Spartans Travel to Puerto Rico, Take on 8-0 Cowgirls

Escaping the cold of Michigan, the Spartans play their first matchup of the 2013 Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan against No. 13 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. today.

Coming off of an 80-62 win against Oakland University, the Spartans are hoping to break the 2-2 all-time series tie against the Cowgirls.

The last time the Spartans and Cowgirls met, the game ended in a double overtime showdown with the Spartans coming out on top, 93-90, at the Junkanoo Jam on the Grand Bahama Island.

The Cowgirls will be leaving Oklahoma for the first time this season, arriving in San Juan with an 8-0 record.

Oklahoma State averages 84.1 points per game this season and holds their opponents to 49.1 points per game, which could be a tough matchup against the Spartans who average 77.5 points per game.

The player to watch from the Cowgirls is Brittney Martin who leads her team with 17.1 points, 7.5 boards and 3.4 steals per game.

The Spartans are 6-4 on the season and key players, Madison Williams and Jasmine Hines, have returned after missing multiple games this season due to injury.

The only freshman to earn Big Ten Freshman of the week twice in one season, Ariel Powers, led the Spartans with 21 points and 11 boards in their last matchup against the Golden Grizzlies. It was her third double-double of the season.

The Puerto Rico Classic will continue with less than a 24-hour break where the Spartans will take on Georgetown tomorrow, December 20th, while the Cowgirls will take on Georgia Tech on December 21.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Bri Harvey is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports.

Photo: Michigan State University Women’s Basketball