MSU Women Earn Senior Day Victory Over Minnesota

EAST LANSING, Mich. (MSU Athletics) - Not even a Michigan ice storm could keep the MSU women’s basketball team from capturing a 71-67 Senior Day win against Minnesota Wednesday at the Breslin Center.

Due to inclement weather in the East Lansing area, Michigan State athletics moved the game from a 7 p.m. start to a 4:30 p.m. tipoff.

After the game, Michigan State honored seniors Jayla James, Kamaria McDaniel and Stephanie Visscher.

With the win, the Spartans improve to 14-13 overall and 6-10 in Big Ten action. Minnesota falls to 10-18 overall and 3-14 in league play.

Michigan State had four players in double figures led by 15 points from both sophomore guard/forward Matilda Ekh and graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel. Senior guard Moira Joiner and sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann both added 11 points. Senior forward Taiyier Parks was big on the boards with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Ekh went 10-for-10 from the free throw line, making her the 12th Spartan in program history to end a game with a 1.000 free throw percentage with a minimum of 10 attempts. The last time a Michigan State player went 10-for-10 at the line was Nia Clouden against Ohio State on Feb. 27, 2022.

Minnesota was led by Mara Braun who scored 17 points.

Both teams missed their first five shots, before Hagemann drained the first bucket of the game. The MSU offense picked up from there, using a 11-0 run to take a 13-3 lead. The Spartans were able to keep the Gophers off the scoreboard for over four minutes. Michigan State used balanced scoring to end the first period, leading 17-7.

In the second quarter, Minnesota came to life with a 7-0 run that made it a 21-18 Spartan lead at the 6:20 mark. A Mi’cole Cayton bucket tied the game at 23-23 with under five minutes left in the half. Despite the late MSU push, the Gophers out-scored the Spartans 23-16 in the quarter. Behind nine points from Hagemann, Michigan State led at the half 33-30.

Minnesota started hot in the third period. At the 4:37 mark, Minnesota took its first lead, 40-39, after a Isabelle Gradwell trey, capping off a 6-0 run. Michigan State kept Minnesota off the scoreboard for the final 2:25 of the period to take a 51-45 lead headed to the fourth quarter. Ekh lead the way in the third period with six points.

Early in the fourth quarter, Minnesota tied the game 53-53, but a McDaniel layup put the Spartans back up for good. She eventually scored six-straight for the Spartans to put MSU on top 59-53. McDaniel scored 10 of her 15 points in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Michigan State will end the regular season traveling to Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.

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