gets people on a system. In the second quarter, we fouled way too much while we were pressuring. I think they were shooting free throws with five minutes left in the second quarter. So, when we do it right, it creates chaos, tempo, and a pace that we are comfortable with.
Â
On how much these first few games help them determine the rotation come conference play…
 Oh, I mean, that's what we're paying attention to all the time. I say that our job isn't to guess and check, right? Our job is to watch a ton of film and pay great attention to lineups and plus minuses. We use an analytic player impact, so right now, everybody's getting those opportunities. So, we're paying close attention to that.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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