Michigan State celebrated senior night at the Breslin Center on Thursday as the Spartans defeated Illinois, 87-70, in a game that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate.
The two players that were honored were Tory Ozment and Moira Joiner as they both played their final game at home.
Late in the fourth quarter once the Spartans all but secured the victory over the Fighting Illini, Joiner and Ozment kissed the Spartan logo at midcourt.
After the win, there were postgame festivities for Joiner and Ozment as both were accompanied by family members on the court.
Joiner has spent five seasons in East Lansing since arriving as a freshman in 2019. The last two seasons have been her best, scoring-wise. The Saginaw native averaged 10.1 points per game in the 2022-23 season and is currently averaging an impressive 14.7 points per game this season.
Ozment arrived in East Lansing in 2018 from Buford, Georgia. She is currently in her sixth season with the Spartans, gaining an extra year of eligibility because of a torn ACL that kept her out of the 2021-22 season. Ozment is also having her best scoring season of her career at 10.1 points per game this season.
Joiner, Ozment and the Spartans didn’t disappoint with their on-court performances on senior night.
First Half
Joiner and the Spartans started out hot. Joiner hit the team’s first basket and sank two 3-pointers within the first five minutes of play. Ozment also made a shot from downtown to give Michigan State a 15-5 lead about halfway through the first quarter.
Through 10 minutes of play, Joiner led all scorers with 10 points as the Spartans had a 25-13 lead. The Michigan State defense was also a big story early. Michigan State forced seven turnovers (five steals) and the Spartans cashed in with 11 points off turnovers.
Julia Ayrault got in on the scoring party as she hit two 3-pointers to extend Michigan State’s lead to 31-13 early in the second quarter. Those buckets by Ayrault kickstarted a 10-0 run that led to an Illinois timeout with 7:06 remaining in the second quarter.
At halftime, Michigan State opened up its lead all the way to 30 points. Through the first 20 minutes, the Spartans shot an outstanding 71% from the field and 78% from 3-point range. Illinois ended the half with 12 turnovers, eight of those being Michigan State steals.
The Spartans had two players in double digits at the break. Joiner was a perfect 6-for-6 shooting, tallying 14 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Ayrault was 2-for-2 from three-point land and had 10 points at halftime. She also grabbed six boards and dished out two assists.
Ozment was the third on the team in scoring at halftime. She had nine points and three boards.
DeeDee Hagemann had a team-leading five assists to go along with her three points and three rebounds as the Spartans carried a 56-26 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
Illinois opened the second half on a 6-0 run which forced Robyn Fralick to use a timeout.
Right out of the timeout, Jocelyn Tate hit a 3-pointer to get Michigan State on the board in the second half. However, the Fighting Illini continued their good start to the second half as they outscored the Spartans 12-7 in the first five minutes of the third quarter.
Michigan State restored its 30 point lead thanks to Theryn Hallock, who went on her own 7-0 run by making two layups and a 3-pointer as time expired in the third quarter. The Spartans took a 74-42 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
Illinois finished the game strong as the Fighting Illini out scored the Spartans 28-13 in the fourth quarter. However, it was too little too late as Michigan State defeated Illinois 87-70 for their eighth win in their last 10 games.
Michigan State ended the game with a field goal percentage of 59% and a 3-point percentage of 53%. A solid 50 of Michigan State’s 87 points were in the paint. The Spartans also had 24 points off of Illinois’ 18 turnovers.
Five Spartans scored in double digits. The two women that kissed the midcourt Spartan logo on senior night, Joiner and Ozment, were two of them.
Joiner scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out five assists. Ozment was 6-for-9 shooting as she tallied 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Other Spartans who scored in double figures included Hallock (16 points), Ayrault (14 points), and Tate (11 points). Ayrault had a double-double as she also grabbed 10 boards.
With the win on senior night, Michigan State improved to 21-7 overall and 11-6 in the Big Ten. With one remaining regular season game, Michigan State currently sits tied for fourth in the conference standings. A win on Sunday at Wisconsin and a Nebraska loss would result in the Spartans earning a double bye and the four seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.