EAST LANSING- Michigan State improved to 4-0 in the young season, defeating Eastern Kentucky 96-54.  The first half was a struggle for the Spartans, but they were able to pull away in the second half due to some stellar performances across the board.

Here are three main takeaways from the Spartans’ victory against the Colonels.

VanSlooten Dominates the Paint in Return

After missing the last game due to an illness, junior forward Grace VanSlooten returned to the lineup without missing a beat.  The Oregon transfer tallied 15 points on 5/9 shooting, with five free throws.  VanSlooten also racked up four assists, nine rebounds, and three blocks.  

VanSlooten finished the game +16 and was a key factor in the Spartans’ big run to pull away.  She led the team in points, rebounds, and assists at the half.  Her impact was felt in what was otherwise a slow start for the Spartans.  

When asked about VanSlooten’s performance, MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said, ”Well we’re aggressive, and credit to Grace.  I thought in the first half she was getting to the free throw line a lot, she was getting fouled a lot.  She was giving us some momentum when we really didn’t have momentum, so I thought she did a really good job in that first half and then I thought Julia really came alive in the second half for us.  So, putting pressure on the rim is good basketball, and if you can relentlessly do that, getting to the free throw line a lot is a thing you want to do if you want to be good, so hopefully that’s something we’ll be able to keep doing.”  

When asked about her defensive prowess, VanSlooten responded, “I definitely value it a lot.  I think it’s gotten a lot better since I first started playing in college, just more physical, and getting used to the pace of the game.  But, I definitely value it a lot, and that comes with having to guard the scout guys in practice, so that kind of prepares me for the game when I’m playing against girls.”

VanSlooten’s 15 points and 9 rebounds put her just one shy of a double-double.  When asked about her rebounding abilities, VanSlooten said, “I definitely think it fires me up a little bit.  I notice that if I’m rebounding well, I’m usually playing better.  So, I kind of try and use rebounds to get me going, whether that’s offensive or defensive, that’s just touches on the ball.  So, I definitely prioritize rebounding.”

VanSlooten was able to keep possessions alive by bringing in three offensive boards.  She was a big reason why the Spartans won the rebound battle 46-26.  Her physicality was also on display as she was able to draw 9 fouls throughout the game.  Eastern Kentucky struggled to slow her down and match her physicality.

Hallock and Ayrault Overcome Slow Start, Dominate Third Quarter.

The guard duo of Theryn Hallock and Julia Ayrault continues to shine.  The Spartans largely struggled in the first half, shooting just 11/30 from the floor and 4/12 from deep.  

The Spartans held a narrow four-point lead at half but after the 3rd quarter, they increased the lead to 22.  Hallock and Ayrault were both key factors in this massive swing.  Hallock, a junior, finished with 14 points, four rebounds, nine assists, and one steal.  Ayrault, a graduate student, finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Hallock’s defensive impact may not appear in the stat sheet, but she was a menace on defense and constantly causing problems for Eastern Kentucky.  

Hallock was constantly applying pressure on inbounds and was always in the backcourt putting pressure on the Colonels’ guards as they attempted to bring the ball upcourt.  

When asked about Hallock’s defensive abilities, coach Fralick answered, “well Theryn has incredible speed.  And so, we have to challenge her, we have to remind her to use it on both sides of the ball.  We see it a lot on the offensive side, but her speed when she’s fully focused and dialed in is just as effective on the defensive side, and I thought in the second half, we saw it a lot.  She was much more dialed in to being disruptive and using her speed on both sides of the ball.”

Hallock’s passing was also on display, racking up nine assists on the night, including some tough passes in the paint to Ayrault or VanSlooten.  Hallock also connected with freshman center Ines Soleto to beat the 3rd quarter buzzer.

Coach Fralick said about Hallock’s passing, “well nine assists, zero turnovers is great.  One of my favorite things about coaching Theryn is she’s fearless.  She’s not scared to attack, to make plays, to create, to be creative and tonight I thought she did a good job of being fearless, getting in the seams and making stuff happen.”

Ayrault also was making plays throughout the 3rd quarter.  Midway through the quarter, Ayrault got into the paint and drew back-to-back 3-point plays.  She overcame a slow start to finish with a near-double-double  

When asked about whether it was specific sets or the floor opening up that allowed Ayrault to shine, Fralick said, “A little bit.  I thought we tried to get them in different spots.  They were really swarming, doubling, tripling.  So part of it we tried to get them the ball in spots that weren’t so easy to swarm.  And then secondly, we just moved the ball.  I told our team the left side of the court is getting lonely, there’s a whole other side of the court that when we use it, you space out the defense, you move the defense.  I thought our team adjusted to that, and I thought Grace and Julia got the ball in some better spots to finish.”

Both Hallock and Ayrault were also able to draw fouls, as the duo combined drew 6 fouls and shot 8 free throws.  Hallock found herself in trouble with 4 fouls but was able to avoid picking up her 5th.

Juliann Woodard’s Coming Out Party

In a surprise performance, freshman forward Juliann Woodard finished the night as the second-leading scorer for the Spartans.  

Woodard got to see some late action with the game all but locked up, and she made the most of it.  Woodard finished the night with 16 points on 5/5 shooting and 4/4 from deep in just 6 minutes  while also adding two rebounds,

When asked about Woodard’s performance, Fralick said, “I mean to score 16 points in 6 minutes is incredible.  And credit to Juliann, she works at it, she gets in the gym a lot, she shoots a lot.  And to go in, and be ready.  I think that’s toughness right.  I mean there’s no excuse of “I wasn’t warm or I wasn’t loose”.  She goes in, and she’s ready to play.  That was a really fun way to end it.  I was really happy for us, happy for our team.  They kept finding her and she made a lot of shots”

When asked about her performance off the bench, the freshman responded, “It’s definitely a new role for me, coming off the bench.  Obviously high school and AAU was different, so I’m just trying to learn how to go from that to this and I’m just working hard and just trying to stay on my path.”

Woodard is settling into her new role at Michigan State and working to improve every day. “It means everything to me.  I grew up a Midwest girl and I grew up watching Big Ten basketball my entire life, so this is a dream come true and I’m just thankful that Coach Fralick and the coaching staff gave me this opportunity.”

Woodard made four of the Spartans’ 10 three-point shots and added two free throws.  She finished the night without a miss and was always ready to get the ball.  Her shots came off assists from redshirt freshman guard Kennedy Blair and freshman guard Sinai Douglas.

The Spartans hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Kalamazoo to take on Western Michigan.  The game will be played on Sunday, November 17, with tip-off set for 5 p.m.