EAST LANSING- Michigan State women’s basketball could not have asked for a better start to its season Tuesday night, demolishing Mercyhurst by a score of 125-39. The Spartans set a program record for most points scored in the win, breaking the old record of 116.
The Spartans dominated this game from start to finish, jumping out to a quick 9-0 run to start the game. Head coach Robyn Fralick’s defense strategy wreaked havoc on the Lakers, forcing multiple backcourt violations leading to turnovers.
The Spartans forced ten turnovers in the first quarter alone, including four ten second violations. The Spartans had numerous fast break opportunities leading to scoring from sophomore guard Kennedy Blair and senior guard Theryn Hallock.
Blair got the start for the second straight game and took full advantage of the opportunity. Her impact in the first quarter is a large reason why the Spartans led 36-6 after the first quarter. Blair finished the quarter with eight points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
Head coach Robyn Fralick had high praise for Blair’s development, “Last year, we saw it a lot in practice. And then this summer she was very committed, got herself in high level fitness. Just really improved so many skill parts of her game. And what we saw tonight, we see consistently in practice, her ability to pass, rebound, impact the game, score in so many ways.”
“It’s been really fun to watch her development over time, and for somebody to come in and really have to work their way and earn their way. We hope she’s going to continue to do that, but we have consistently seen her ability to just do so many things that help the team win.”
The Spartans didn’t let up in the second quarter, as Blair and senior forward Grace VanSlooten dominated in the paint. The Spartans also saw production from newcomers. Transfer senior guard Jalyn Brown had multiple scores inside, but the standout of the second quarter was freshman guard Amy Terrian. Terrian drilled three shots from beyond the arc in the quarter, in her first official game as a Spartan.
“You see that first one go in and it definitely gets you going. But even if you don’t make the first one, you’ve got to just trust the work you’ve put in,” Terrian said postgame. “All the shots we’ve been taking since we’ve got here, and even before that. So definitely, if that’s your role, you’ve got to accept it. You’ve got to shoot it, because it’s spaced out the floor, and it helps everybody else.”
The Spartans held a whopping 66-18 lead at halftime. The Spartans had wreaked havoc defensively, forcing 20 turnovers leading to 35 points. The Spartans also had 38 points in the paint, taking full advantage of the size discrepancy. MSU also had 12 offensive rebounds at the halfway mark.
The third quarter was more of the same story, as the Spartans continued to dominate on the scoreboard and on the glass. VanSlooten and Hallock continued to dominate the Lakers, and both would go on to finish as the leading scorers with 18 and 19 points, respectively. The Spartans had seven players reach double-figures in this game, and Blair reached a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists.
The Spartans never let up, as they also dominated the final quarter of the game. After Fralick emptied the bench, they continued to dominate all facets of the game. The Spartans finished the game forcing 36 turnovers, while only having three. Five players had multiple steals, with the team totaling 24. Amy Terrian also drilled multiple 3-point shots and also got an assist on a three by her twin sister Anna. Team ball was a big theme for the Spartans, totaling 33 assists on 49 made shots.
Fralick said of her team’s passing, “When you have a willing, passing team and an unselfish team, you get better shots, and when you get better shots, you tend to score more points. I was proud of them. I just thought, throughout the whole game, we shared the ball, we kept finding ways and skipping it and making the extra pass and trusting each other.”
A pair of free throws by senior guard Abbey Kimball broke the team record for most points scored in a game, and the Spartans would go on to set the bar at 125.
The Spartans’ next game will be Sunday, November 10 at 2 p.m. EST, as they take on in-state foe Eastern Michigan. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
