EAST LANSING– In their second straight game scoring at least 100, Michigan State continued to build early season momentum in dominant fashion over the Yale Bulldogs.
The defensive aggression stole the show in the early goings. In the first quarter and throughout the game, the Spartans set the tone by pressuring almost every Yale inbound and forced the Bulldogs out of rhythm. MSU then kept the aggression up when Yale made it to the other end of the floor, forcing seven turnovers in the first period and only allowing three field goals.
Even when the Bulldogs limited MSU’s paint production, the Spartans broke through on a steal from junior guard Emma Shumate and a fast break layin by junior guard Theryn Hallock.
The inbound press then got rewarded with a steal from senior guard Jocelyn Tate followed by an easy two for junior forward Grace VanSlooten. She finished the game with 19 points, going 8-11 from the field, and leading MSU in scoring.
“She’s [VanSlooten] working really hard, so its been fun to watch her just continue to improve, continue to develop,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. “She’s such a physical, athletic presence inside for us. She puts so much pressure on the rim, she does a great job of drawing fouls.”
As the first half carried on, the Spartans started to wear down the Yale defense which had mostly held up to start. MSU ended the half on 58.1% shooting and worked the interior by going 10-15 on layups.
The defense also continued to harass every element of Yale’s attack by forcing 20 first-half turnovers and turning those into 30 points.
This was best highlighted by Shumate earning a second Spartan steal off of inbound and nailing a corner three en route to a 32-point advantage after 20 minutes of play.
MSU also limited the Yale guard duo of senior Mackenzie Egger and freshman Marisa Chapman to a combined four points in the first half, with Chapman going 0-5 on the floor. MSU held Chapman to 1-8 shooting and six points, and Egger to eight points. As a whole, Yale was limited to 26.4% shooting.
“We knew how important they [Egger and Chapman] are to their team, we knew coming in they played great in their opening win,” Fralick said. “They both have an ability to play in iso and attack matchups and get fouled. I thought our team was pretty dialed in on guarding them.”
The start of the second half saw both teams go cold offensively, as MSU and Yale suffered similar droughts of zero field goals at 4:38 and zero points at 3:52 respectively.
“We had some crazy fouls, we were bailing people out, we were taking shots before we even moved the defense,” Fralick said. “I think it’s remembering, regardless of the score, you gotta play good basketball.”
The MSU breakthrough eventually came from the bench and Redshirt freshman guard Kennedy Blair, who missed all of the 2023-24 season. She finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in a well-rounded outing. The 42 second-half points by the bench closed out the victory for MSU.
“I think my favorite thing about Kennedy is she’s a hooper,” Fralick said. “She’s fearless, she has the ability to make plays for herself and she has the ability to make plays for others.”
“It feels awesome whenever given the opportunity, I’m always gonna make the most of it. Just feels good to be back and healthy,” Blair said. “I just love basketball and I haven’t been able to play in a long time. I think that whenever I’m given the chance I’m always gonna give 100% effort.”
The Spartans continue their early home stand against Eastern Michigan on Monday, Nov. 11, with tip set for 6:30 p.m.
