EAST LANSING –The Robyn Fralick era tipped off with an impressive Michigan State win, 99-46, in the exhibition against Davenport on Nov. 2. 

“I love our start,” said MSU head coach Robyn Fralick in the post-game press conference. “I think so much of who a team becomes is knowing who you are and I think tonight we could definitely see the beginning of who we are.” 

In the first quarter, the Spartan defense was strong. They forced 13 turnovers and scored 14 points off of those turnovers. Graduate guard Mo Joiner, a team captain for this year, led MSU in points with nine.  

“She works hard, and in the game you can see that pay off,” said Fralick reflecting on Joiner’s performance in the game. “You can see her experience. She has a ton of minutes on this team and at this level.” 

MSU opened up the second quarter with a 15-point run with no response from Davenport. The Panthers finally put up more points with a free throw from freshman guard Amyah Espanol.

In the first half, MSU scored 23 points in both the first and second quarter which is a better start than its exhibition last year against Saginaw Valley. 

“I was really proud of our first-half defensive effort,” said Fralick. “I thought we were really disruptive.”

The second half saw the return of DeeDee Hagemann after she left the court early in the first quarter. She scored four points in free throws for MSU. The Spartans held their ground in the third quarter and continued to grow their lead. 

The Panthers picked up some momentum in the third quarter scoring the most points in a game so far, 15. Redshirt senior guard Mary Liedel played a key role. She scored 11 points for Davenport. 

The fourth quarter consisted of multiple personal fouls and free throws. MSU picked up seven fouls and Davenport recorded four. The Spartans made 3-4 of their free throws and the Panthers made 9-11.

“I thought our fourth quarter defense we got really relaxed and there was a mix of giving up easy baskets and fouling too much,” said Fralick. 

Up next, MSU will host Oakland for its season opener on Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET.