Jankoska Earns Big Ten Weekly Awards

Michigan State guard Tori Jankoska earned Big Ten weekly awards for the first time on Tuesday. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and was also among three players who were named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll.

In the last two wins against Wisconsin (76-66) and Minnesota (75-61), Jankoska averaged 17.5 points, six assists and 2.5 steals. She has been very efficient as well, only turning the ball over three times in 77 minutes of play.

At Wisconsin, Jankoska scored 14 points and recorded new season-highs with seven assists and five steals.

There has been a lot of momentum from the MSU bench during the past couple of games and Jankoska said that adds a lot to her game play.

“That’s when we’re at our best. When everybody, even including the bench, has intensity and enthusiasm and just really a lot of energy,” Jankoska said. “That’s been a focus of our’s to have every Big Ten game.”

Against Minnesota, Jankoska logged her fifth 20-point game of the season, tying for most ever by a MSU freshman. She had 21 points and five assists. Twelve of her points came from the four shots she hit from behind the arc. Jankoska is currently in second place of Spartan freshman all-time three-pointers made.

Jankoska said it feels pretty good being one of the top scorers and leading the team as a freshman.

“I got a lot of open looks today from the three-point line so that helped me out a lot,” Jankoska said after the game against Wisconsin. “Started off the game hitting my shots and I couldn’t do that without KB (Klarissa Bell) driving and dishing it. It feels good but I couldn’t do it without my teammates.”

MSU is now tied at 11-3 with Nebraska for second place in the Big Ten standings. Penn State (12-3) still sits in first place.

Jankoska said that she believes the team has progressed overall throughout the season.

“I think we’ve progressed since the beginning of the season and since the beginning of the Big Ten season, so I think that says a lot about our team and our coaching staff,” Jankoska said. “Just our will to learn and will to play together and do whatever it takes to be the best team we can be.”

The Spartans have two games remaining in the season. Their next game tips-off at 9 p.m. on Thursday at Northwestern and they will finish the season at home against Indiana on Sunday at 6 p.m.


Sierra Williams is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports.

Photo: Scott Wasserman/Impact Sports