EAST LANSING-Michigan State women’s basketball defeated Eastern Michigan 92-60 at home in a Sunday afternoon matchup. The scoreboard makes this game look like an easy win, but a feisty Eagles team tested the Spartans and gave them a fight for a good portion of the game. The Spartans got off to a sluggish start before cruising to a 32-point victory and improving to 2-0. Here are three main takeaways from this in-state matchup.
Dominant backcourt defense
The Spartans defense continues to wreak havoc, especially in the backcourt. Backcourt defense has been a heavy focus ever since head coach Robyn Fralick arrived on campus. The Spartans forced 30 turnovers today coming off of forcing 36 against Mercyhurst. Eastern Michigan had lots of trouble getting the ball up court, turning over in the backcourt numerous times. There were six 10 second violations along with numerous steals and deflections in the backcourt. Senior guards Theryn Hallock and Rashunda Jones were among the most involved, constantly hounding the Eagles in the backcourt. Jones finished with five steals for the game.
“We press and we do different things, disruptively. We’ve got good speed. I think over the course of the game, it’s hard to get good, sustained pressure and execute right,” said head coach Robyn Fralick said
Backcourt pressure continues to be a theme for the Spartans, and it continues to cause problems for opponents, as the Spartans have forced over 10 violations where the opponent could not get across halfcourt over their first two games.
Transfer class leaving their mark
Fralick brought in several players through offseason recruiting, and they’re making an immediate impact. Jones and senior guard Jalyn Brown left their marks in this one. The two guards combined for 30 points, with Jones also recording four rebounds and five assists. Brown came off the bench and shot 5-7 from the field, drilling her only three-point shot and adding four free throws. Brown also had two steals, contributing to the Spartans’ defense.
“I think overall, it’s just about me understanding the game. Basketball is the same everywhere you go,” Brown said postgame. “I have to be confident in myself and be confident in my teammates, and if I do that, then everything else is going to fall into place.”
Jones and Brown also caused problems for the Eagles by drawing a combined seven fouls. The duo combined to shoot 11 free throws to aid the offense and were a net positive all around. Jones finished +25 and Brown was +27. If the duo can continue to perform at this level, it adds another layer to what is already a dangerous and well-rounded Spartans’ lineup.
Grace VanSlooten shakes off slow start for dominant performance
For senior forward Grace VanSlooten, it was a rough start offensively. VanSlooten had three steals in the first quarter but struggled to finish at the rim, finishing the quarter with zero points. VanSlooten was unfazed however, as she completely took over in the second quarter, scoring ten points without missing a shot. It was a slow start all around for the Spartans in the first quarter, missing several easy opportunities at the rim. VanSlooten was one of four Spartans to finish in double figures with 15 points and also grabbed 6 rebounds. She also finished with five steals and was a team high +31.
VanSlooten continued to prove that she is one of the most valuable players for the Spartans and is an extremely dangerous player on both sides of the ball. Once she got going, the team as a whole woke up offensively and never looked back.
“A lot of things to clean up, I don’t think any of us leave this game feeling like, Oh, we’re all locked in and all cylinders defensively, cleaning up our spacing, cleaning up our rebounding,” Fralick said. “That’s got to be better moving forward. But we did open it up with some pressure, some steals. I think we’re sharing the ball very well. So those are things that we’ve got to be able to continue to do with the physicality of the game. We’ve got to match our speed with physicality moving forward. And I thought we got exposed on that tonight.”
The Spartans’ next matchup will be at home against Youngstown State on Wednesday, November 12. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and Josh Lee and Brian Rivers will be on the call. It can be listened to locally on 88.9 FM or streamed at https://impact89fm.org/.
