EAST LANSING- Michigan State women’s basketball continued its undefeated streak, improving to 6-0 with a 102-41 home win over Oakland, on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans wrapped up their homestand with another dominant performance. Here are three main takeaways from the in- state matchup.
Kennedy Blair erupts
Sophomore guard Kennedy Blair put together another great performance against the Golden Grizzlies, with a career high 25 points on 10/11 shooting. Blair got off to a hot start, dropping 11 points in the first quarter and adding another 8 in the second. Blair was quieter in the second half due to her limited minutes with the game wrapped up but still had 2 huge plays. Blair took a defensive rebound coast to coast for a score plus the foul that she capitalized on, then drilled a three-point shot at the buzzer to end her night.
Blair made an impact in other areas as well, adding three rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Blair also drew five fouls to make things difficult for the Oakland defenders. Blair continues to be exceptional for the Spartans in several different roles and is willing to do whatever it takes to help her team.
“I think that I’ve learned to grow the last couple years. I consider myself a winner, I’m going to do whatever it takes. I don’t care about how many points I put up, my stats…I think that that’s the culture we built around here. So every day we show up in practice to win…,” Blair said postgame. “I mean as a point guard, I think I need to lead more, and that’s something I’m growing with. So if that’s what I need to do, at the end of the day, that’s what I’m going to keep doing for this team. And all I want to do is for us to win and to make it fun.”
Defense continues to wreak havoc
The defense has been the most consistent factor in the Spartans’ start to the season, and it was once again a factor today. It was evident from the opening tip that it would be a long day for Oakland offensively. The Spartans held their opponents to just eight first quarter points, while also forcing 12 turnovers, something the Spartans have excelled at all year.
The Golden Grizzlies finished the game with 33 turnovers, which were converted into 43 points for the Spartans. Junior guard Rashunda Jones had five steals, while Blair had four. The Spartans forced turnovers in a multitude of ways, whether it’s from their relentless backcourt pressure or their aggressive perimeter defense.
“Our pressure eventually can wear people out. We have people that can guard different spots, or we can get mismatches, or we can switch things and keep people in front. I think Marah (Dykstra), who came to us this year, her defensive versatility is really helpful,” head coach Robyn Fralick said. “You know, our fives, Grace (VanSlooten) and Isa (Alexander) have been good at guarding in space, guarding in the paint. So, I mean, we’re going to get tested more for sure. So that’s something we’ve got to continue to grow in.”
The Spartans will soon see tougher competition, and if their defense can keep up what they’ve been doing, it will be vital to the team’s success.
Shaking off a slow start
It was a bit of a rough start offensively for the Spartans, shooting 9/24 from the field and 2/7 from the charity stripe in the first quarter. Midway through the second, the Spartans woke up and proceeded to dominate the rest of the game.
“It took us a minute to get going, and then I thought that finish to our second quarter going into halftime, really the catalyst, really kind of opened up the game. Proud. We share with our team a lot, we’ve got a lot of people we can count on, so let’s utilize, let’s use that as an advantage, Play at a level that requires the next person to come in and be ready to go and you know that’s going to be important for us moving forward,” Fralick said. “We know we have big challenges ahead, and there’s gonna be some new challenges. So our team’s got to get that focus and be ready for that as we head to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving.”
The Spartans have had a couple tough starts offensively this season, but they never let it faze them and continue to attack. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten shook off a slow start to finish with 14 points after appearing to suffer an injury against Eastern Illinois. The Spartans shot 23/32 in the middle two quarters, putting the game away for good with a 31-point halftime lead.
The Spartans will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to the Bahamas for a feast week clash with Temple. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and the game will be streamed on FloCollege.
