EAST LANSING – No. 15 Michigan State women’s basketball entered its home court to an electric Breslin Center crowd and left it with a ranked win over No. 24 Nebraska, 73-71. Not only did MSU persevere to remain undefeated at home, but the Spartans also set a record for the best start to a season in program history, now at 17-1 overall.
MSU head coach Robyn Fralick was proud of her team continuing to battle through a back-and-forth affair and finding a way to come out on top.
“I’m just so proud of our group,” Fralick said. “You’ve just got to find ways to win the game in front of you and we did that tonight, and we know moving forward we got to regroup, reset and reenergize.”
Here are the takeaways from the historic win for Michigan State as the road only gets tougher from here on out for the Green and White.
Offensive Resilience
The Spartans have been able to capitalize on a healthy number of shots from beyond the arc this season. However, against Nebraska, the three ball was not Sparty’s friend.
Prior to the duel with the Huskers, MSU averaged just over eight threes per game, making around 38%. Against the Big Red though, there appeared to be a lid on the rim whenever the Spartans took a shot from deep. Fralick’s squad only drained three three-pointers for the entire game.
Coach Fralick isn’t worried about the performance her team showed from downtown, due to the offensive versatility she’s seen all season.
“What I love about our group is there isn’t one particular way we have to win,” Fralick said. “It’s not like we have to make this many threes or we have to shoot this many free throws. We just found a way within the game.”
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten spoke on how past challenges this team has faced, helped build a no-quit mentality and confidence among herself and her teammates.
“Both the Washington and Oregon game we got down pretty early,” VanSlooten said. “Then in this game we went down to the last minute and thirty seconds, so I think we’ve really learned we can overcome adversity. Just because you’re down early doesn’t mean you can’t come back and win.”
Rashunda’s Role
Junior guard Rashunda Jones proved to be a difference maker against Nebraska in a multitude of ways.
With an impressive all-around performance against the Cornhuskers, Jones has extended her streak to nine straight games with 10 points or more, putting up 15 last night.
However, Jones’ biggest plays of the night didn’t occur with her scoring. Jones found senior guard Jalyn Brown open in the corner for the game-tying three with under a minute and a half remaining. Just a couple of possessions later, Jones deflected a Nebraska inbounds pass with 1.4 seconds left in regulation. The deflection led to the ball being loose during the last seconds, securing the MSU victory.
Coach Fralick credited Jones on the game she had and listed the variety of ways Jones can affect an outcome.
“Rashunda has just been so clutch,” Fralick said. “… She’s really fast too and I think that’s an advantage. People try to do stuff on screens, she rejects it, she gets into the paint, she hangs, she makes tough pullups, and then she’s been a great free-throw shooter. She just has a real knack for making really timely plays.”
Jones’ teammate, sophomore forward Juliann Woodard, gave high praise to her point guard as well and explained what she brings to this team.
“Composure in a spark,” Woodard said. “That’s what she gives us… we all have confidence whenever the ball is in her hand. We all know that the right play is going to happen, and whatever she does, we’re all ok with it.”
Woodard clutch off the bench
Looking at a stat sheet alone, it may seem like Woodard didn’t have a big night off the bench, only notching four points, and three boards. Yet her impact on this game was anything but minimal.
On Michigan State’s last offensive possession, with the game tied at 71 a piece, Jones drove down the lane to put the Spartans up two, but her layup attempt was too strong. Woodard crashed the glass, grabbed what Coach Fralick claimed to be the biggest rebound of the game, and got fouled. Woodard headed to the line to shoot a pair of free throws and knocked both of them down.
Fralick described the importance Woodard has on this team and how she’s always ready to contribute when called upon.
“She’s (Woodard) a winner,” Fralick said. “She’s someone that you can count on throughout a whole game… she’s got a fearlessness to her.”
VanSlooten feels the same way as her coach does about Woodard and has the utmost trust in her teammate to produce in the biggest moments.
“She (Woodard) has no quit,” VanSlooten said. “She’s so physical and so strong… Anytime she steps on the court, I am so confident in her.”
Now Michigan State will hit the road, as the Spartans are set to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for Sunday, Jan 18, at 8 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
