Michigan State boasted a balanced attack by its entire roster in the team's home win Wednesday night over Northwestern as six players post double figures in scoring amongst 26 total team assists. MSU sent NU back to Evanston with a 91-72 loss.
The Spartans improved to 13-4 overall with the victory and sit at 3-3 in Big Ten play. The Wildcats dropped to 7-11 overall and 2-5 in league action.
Julia Ayrault led the way in scoring for MSU, totaling 16 points on the night along with the team high in blocks (3) and finishing second on the team in helpers (6). Theryn Hallock finished the night second in scoring with 15 points, while Tory Ozment and Moira Joiner both scored 14 apiece. Joiner also led the team in rebounds with seven, while Ozment was right behind her on the stat sheet with six.
Head coach Roybn Fralick had high praise for the team's ability to share the ball after the win.
"It's fun to play that way, and we were built that way," Fralick said. "We were built to move it and share it. We create a lot of offense through ball movement. We create a lot of offense through player movement. Look, passing is cool. When that becomes contagious, when it's really just the team giving up a good shot for a great shot, it kinda just becomes part of who you are.
"It is also how we play, so it was fun to see us sharing it how we did tonight. 26 assists to eight turnovers, the other night against Ohio State we had nine; that's obviously continued to be important for us."
Abbey Kimball added 12 points and led the team in steals with three, while DeeDee Hagemann rounded out Spartans in double figures with 10 points alongside the team high eight assists, the latter tying her season high. Fralick was asked after the game about Hagemann's passing ability following her near double-double performance.
"She's a great passer, has a really good feel, can see the court and can make good decisions," Fralick complimented of Hagemann's style of play. "So much of being a point guard is almost seeing teammates before they get open and she does a great job of that. She does a great job of seeing where help came from and really putting people in a position to score."
Melannie Daley led all scorers with 18 points for the Wildcats, and Hailey Weaver added 15 alongside her team's high two steals for NU.
The Spartans had plenty of offense Wednesday night, but the Spartans were particularly hot from outside the arc. MSU shot its highest percentage from 3-point range of the season in Big Ten play, finishing the night at 41.9%, far above the team's next best performance of 33.3% posted at Iowa on Jan. 2.
Overall, the Spartans finished the night with their fifth-best scoring percentage from the field on the season, hitting 51.6% of their shots. It was also the highest clip in league action since shooting 57.6% last season at Wisconsin on Feb. 8.
MSU started the scoring early with a 10-0 run to open the game. The Spartans built out a 13-3 lead before NU was forced to call an early timeout. MSU maintained control in the game, though, building out a 21-11 lead by the end of the first stanza. Both Ayrault and Kimball finished the quarter with seven points. Fralick made clear the team was focused on coming out strong at the start.
"Well, every team in this league is a good opponent," Fralick said." In our league we all know each other a little bit better too. Coming into this game, Northwestern had the same amount of conference wins as us. We knew we had to dominate the details. You have to be dialed in, gotta be an every-possession team. Northwestern is a little unique in that two of their scorers are post players, and they're big.
The Spartans continued the scoring in the second quarter, opening up their lead to a 20-point margin by the midway point, up 31-11. Six different players for Michigan State ended the half with at least one made 3-pointer, and five total ended the second stanza with seven points. It wasn't a perfect first-half performance, though, as MSU ended it with Hallock drilling a trey to end an over two-minute scoring drought.
Northwestern finally found a groove in the third quarter. The Wildcats outscored the Spartans in the third stanza 24-21, using an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to cut their deficit to 70-52. A free throw in the final seconds by Ayrault put the Spartans back on the board and ended the quarter with MSU up 71-52.
Michigan State opened the fourth quarter by scoring 10 of the first 12 points as the Spartans coasted to a commanding victory. Both teams finished the final quarter with 20 pointes apiece as MSU rebounded back into the win column after its close loss at No. 17/16 Ohio State on Sunday.
"I just think every game you learn something," Fralick said of the rebound victory after the loss at OSU. "Whether you win or lose, there's always something to learn. The reality is that the best teams get better as the season goes on. The best teams make adjustments and make improvements.
"Coming off a tough game at Ohio State, there's a part of us that feels motivated by that. It's easy to say just a few possessions, but a few possessions is a big difference. Being better a few possessions, you have to be in pursuit to do that. I think we're a team that has to be consistently able to learn and continue to get better, because in this league you have to be able to bring your best."
The Spartans return to the road next with a visit to Minnesota looming on Saturday. The game is one of just twelve remaining on the schedule for the regular season with the first year under Fralick more than half over, but league play heating up.
"If you want to play at a high level, if you want to play in the postseason, you have to be an every-possession team, and you have to be an every-possession player," Fralick said in regards to the next 12 games on the Spartans' schedule. "The league demands it. The game demands it. It's too good of basketball with how many good coaches there are in this league.
"The reality is, if you can get a team and a group of players to buy into the intensity and the awareness of every possession, then good things happen. I think we've got to get better at that. I thought our second half we didn't do that. The reality is, if you can do that, if you can get a team to do that, you are always gonna give yourself a chance."
The Golden Gophers will pose a difficult test Saturday as they enter the matchup at 13-4 overall and 3-3 in Big Ten play. Start time is slated for 3 p.m. Eastern Time with the game being streamed on B1G+.
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