EAST LANSING– No. 24 Michigan State took care of business against Depaul on Sunday afternoon in its last power non-conference matchup before Big Ten Play and has secured a program-best start to the season, 9-0.
“I think it’s just a small part of the story but it’s where we want to be,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. “You’ve gotta be multi-dimensional, I think we’ve found ways to do that so far, I think the tournament we just came back from we had to do that. That’s something we’re gonna have to continue to do as we move through Big Ten play.”
While MSU took the early seven-point advantage in the first quarter, both teams showed some ball-control issues early on. The Spartans and the Blue Demons looked identical, with both giving up six turnovers and 10 points out in transition from those.
The early difference came from MSU’s 11 to six bench point advantage in the first quarter. Leading the way for the reserves early were junior guard Theryn Hallock and freshman center Inés Sotelo, who combined for 13 points and contributed 36 total for the bench.
“One thing our staff spends a lot of time on is film, lineups, plus minus, analytics, who’s best together,” Fralick said. “We do play a good bout of players off the bench, so that’s where the decision came in. We just felt like we needed to switch up who’s playing together, we still have the same expectations of Theryn to make a big impact on the game.”
What made this performance even more impressive was the lack of an important piece. Junior guard Abbey Kimball was made unavailable due to a sprained ankle, an injury Fralick described as “day to day.”
“We just have to keep working together, I think we have a very good team, and I think that’s top to bottom,” graduate guard Julia Ayrault said. “I think we do get better every day in practice and that’s what’s helped us tremendously.”
The rest of the first half looked similar to the start, but the MSU perimeter attack gave the Spartans a lift. In the second quarter, the guard trio of junior Emma Shumate joined by graduates Jaddan Simmons and Nyla Hampton each hit a triple as the team went 3-6.
While the outside shooting helped, the Spartan defense was the main event. DPU, held scoreless in the last four minutes of the period, made only 15% of their second-quarter shots on 3-20 from the field. Graduate forward Jorie Allen and junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews, the Blue Demons top two leading scorers, combined for four points and about 7.7% from the field.
The Spartans also worked to deny DPU paint access, as MSU totaled nine blocks in the opening half and finished with 14. Junior forward Grace VanSlooten made her biggest impact of the game on the glass, leading the team in denials with four and grabbing seven boards.
“We have some good length, we have some good athleticism at the rim,” Fralick said. “We were also pressing so some of that is in rotation, so you’re kinda spreading over and back to make a play. I thought we did a good job of making plays when we were extended in our full-court press.”
From there, MSU continued to stiff-arm any serious comeback attempts. The turnover battle continued to remain even and DPU even outscored MSU in fast break points 28-19. However, the collective effort of the Spartans shined through in a game where VanSlooten was limited offensively.
Four Spartans finished in double figures, with Simmons having a particularly nice performance as a starter and Shumate with the hot hand off the bench. The duo combined for seven triples on 53.8% shooting beyond the arc, with Simmons finishing as the games leading scorer and both earning season highs with 18 and 12 points respectively.
“She [Simmons] was great on both sides of the ball,” Fralick said. “Offensively, as I shared, they were really packing the paint and I think she just did a great job of picking her spots, when to attack and when to finish, when to shoot, and was really really efficient.”
Also getting in on the hot shooting was Ayrault, who finished 6-9 from the floor and good for 17 points. She also got physical under the basket for 11 defensive rebounds, 12 total for a double-double.
“She’s a post that’s a guard, I think that’s the best thing,” Simmons said of Ayrault. “Having a post that can shoot the ball, that can dribble the ball, go in transition, things like that show her veteran ability.”
While Allen for the Blue Demons made her mark with 15 points and 11 rebounds, good for a double-double of her own, it never became enough in an 89-61 MSU victory.
MSU will take a week off before opening conference play against Iowa at the Breslin Center. The Hawkeyes come to East Lansing on Dec. 15, with game time set for 12 p.m. Tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Jacob Maurer and Kyle Keegan locally on 88.9 FM or impact89fm.org/listen-live/.
