EAST LANSING- No. 22 Michigan State women’s basketball is coming off a loss on the West Coast to No. 3 UCLA. The Spartans battled throughout, but the fight was ultimately won by the Bruins, 75-69.
Junior guard Theryn Hallock was the leading scorer for the green and white, putting up 19 points and three assists, followed by graduate guard Julia Ayrault who put up 18 points and five rebounds.
Ayrault’s performance was exactly what the Spartans needed to compete with the No. 3 team in the nation, especially after MSU’s game against Wisconsin, where Ayrault only put up three points.
Junior forward Grace VanSlooten continued to impress in the paint, also finishing in double figures with 16 points and seven rebounds.
The game was ultimately lost in the fourth quarter after Hallock went the line for two, giving the Spartans a one-point lead. MSU could not capitalize, and did not score again in the remaining 2:14.
Approaching another AP Top Five opponent, the Spartans will stay on the West Coast to face No. 4 USC.
MSU needs to improve their three-point shooting if they hope to compete with the squad of sophomore guard Juju Watkins and the Trojans.
Against UCLA, The Spartans went 5-14 from the arc, with their best three-point shooter Emma Shumate taking zero shots and playing for only five minutes.
If more MSU guards can fill her position and make their three’s, that could be the difference in winning a Top Five game.
No. 4 USC is coming off a six-point win over unranked Washington, after their 11-point win over then No. 1 UCLA the week prior.
Scouting USC
After winning five NCAA Player of the Week awards, sophomore guard Juju Watkins is the Trojans biggest threat. Watkins leads the Big Ten in points per game, averaging 24.2 and 6.9 rebounds.
Against the Huskies, Watkins put up 17 points and eight rebounds, alongside graduate forward Kiki Iriafen, who had 19 points and five rebounds.
Iriafen averages 17.8 points per game and 8.3 rebounds, creating a tough matchup for VanSlooten in the paint.
Freshman guard Kennedy Smith is getting a lot of minutes for the Trojans. Smith put up 14 points and four rebounds against Washington, averaging 10.1 points per game.
No. 4 USC is 23-2 overall and 12-1 in Big Ten play, with their only conference loss against Iowa.
No. 22 Michigan State and No. 4 Southern California will tip off this Wednesday at the Galen Center at 9:30 p.m.
