No. 22/22 Michigan State Women Overwhelms Wisconsin Wednesday, 91-71

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 22/22 Michigan State women's basketball got back on track with four players in double-figures to boost the Spartans to a 91-71 Victory for MSU over Wisconsin Wednesday night at the Breslin Center

The Victory for MSU got the Spartans back on track after losing their previous two home games, moving to 19-5 overall and 9-4 in Big Ten action. Wisconsin dropped its fourth in a row, sliding to 11-14 overall and 2-12 in B1G play.

Junior forward Grace VanSlooten led the four Spartans in double-figures with 22 points, followed by junior guard Theryn Hallock with 18 points. Freshman center Inés Sotelo netted a season-high 17 points off the bench and senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate tallied 13 points. Graduate guard Nyla Hampton dished out a season-high eight assists as the Spartans posted a season-high 31 helpers.

Wisconsin was led by Serah Williams with a double-double on 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Carter McCray added 16 points and nine rebounds.

A steal by Hallock led to a jumper by VanSlooten to get the MSU offense going early. Back-to-back layups from Sotelo gave the Spartans the 20-11 lead with under three minutes remaining. Sotelo eventually went on a personal 6-0 run to give MSU its first double-digit lead 22-11.After the first 10 minutes of action, VanSlooten led the Spartans in scoring with eight points, while Sotelo added seven.

The Spartans scored the first nine points of the second quarter to take a 35-15 lead, as the Badgers called timeout at the 6:53 mark. Wisconsin battled back to trim the deficit to 37-28, using an 8-0 run. MSU was able to slow the Badgers down and regained its double-figure lead after a VanSlooten second-chance layup. The forward ended the first half a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.

Hallock came out hot in the second half with back-to-back treys. The guard scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter. The Spartan defense helped MSU go on an 8-0 run, causing five turnovers in 3:34. Hampton found Sotelo for a layup to put Michigan State on top 65-44. Hallock scored 12 of her 18 points in the third period.

In the fourth quarter, Wisconsin continued to battle, using a 7-0 run to make it a 75-55 game with 7:42 remaining. As the Spartans emptied their bench, the Badgers out-scored MSU 23-19 in the final 10 minutes. Redshirt freshman guard Kennedy Blair scored two points with three rebounds, while junior guard Abbey Kimball scored three points.

The Spartans now prepare to head west, taking on No. 1 UCLA on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on BTN. Michigan State will conclude the road trip at No. 6 USC on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 9:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.

Michigan State Women's Basketball Postgame Notes:

• The Spartans have won nine Big Ten games for the second-straight season, after finishing 12-6 in conference action last season, marking the first back-to-back seasons with at least nine league wins since the 2018-19 and 2019-20.

• With its next B1G win, MSU would post its first back-to-back seasons with 10+ conference wins since 2012-13 and 2013-14, that were the last two seasons of a 12-year streak of double-digit league wins ... with their next overall win, the Spartans would register their first 20+ wins in consecutive seasons since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, with 25 and 21 wins, respectively.

• After Michigan State's two lowest scoring outputs of the season came in its previous two games after being held to a season-low 59 points in the home game vs. Oregon (1/30/25) and vs. Michigan (2/9/25) with 61 points, before the Spartans erupted for 91 points Wednesday night . . . the 91 points is MSU's most in any B1G game this season and the most in its last 18 games since scoring 101 points vs. Detroit Mercy (11/20/24).

• The 91 points was MSU's sixth game this season in hanging 90+ points on the scoreboard, and MSU is 6-0 when scoring 90 or more points ... overall it was the 18th time in the two seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick that the Spartans have scored 90+ points after doing so 12 times last season.

• MSU snapped a rare two-game home losing skid that came on the heels of winning its previous 10 homes games this season and its previous 12 home contests overall dating back to last season, and Michigan State is now 11-2 at home this season overall and 5-2 in B1G home games.

• Over the last season-and-a-half, MSU has now won 24 of its last 28 home games at the Breslin Center, now 11-2 at home this season following logging a 13-2 ledger last season at home . . . overall, MSU has won 35 of its last 45 home games dating back to the 2022-23 season.

• The Spartans beat the Badgers for the third-straight meeting, having now won seven of the last eight meetings and 19 of the last 21 . . . MSU now leads the all-time series, 51-27, including 28-7 in East Lansing.

• The Spartans had a 43-33 halftime lead, improving to 13-0 when leading at the break, compared to 4-5 when trailing at the half and 2-0 when tied at halftime.

• MSU used the same starting line for the third-straight contest, with graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault, graduate guard Jaddan Simmons, senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate, junior guard Theryn Hallock and junior forward Grace VanSlooten . . . Wednesday was the fifth game overall this season with that starting five and MSU is now 3-2 with that starting five for the opening tip.

• Tate extended her streak of being the only Spartan to start all 24 games this season, and made her 55th start in 55 games played at MSU, along with her 92nd collegiate career start in her 125th career game played.

• Ayrault made her 23rd start in 23 games played this season, missing one with an injury, and made the 67th start of her career . . . Hallock started for the 20th time in 24 games played this season and 21st start of career . . . Simmons made her 19th start of the season in playing her 24th game as a Spartan as part of her 126th career start in 132 career collegiate games played . . . VanSlooten started for the 15th time as a Spartan in her 23rd game at MSU this season, missing the game vs. Eastern Michigan; it was VanSlooten's 76th collegiate career start in her 86th collegiate career game.

• Thursday was Ayrault's 131st career game, moving up to a seven-way tie for No. 9 on MSU's career games played list, most recently Tori Jankoska (2013-17) . . . in her next game played, Ayrault will move up to sole possession of No. 9 with 132 games, and she needs two more to tie for No. 8 spot held by Aisha Jefferson (2005-10) with 133 games.

• Junior forward Grace VanSlooten netted a team-high 22 points for her second 20-point outing in the last three games after 20 points at Northwestern (2/2/25) . . . it was VanSlooten's fourth 20-point outing this season, as MSU improved to 4-0 when VanSlooten nets 20+ points . . . overall, it was VanSlooten's 12th career 20-point outing after eight during her time at Oregon.

• VanSlooten has registered 10+ points in each of the last 11 games as part of posting double-digit points in 21 of her 23 games played at MSU, missing the Eastern Michigan game (11/11/24) due to illness and held to single digits twice . . . VanSlooten has now registered double-digit points 73 times out of 86 career games, logging double-digits in 52 games while at Oregon.

• Wednesday was the ninth game this season that VanSlooten led or shared the team-lead in scoring and MSU is now 7-2 . . . the nine games leading the team is now tied with teammate Julia Ayrault for the most on the team.

• VanSlooten also shared the team-lead on the glass with five rebounds, matching teammate Julia Ayrault . . . it was VanSlooten's team-leading 11th game as top rebounder or sharing top honors, and MSU is now 9-2.

• The five rebounds was her third-straight game with five or more boards as part of the fifth time in the last six games and the 19th overall game this season in 23 games played.

• Junior guard Theryn Hallock tallied 18 points, the most points in the last four games since 25 points at Michigan (1/25/25).

• Wednesday was Hallock's 17th double-figure scoring game this season and 36th of her career, and MSU is now 13-4 this season and 28-8 in her career when Hallock posts double-digits.

• Hallock dished out four assists, marking the fifth time in the last six games she's distributed three or more helpers as part of the 13th game in her 24 games played this season with three or more assists.

• Freshman center Ines Sotelo netted a season-high 17 points, topping her previous season-best of 16 points vs. Purdue (1/1/25) . . . it was Sotelo's first double-figure scoring outing in her last eight games.

• The season-high 17 points was Sotelo's fifth game this season when she tallies double-figures.

• MSU is now 5-0 this season when Sotelo tallied double-digits.

• Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate tallied 13 points to register double-digits for the sixth time this season and 12th time of her career.

• Junior guard Emma Shumate netted three 3-pointers Wednesday, for her second-most this season behind her season-best four triples, done three times, most recently at Northwestern (2/2/25) . . . Shumate's three triples was her 11th game with multiple 3-pointers as part of her 19th game with at least one trey in her 24 games played this season.

• Graduate guard Nyla Hampton dished out a game and season-high eight assists, topping her previous top mark of six helpers vs. Detroit Mercy (11/20/24) . . . it was Hampton's 13th game with three or more helpers.

• The five rebounds was Ayrault's sixth-straight game and 19th overall game this season with five or more boards.

• Ayrault tied a season-high with the five assists, matching five helpers from vs. DePaul (12/8/24).

• The three blocks was Ayrualt's second-most, behind her second best of four rejections, done two times this season, most recently at Northwestern (2/2/25) . . . it was her fifth game in the last six outings with multiple rejections as part of her 11th game this season with two or more blocks . . . overall, Ayrault has had at least one rejection in each of the last eight games as part of Ayrault's 18th game in 23 games played with at least one block.

• Ayrault's three points gives her 1,261 career points, holding at No. 14 on MSU's career scoring list, needing nine points for the No. 13 spot held by Kelli Roehrig (2013-18) with 1,370 points.

• With the five rebounds Sunday, Ayrault now has 703 career rebounds, becoming the 13th player in Spartan women's basketball history with 700 career rebounds . . . she also moved up to No. 12 on MSU's career rebounds list, passing Kisha Kelley (1991-95) with 701 rebounds.

• Ayrault has netted at least one 3-pointer in her last 20 games played as part of the 21st time in her 23 games played this season, with the two games being held without a make from distance coming in the first three games, doing so in games one and three of the year.

• The one 3-pointer Sunday was Ayrault's 121st career triple, tying Spartan great Aerial Powers (2013-16) at No. 15 on MSU's career 3-pointers list with 121 3-pointers.

• Ayrault's three blocks moves her career total to 172 blocks, holding steady at her spot at No. 3 on the Spartans' career blocks list.

No. 22/22 Michigan State Women Overwhelms Wisconsin Wednesday, 91-71

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Team Stats

Grace VanSlooten

Theryn Hallock

Inés Sotelo

Jocelyn Tate

Players Mentioned

Julia Ayrault

Kennedy Blair

Theryn Hallock

Nyla Hampton

Abbey Kimball

Emma Shumate

Jaddan Simmons

Jocelyn Tate

Grace VanSlooten