MSU Women Face Clemson in Baha Mar Nassau Championship Game

Nassau, Bahamas - Michigan State women's basketball will play for the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in Nassau, Bahamas against Clemson on Nov. 30. The Spartans are playing in the Junkanoo Division. The Spartans moved to 7-0 with an 85-50 win over Temple on Nov. 28.

• Michigan State women's basketball will play for the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in Nassau, Bahamas against Clemson on Nov. 30. The Spartans are playing in the Junkanoo Division. The Spartans moved to 7-0 with an 85-50 win over Temple on Nov. 28.

• Clemson opened play in the Baha Mar Championship with a dominating 77-44 win over Western Carolina on Friday. The Tigers improved to 5-2 with the win. Temple and Western Carolina will play in the consolation game at 4 p.m.

• With Friday's win, MSU improved to 5-2 in the Spartans' seventh game played in the Bahamas, winning their last two in a row. Michigan State went 1-1 in 2019-20, 1-1 in 2015-16 and 2-0 in 2009-10.

• After the first seven games, Michigan State stands first in the nation in assists per game (26.0 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.03). The Spartans are also tops in the NCAA in turnover margin (+19.9).

• Senior guard Theryn Hallock is approaching a milestone this season. With 76 points so far this season, Hallock now has 920 career points. Senior forward Marah Dykstra is also nearing 1,000 points for her career with 881 total points between Montana State and Michigan State.

SCOUTING CLEMSON
Clemson improved to 5-2 after a dominating 77-44 win over Western Carolina in its first game in the Bahamas. Mia Moore led the way with a game-high 18 points. Off the bench, Taylor Johnson-Matthews added 14 points. The Tigers held WCU to only 18 points in the second half.

Moore leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Rusne Augustinaite is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 ppg. As a team, the Tigers average 67.1 ppg, while allowing only 51.3 ppg.

The Tigers only losses is this season were to South Carolina and Louisville.

Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie is in his second season at the helm of the Tigers. He holds a 67-47 record in four seasons as a head coach. At Clemson, he is 19-19 in two seasons.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE TIGERS
The series between the Spartans and the Tigers is very brief, having only played twice. Clemson won the first meeting in 1989 at home, 75-64. The next meeting was in East Lansing in 2007. In that game, the Spartans came out on top 68-51.

BACK TO PARADISE
This is the first time that Michigan State has played in the Bahamas since the 2019-20 season. The Spartans went 1-1 at the Junkanoo Jam in Bimini. Michigan State lost its first game to LSU, 58-56, before rebounding for a 65-60 win against Kansas. During the 2015-16 season, the Spartans also played at the Junkanoo Jam. MSU defeated Cincinnati in its first game, before losing to No. 5/4 Baylor in the second game. The Spartans' first trip to the Junkanoo Jam was during the 2009-10 season, where MSU earned wins over George Washington and Oklahoma State.

With Friday's win, MSU improved to 5-2 in the Spartans' seventh game played in the Bahamas, winning their last two in a row. Michigan State went 1-1 in 2019-20, 1-1 in 2015-16 and 2-0 in 2009-10.

BY THE NUMBERS vs. TEMPLE
               Senior forward Marah Dykstra also logged an MSU-high scoring outing with 11 points for her double-figure scoring game in her first season as a Spartan after transferring from Montana State. Overall, Friday was Dykstra's 43rd double-digit game in her collegiate career after netting 10+ points in 42 games as a Bobcat as the blue MSU.
               Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair dished out a game-high six assist. Blair has distributed four or more assists in each of the seven contests, including five games with or more helpers.

GETTING IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Michigan State used the same starting lineup for the seventh-straight game of senior forward Grace VanSlooten, senior forward Marah Dykstra, senior guard Theryn Hallock, junior guard Rashunda Jones and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair. MSU is 7-0 with that lineup.

LET'S HERE YOU SAY... BOOM
Michigan State netted 13 3-pointers Friday night against Temple, which tied the Spartans' season-high for the third time this season, also making a baker's dozen behind the arc in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25) and vs. Eastern Illinois (11/20/25). Friday was MSU's fifth game this season with double digit triples and the third-straight game with 11 or more treys, after 13 in the aforementioned match-up with Eastern Illinois to go with 11 last time out vs. Oakland (11/23/25).

MSU's 46.4 percent (13-of-28) shooting from 3-point range ties the Spartans' second-best shooting percentage outing of the season, matching game one vs. Mercyhurst, and behind the season-high of .480 (12-of-25) vs. Youngstown State (11/12/25).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten's 11 points and 10 rebounds against Temple on Nov. 28 was MSU's second double-double this season, joining redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair's 14 point-12 assist outing in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25).

While VanSlooten logged her first double-double of the season, it was the eighth of her career.

OH WHAT A NIGHT!
With her career-best 25 points against Oakland on Nov. 23, redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair is the second Spartan to score 20 points this season, as well as the first MSU player with 25 or more points since Theryn Hallock netted 29 points last year at Ohio State (2/26/25).

One game earlier against Eastern Illinois, Blair became the first Spartan player with 15 or more rebounds since former Spartan great Julia Ayrault had 15 boards, nearly two years to the day, on Nov. 23, 2023, vs. James Madison.

PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS
The Spartans topped 100 points for the second game in a row as part of the third time this season against Oakland on Nov. 23, marking the second-straight season that MSU has reached the century mark three times, which also came in the Spartans' first six games of the season. MSU also scored 100 points in game six last year, with a 101-44 Victory for MSU over Detroit Mercy, which was its third 100-point outing.

Michigan State's 102 points against Oakland on Nov. 23 marked the Spartans' sixth time out of six games scoring 90+ points. MSU continues its program history making stretch of scoring 90+ in the first six games of the season. Last season, the Spartans scored 90+ points in the first four games, but only 79 points in game five, finishing the year with six total games scoring 90+ points, as this year's MSU squad has now tied that mark of six games with 90+ games through the just the first six games of the season.

SPARTANS VS. THE NCAA
After the first seven games, Michigan State stands first in the nation in assists per game (26.0 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.03). The Spartans are also tops in the NCAA in turnover margin (+19.9). Michigan State is also second in the nation and first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 99.9 ppg. MSU has also been strong on the defensive end of the ball, standing fourth in the country in steals per game (17.4 spg).

BIG TIME BIG TEN NUMBERS
The Spartans are first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 99.9 ppg. Michigan State is also first in scoring margin (+51.4). The Spartans stand first in 3-point field goal percentage (.420).

Individually, Rashunda Jones is second in the league in steals per game, averaging 3.6 spg, while senior forward Grace VanSlooten is tied for fourth (2.9 spg). Kennedy Blair is also third in assists with 6.3 apg. Jones is first in the B1G in assist/turnover ratio (6.00).

DID YOU KNOW?
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten has surpassed the 100 point mark already this season, as she has already scored 111 points in seven games this season.

WELCOME BACK
After tearing her ACL on Jan. 22, 2025 against Penn State, Juliann Woodard returned to the lineup against Eastern Michigan. Woodard entered the game at the 3:46 mark of the fourth quarter. At the 3:39 point, she drained her first shot, which was a 3-pointer. Her trey gave the Spartans a 32-point advantage.

STRONG BENCH
Against Oakland on Nov. 23, Michigan State's bench out-scored the Grizzlies 37-9. The Spartans' 59 points scored by their bench was more than Eastern Illinois' entire team scoring of 53 points on Nov. 20. This season,the MSU bench has out-scored opponents 307-117.

ADDING UP THE ACCOLADES
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List Presented by AXIA Time. She was one of 50 players named to the watch list that honors the best players in the nation.

VanSlooten is one of 13 Big Ten players named to the watch list, including her team USA teammate Hannah Stuelke from Iowa. VanSlooten was also named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team earlier this month as well the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List.

RANKED TEAMS IN BIG TEN
This Big Ten continues to be one of the toughest conferences in the country with three teams in the top 10 in the rankings. In the AP poll, UCLA is No. 3, while Michigan and Maryland stand No. 6 and No. 9, respectively. USC is just outside the top 10 at No. 11. Iowa holds the No. 19 spot followed by Michigan State (No. 22) and Washington (No. 25).

ALEXANDER THE GREAT
After missing all of the 2024-25 season and much of the 2023-24 season, senior forward Isaline Alexander returned to action on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst. Alexander scored a career-high 20 points against Western Michigan. She topped her previous career-high of 17 points from Nov. 19, 2022 vs. Central Michigan for her first career 20-point outing and just her seventh career double-figure scoring outing .

She netted her career-best 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the floor, also a career-high, bettering her previous career-high field goal outing of seven field goals, vs. Oregon (11/27/22).

HOLDING ON TO THE BALL
The Spartans only had three turnovers on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst, also setting a school record for fewest turnovers, bettering the previous record of five done three previous times, first done in a 56-55 win at Northwestern on Jan. 22, 1989, then again in a 76-69 win vs. Stanford on March 29, 2005 and most recently in a 68-66 win over Toledo on March 18, 2018.

SEASON OPENERS
Michigan State has won its 12th-straight season-opener and three in a row under head coach Robyn Fralick. MSU's last season-opening loss was on Nov. 11, 2013 at #6/7 Notre Dame. The Spartans have won 16-consecutive home openers, as their last loss in the first home game of the season was on Nov. 19, 2009 vs. #5/6 Notre Dame.

VANSLOOTEN EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
Michigan State women's basketball senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named 2025-26 Preseason All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. In her first season with the Spartans, VanSlooten earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. She was first on the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. She scored a career-high 480 points her junior season. She was tied for 15th in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. In a win against, Vanderbilt at the Acrisure Classic on Nov. 27, she scored her 1,000th career point.

BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
Three players earned gold medals for their home countries this summer. Grace VanSlooten won the FIBA Women's Americup for Team USA. Marah Dykstra won gold for Canada in the FIBA 3x3 Junior Pan American Games. Inés Sotelo and Spain won a gold medal in the 2025 FIBA Eurobasket.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced senior forward Grace VanSlooten and senior guard Abbey Kimball as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2025-26 women's basketball team. This is the first time that either has been named a captain for Michigan State. VanSlooten is in her second season with MSU after transferring from Oregon. Kimball is in her fourth season as a Spartan.

MSU surpassed the century mark for the second time this season with the 101-53 win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 20. MSU scored at least 100 points three times last season.

LAST TIME OUT
Three Spartans reached double figures, as the No. 20/21 Michigan State women's basketball team defeated Temple, 85-50, on the first day of the Baha Mar Nassau Championship on Friday night.

With the victory, the Michigan State improves to 7-0 this season. MSU is 7-0 for the third time in the last four years and fourth in the last six seasons, joining the 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2024-25 Spartan squads. The Owls fall to 3-4 this season.

Three Spartans reached double figures led by a season-high 18 points from junior guard Rashunda Jones. She also added four assists and three rebounds. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten earned her first double-double of the season and seventh of her MSU career with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Marah Dykstra also reached double figures with 11 points. Kennedy Blair had team-high six assists, as MSU recorded 20 assists on the day.

NEW DIGS
The Spartans welcome four transfers to the 2025-26 season. Rashunda Jones is a junior guard, who comes to Michigan State after two years at Purdue. Marah Dykstra is a senior forward who spent three season at Montana State in the Big Sky Conference. Jalyn Brown is the second-straight player to come to MSU from Arizona State. The guard played two seasons at ASU. Last season, senior Jaddan Simmons spent one season with MSU. Finally, Sara Sambolić is a junior guard from Slovenia who transferred from the University of Ljubljana.

ROBYN FRALICK RADIO SHOW
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Robyn Fralick started her weekly radio call-in show, the Robyn Fralick Radio Show, on Nov. 18 at One North Kitchen and Bar. Coach Fralick joins host Dalton Shetler, the Spartans' play-by-play voice, from 12-1 p.m., for an in-depth look into the MSU women's basketball program. The show is held at One North Kitchen and Bar on 1310 Abbott in East Lansing.

Radio Show Dates
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Tuesday, Dec. 9
Tuesday, Dec. 16
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Tuesday, Jan. 20
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Tuesday, Feb. 3
Tuesday Feb. 10
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Tuesday, Feb. 24

MSU Women Face Clemson in Baha Mar Nassau Championship Game

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Players Mentioned

Isaline Alexander

Julia Ayrault

Kennedy Blair

Jalyn Brown

Marah Dykstra

Theryn Hallock

Rashunda Jones

Abbey Kimball

Jaddan Simmons

Grace VanSlooten

Juliann Woodard