EAST LANSING- No. 24 Michigan State women’s basketball improved to 4-0 with another dominant win in non-conference play, defeating Western Michigan 98-44 on Sunday. The Spartans led 31-5 after one quarter and cruised to another victory. Here are three takeaways from the afternoon matchup against the Broncos.
Star performances from the bigs
The Spartans saw plenty of great performances in this game, but both senior forwards Grace VanSlooten and Isaline Alexander dominated in this game. VanSlooten scored 19 points on the day, with nine coming in the first quarter alone. She also grabbed eight boards, along with racking up four assists. VanSlooten also dominated defensively, adding two steals and three blocks. VanSlooten continues to put up monster performances for the Spartans and be one of the faces of the team.
Isaline Alexander was the star of the show, however. Alexander has had a difficult journey to this point, missing almost all of the last two seasons. Healthy this season, she’s been improving on a game-by-game basis and put it all together today. Alexander finished with 20 points, shooting a perfect 9/9 from the field. Alexander also drew four fouls and got to the line numerous times while still scoring. Alexander scored nine points in the third quarter alone and took advantage of the opportunities she was given.
“The last few years have also been hard. I had to do a lot to get back to where I am now, and I’m still kind of working to get back to feeling whatever normal is, still trying to figure that out. And being able to do that just means a lot to me,” Alexander said. “And I’m so happy that my team has had my back all the time. The coaches have my back as well. And all the hard work that I’ve been putting in is starting to show off, and I’m starting to get back into my rhythm of how I play and how I can help my team.”
With sophomore center Ines Sotelo out with an injury for the foreseeable future, performances like this from Alexander will be a massive plus for the Spartans.
Kennedy Blair continues to be great all around
Another player with past injury troubles, sophomore guard Kennedy Blair has had a bigger opportunity this season and made the most of it again on Sunday. Blair was great in all facets, totaling 14 points along with eight rebounds and eight assists. Blair also added three steals and was a game high +40. Blair flirted with a triple-double in the win and was on triple-double watch early. Blair had five rebounds and four assists in the first quarter alone and scored eight points in the third. Blair sat out the entire fourth with the game wrapped up, preventing her from reaching the triple-double.
Blair said of her passing ability, “I’ve played basketball for 20 years now, so I think it’s just having fun and being able to just trust my teammates. I think that they’re used to it at practice, I’m usually just throwing random stuff behind my head, and they’re expecting it…And I think that when I get into that kind of flow state, then I play my best and I’m not overthinking stuff and just doing whatever Kennedy does. And I think that sometimes Coach gets mad at me for it, but I think it’s fun.”
Head coach Robyn Fralick entrusted Blair with a starting role this season, and Blair has not disappointed. Blair’s breakout adds another layer of depth to a dangerous Spartan unit.
Turnover differential tells the story
Turnovers have been a huge part of the Spartans’ defensive identity this season, and it was a major factor in their blowout win over Western. The Spartans forced 29 turnovers, with 17 steals, while only having four turnovers themselves. The Spartans had 39 points off turnovers, while the Broncos only had one. The Spartans continue to force lots of turnovers, as their opponents keep struggling to get the ball past halfcourt.
Junior guard Rashunda Jones had four steals to lead the Spartans. She and senior guard Theryn Hallock constantly create pressure in the backcourt, which leads to a lot of the turnovers they force. The Spartans had seven times as many assists as turnovers, a very successful formula for dominating a game. The Broncos, meanwhile, got off to a very rough start. In the first quarter, they had ten turnovers and only five points. The Spartans’ defense had them in fits all afternoon and allowed for a very comfortable 54-point victory.
The Spartans are back in action Thursday, November 20, against Eastern Illinois at the Breslin Center, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET. Josh Lee and Brian Rivers will be on the call, and it can be listened to locally on 88.9 FM or streamed at https://impact89fm.org/.
