Michigan State had a tough matchup on its hands as it resumed Big Ten play Saturday at Penn State. In just its second true road game of the season, the Spartans proved they had what the team needed and got the win in impressive fashion, downing the Lady Lions 98-87.
The victory improved MSU to 11-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. It marks the best start for the program since 2018-2019 when MSU began the season 11-1, including a win over then No. 16 Iowa at the Breslin Center. The win also extended the Spartans streak to four-straight, and it also marked the third-straight over PSU, fourth-straight in University Park in the series, and eighth out of the last 10 meetings in the series.
Penn State drops to 9-3 overall and 0-2 in league matchups with the loss. The meeting marks the only scheduled game between the two programs this season.
Sophomore guard Theryn Hallock led MSU in scoring on the day, coming off the bench to notch a career-high 21 points. Hallock added four helpers while going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. The Spartans were an almost perfect 18-for-19 on the day as a team.
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault added 18 points, and also built out her stat line with seven boards, two steals, and two blocks. Junior guard DeeDee Hagemann, sophomore guard Abbey Kimball, and graduate guard Moira Joiner each added 12 points, with Hagemann leading the team in assists with five and Joiner in steals with three. Graduate forward Tory Ozment added 13 points as well, and led the team in rebounds with eight boards, tying her season-best on a day she came in off the bench to do so.
Taylor Valladay led all scorers on the day with 32 points for Penn State.
The first quarter was a back and forth affair as the teams traded the lead or tied it up nine times. Then with 4:29 remaining, Hallock hit a pair of free throws to give the Spartans the lead for the remainder of the game.
MSU was able to capitalize on foul trouble by PSU in the opening quarter, drawing eight by the Lady Lions and going a perfect 8-for-8. The Spartans also managed nine points off seven turnovers as well. At the buzzer for the opening stanza, Michigan State had opened a 23-17 lead.
The Spartans opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run to take the first double-digit lead of the day, up 35-24 as the Lady Lions called an early timeout with 7:27 left on the clock. The move worked for the home team as Penn State used a 6-0 run of its own to cut its deficit down to 38-32.
The quarter saw both offenses hot from the field as PSU went 7-for-8 and MSU 8-for-10. The Spartans finished the half a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe and with 10 second chance points off eight offensive boards. Hallock scored 15 of her 21 points by halftime, while Ayrault and Joiner both had 10 each.
Michigan State headed into the locker room up 57-47.
The third quarter saw the Spartans struggle offensively as the Lady Lions fought back. Despite early on pushing its lead out to 14 just over a minute and a half in, a high for the game, MSU couldn't sustain the momentum.
The Spartans managed just 6-for-19 shooting from the field in the third stanza, and the team ended the quarter on a cold 1-for-9. PSU used the late struggle to trim its deficit back to single digits on a layup by Jayla Oden off a Spartan turnover with 4:24 left, and used an overall 9-3 run to finish the quarter trailing 72-66.
In the final quarter, a trey by Ozment with 6:25 left put MSU back out into a double digit lead and kicked off a 6-0 run for the Spartans. The Spartans would push their lead out as high as 16 four times over the final stanza. MSU during one stretch managed to hit six-straight from the field while holding Penn State scoreless for almost three minutes.
Despite Jocelyn Tate and Ayrault both fouling out, Ozment scored 10 of her 13 points for the day in the fourth. PSU also managed 9-for-13 from the charity stripe, but the Spartans held them at bay for the win, holding onto the double-digit lead for a 98-87 Big Ten road win.
Michigan State will conclude a four-game road stretch Tuesday, Jan. 2 when the team heads to Iowa City to take on on No. 4/3 Iowa. Start time is set for 9 p.m. Eastern Time with the game being streamed exclusively on Peacock.
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