Following their impressive victory over Michigan, Michigan State has…
On Saturday, January 27, 2024, in East Lansing, Michigan, Michigan State’s Abbey Kimball, in the foreground, Theryn Hallock, in the middle, Lauren Ross, 24, and Tory Ozment, right, celebrate their victory against Michigan in an NCAA college basketball game. (AP Image by Al Goldis)A
EST LANSING: It was time for this Michigan State club to make a breakthrough.
On January 2, the Spartans came dangerously close to defeating a top-five Iowa squad away from home before Hawkeyes standout Caitlin Clark sealed the victory with a game-winning 3-pointer.
A week later, they were tied with a highly regarded Ohio State squad in the fourth quarter of an away game before losing by five, 70-65.
The breakthrough occurred on Saturday at the Breslin Center when they defeated Michigan 82-61 to end a three-game losing streak in the series.
Michigan’s ranking isn’t as high as those of the other two. However, the way the Spartans dominated the rivalry game—they won by a 21-point margin of victory, which was their biggest in the series since 2016—made it feel like a breakthrough.
It was dubbed a “scrapbook day” by first-year coach Robyn Fralick, who became the first Michigan State coach to win the team’s first game against Michigan since Karen Langland in 1977.
Michigan’s ranking isn’t as high as those of the other two. However, the way the Spartans dominated the rivalry game—they won by a 21-point margin of victory, which was their biggest in the series since 2016—made it feel like a breakthrough.
It was dubbed a “scrapbook day” by first-year coach Robyn Fralick, who became the first Michigan State coach to win the team’s first game against Michigan since Karen Langland in 1977.
Michigan’s ranking isn’t as high as those of the other two. However, the way the Spartans dominated the rivalry game—they won by a 21-point margin of victory, which was their biggest in the series since 2016—made it feel like a breakthrough.
It was dubbed a “scrapbook day” by first-year coach Robyn Fralick, who became the first Michigan State coach to win the team’s first game against Michigan since Karen Langland in 1977.
However, she was closing that scrapbook and looking ahead two days later. The Spartans will try to carry over that victory into their next game, away at Rutgers (6-16, 0-9) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Big Ten plus.
Fralick stated, “At this point, our challenge is a test of our maturity.” I believe you have a lot of energy after a game with that kind of audience, rivalry, and intensity. We played with a lot of intensity and focus right from the beginning, in my opinion, but in our season, you have to try again. We must be present and focus at the same level.
Under Fralick, the Spartans have adopted a fast-paced, thrilling style of play in their inaugural season. They rank third in the Big Ten with 86.7 points per game, and this season they have made 9.4 3-pointers per game, second only to Iowa in the conference.
One of just six Michigan State players to score nine points or more per game is senior guard Moira Joiner, who leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per contest. DeeDee Hagemann, a junior point guard who averages 13 points and 4.6 assists per game, leads that offense.
The Spartans have also gone 15-5 and 5-4 in Big Ten play thanks to that approach. Now that the Big Ten season is halfway through, the Spartans can reasonably anticipate making a trip back to the NCAA Tournament in 2024; according to ESPN’s most recent bracket projection, the team will start as the eighth seed.
It would mean a lot to the seasoned players on this squad who have missed the previous two NCAA Tournaments to return to March Madness.According to senior forward Tory Ozment of the Spartans, “I think it’s kind of like a redemption year.” We haven’t been exactly where we would like to be, and we’ve missed out on the tournament. Therefore, these are the most important games; everyone is worn out, depressed, and has injuries. However, I believe that everyone has come to terms with the necessity of maintaining consistency in who we are.Fralick is pleased that her squad will have something to aim for come February, but she is also aware that there is still work to be done. This season, Saturday was the first time her squad has won back-to-back Big Ten games. There are still two Top-10 matchups left on the schedule: a rematch with Michigan in Ann Arbor and games against Indiana and Ohio State.
