MSU Women’s Basketball Routs Evansville behind Six in Double Figures

EAST LANSING, Mich. - For the second-straight game, the Michigan State women’s basketball team hit triple figures, defeating Evansville 105-49 Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center. The Spartans improve to 4-0 for the fifth-straight season, while the Purple Aces fall to 0-4 this season.

Michigan State had six players in double figures, led by 14 points from junior guard DeeDee Hagemann’s 14 points in just 18 minutes of action. Graduate guard Moira Joiner and graduate guard/forwards Julia Ayrault and Tory Ozment all scored 12 points with Ayrault blocking a career-high seven shots. Newcomers Jocelyn Tate and Lauren Ross also added MSU high with 11 points.

Evansville’s Kynidi Mason Stiverson led all scorers with 16 points.

The Spartans scored the first six points of the game, behind fast starts by both Ayrault and Joiner. After a Theryn Hallock layup, MSU took its first double-digit lead 12-2. At the end of the period, four different Spartans had at least four points. Evansville was held to two field goals in the first 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, the Purple Aces continued to be plagued by turnovers. In the first half Evansville had 15 turnovers. The Spartans once again started hot, scoring the first 10 points of the period. Tate drilled the Spartans’ first trey of the game to put MSU up 47-17 with a minute remaining in the half. MSU went 11-for-11 from the field and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe as the Spartans went into the locker room, leading 51-20. Hagemann and Ayrault led Michigan State with 12 points apiece.

Joiner and Ozment combined for 14 of MSU’s 29 points in the third stanza. The stealthy Spartan defense remained strong in the third quarter with seven steals and forcing seven turnovers.

In the fourth period, Michigan State’s newcomers took center stage. Ross went 3-for-3 for eight points while freshman guard Bree Robinson made two treys and brought down three rebounds in the period. MSU took its biggest lead of the game with 1:13 remaining in the game after a layup by freshman center Mary Meng.

The Spartans will now hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge. Michigan State will take on James Madison on Thursday, Nov. 23 and No. 22 Creighton on Friday, Nov. 24.

Michigan State Women’s Basketball Post-Game Notes•

Shooting 70.9 percent from the field (39-for-55) against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 16, the Spartans had another stellar performance from the field against Evansville. MSU shot 63.6 percent from the field for the game, going 42-for-66 from the field. After starting the game 0-for-6 from long range, the Spartans ended the game shooting 47.1 percent (8-for-17).

• Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann has led the Spartans in scoring in all four games this season. Against Evansville she scored 14 points in just 18 minutes of action, going 6-for-6 from the free throw line. She has reached double figures in all four games this season.

• Michigan State tied the school record going a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line. The last time MSU was perfect from the free throw line was against Valparaiso (10-10) in East Lansing, Mich. 11/16/21.

• Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault set a new career high with seven blocks. She has had five blocks twice with the last time coming against Oakland on Nov. 8. As a team, Michigan State had a season-high 10 blocks against the Aces.

• With a trey in the second half, redshirt-junior guard Lauren Ross hit her 100th career 3-pointer. She now has 101 career 3-pointers, including six as a Spartan.

• This was the Spartans’ second-straight 100-point performance after defeated Detroit Mercy 105-44 on Nov. 16.• Michigan State went with the starting lineup of guard DeeDee Hagemann , forward Jocelyn Tate, guard Moira Joiner, guard Abbey Kimball and guard/forward Julia Ayrault. This lineup is 2-0 this season.

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