Five Spartans Reach Double Figures As No. 25 MSU Dominates Blue Demons

CHICAGO - No. 25/24 Michigan State women's basketball used a balance attack with five players in double figures to take care of DePaul, 90-46, on Sunday at Wintrust Arena.

Michigan State improved to 9-1 with the victory. DePaul falls to 3-9 with the loss. The Spartans played their third-straight game without senior guard Theryn Hallock, who is out with an injury. Michigan State also welcomed back sophomore center Inés Sotelo who missed the first nine game with a foot injury, while junior guard Sara Sambolić made her Michigan State debut.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair led the Spartans in scoring with 16 points to go along with a game-high five assists. Senior forward Isaline Alexander scored 15 points, while senior forward Grace VanSlooten added 14 points. Off the bench, senior guard Jalyn Brown was a spark plug with 11 points, while junior guard Rashunda Jones had 13 points.

The Spartans had a season-high 49 rebounds against the Blue Demons.

DePaul was led by 12 points off the bench from Shakara McCline.

After DePaul scored the first four points, the Spartans responded with a 6-0 run of their own to take a 6-4 lead. From that point, the Spartans never trailed again. The pressure continued for the Blue Demons as MSU used an 11-0 run to take a 21-8 advantage with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter. After the first period, Brown led all scorers with seven points.

In the second quarter, MSU amped up the defensive pressure, which led to more scoring. MSU kept DePaul to no field goals for three minutes, which helped the Spartans take a 33-16 lead. Michigan State took its first 20-point lead after a fast-break layup from Blair with under two minutes left in the half, 42-22. Sotelo hit a half-court buzzer beater to end the half to give MSU a 46-24 half lead.

The Spartans scored the first eight points of the third period. VanSlooten came to life in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in the third period alone, which was half of the Spartans total for the period. Michigan State forced six turnovers in the period. MSU scored 14 points in the paint in the quarter, while allowing DePaul to score only seven points total.

The 3-pointers began to fall the Michigan State in the fourth quarter. The Spartans used a 10-0 run over 1:41 to make it a 85-38 game. The Spartans hit four-straight treys from Juliann Woodard, Emma Shumate, Abbey Kimball and Amy Terrian.

The Spartans will now head to North Carolina for a pair of games at the Cherokee Invitational. MSU will face Indiana State on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. In the second game on Dec. 22, Michigan State will face either Old Dominion or Ole Miss.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Post-Game Notes

• Michigan State improved to 9-1 with Sunday's downing of the Blue Demons, the Spartans' second-best record through 10 games in the three seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick, just behind last season's 10-0 start . . . MSU has won at least eight games through the first 10 games in all three seasons under Coach Fralick after starting 8-2 in 2023-24, the first season of the Coach Fralick era.

• MSU's 90 points was the first time reaching 90 in the last four games, after the Spartans had scored 90 or more points in each of the first six games of the season . . . MSU is now 7-0 when scoring 90+ points.

• By holding DePaul to just 46 points, MSU held the opposition to 50 points or less for the first time in the last three games, since holding Temple to 50 on Nov. 28 . . . overall, the Spartans have kept their opponent to 50 or less five times, moving to 5-0 when doing so.

• Despite scoring 90 points, Michigan State only made seven 3-pointers, its second-fewest 3-pointers when scoring 90 or more points behind six treys in scoring 98 points vs. Western Michigan (11/16/25) . . . of the seven games in scoring 90+ points, the Spartans have made double-digit 3-pointers in four of them and single-digit treys in three games, as along with the six vs. WMU and the seven at DePaul, MSU also had eight 3-pointers in scoring 92 points vs. Eastern Michigan (11/9/25).

• Sunday marked the third-straight season that the Spartans and Blue Demons have met on the hardwood, including the second time in the three years in playing in Chicago after last year's meeting in East Lansing . . . MSU has won each of the last three seasons, as part of winning all six match-ups in the series . . . Michigan State has scored 87 or more points in each of the last four meetings, as Sunday's 90 points was the Spartans' second-most points scored in the series behind the 102 points in a 102-64 Victory for MSU over DePaul on Nov. 30, 2023 in Chicago . . . Michigan State scored 89 points last season in the 89-61 triumph.

• By holding DePaul to 46 points, it was the fewest points scored in the series, bettering the previous low of 52 points in a 60-52 MSU win on Jan. 8, 1982.

• MSU also played its second-straight true road game Sunday, and the Spartans are now 6-0 at home, 2-0 in neutral games and 1-1 in road games.

• DePaul led MSU, 4-0, just 45 seconds into the game, but the four point deficit was MSU's largest deficit in a comeback win, as MSU had only trailed by one point in two separate games in which they came back to win, and only one loss on the season . . . the Spartans' trailed by one point twice, most recently vs. Oakland (11/23/25).

• The Spartans pulled down a season-high 49 rebounds, topping their previous top mark of 43 vs. Eastern Illinois (11/20/25), and the second game with 40+ rebounds . . . MSU had a 49-34 (+15) rebounding advantage, as the Spartans have out-rebounded their opposition in six games, now 6-0.

• Sophomore center Inés Sotelo and junior guard Sara Sambolić both made their season debuts on Sunday.

• With Sotelo and Sambolić in action, all 13 Spartans that suited up played on Sunday, a new season-high for most players in action.

• Of the 13 players to see the court, 10 of them scored, with seven of them scoring five or more points.

• MSU had four or more players net double-figures in the first four contests of the season, before only three or fewer in double-figures for the next five games, including a season-low two players in double-figures last time out at Wisconsin, but the Spartans got back on track with five players in double-figures on Sunday . . . it marked the second time this season that five Spartans scored 10+ points, joining the season-high seven players in double-figures in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25).

• Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair led the Spartans with 16 points, followed by redshirt-junior forward Isaline Alexander adding 15 points, senior forward Grace VanSlooten matched her jersey number with 14 points, junior guard Rashunda Jones netted 13 points, and senior guard Jalyn Brown chipped in with 11 points.

• Alexander and Brown came off the bench to score their points, part of the Spartans' 44 bench points, MSU's fifth game this season with 40+ points from its bench, led by a season-high 59 bench points vs. Eastern Illinois (11/20/25).

• Blair's game and team-leading 16 points marked her third-straight game leading the Spartans in the scoring column and the fourth time this season . . . Sunday's 16 points also was Blair's third game in a row with 10+ points, and fourth in the last five games, as part of the sixth overall time this season and ninth of her career.

• With 15 points, Alexander registered double-figures for the second-straight game and third game this season with 10+ points, after 12 points last time out at Wisconsin joining her career-high 20 points vs. Western Michigan (11/16/25).

• It was Blair's fourth game leading or sharing top rebounding honors this season, while it was Alexander's second time, with both coming in the last two games . . . the seven boards was Blair's seventh game with five or more boards.

• The seven boards matched Alexander's season-high for the second time in as many games, which topped her previous top mark of the season of six boards in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25).

• Alexander added two blocks, marking her seventh game with at least one block, as part of three games with multiple swats, including twice in the last three games after two blocks vs. Clemson (11/30/25).

• Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was held to single digits for the first time this season last time out, but got back on track in matching her jersey number with 14 points on Sunday . . . VanSlooten has now scored in double-figures in nine of the 10 games and has scored 10+ points in 28 of the last 29 games, including netting double-digits in 38 of her last 41 games played as a Spartan, being held to single digits twice last season, and she also missed one game due to illness.

• Additionally, VanSlooten has now tallied double-figures scoring 89 times out of 104 career games, registering 10+ points in 55 games during her time at Oregon.

• Jones' 13 points was her third time in a last four games in double-figures, after eight last time out at Wisconsin, but was her sixth game this season with 10+ points.

• Brown's 11 points was her first outing in double-digits in the last five games since scoring 14 points vs. Eastern Illinois (11/20/25), and her fifth time in double-figure scoring this season.

• Sotelo tallied five points, two rebounds and two assists in her season-debut and first time on the court since last season in the NCAA Tournament.

• Sambolić made her Spartan debut and did not score in 13 minutes, adding one rebound and one steal.

• MSU entered Sunday leading the B1G and ranking third in the NCAA in assists per game at 23.2 apg, and were nearly at that mark with 20 assists . . . it was the Spartans' eighth game with 20 or more assists.

Five Spartans Reach Double Figures As No. 25 MSU Dominates Blue Demons

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Team Stats

Kennedy Blair

Isaline Alexander

Grace VanSlooten

Rashunda Jones

Players Mentioned

Isaline Alexander

Kennedy Blair

Jalyn Brown

Theryn Hallock

Rashunda Jones

Abbey Kimball

Emma Shumate

Amy Terrian

Grace VanSlooten

Juliann Woodard