WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.– No. 13 Michigan State women’s basketball defeated Purdue 86-65 on Thursday night at Mackey Arena.  The Spartans improved to 19-2 on the season with a comfortable win before they take on the rival Michigan Wolverines.  The Spartans also improved to 8-2 in conference play, their best start through ten games since 1996-1997. 

The Spartans forced multiple turnovers in the opening possessions but were unable to slow down freshman forward Avery Gordon, whose size proved to be an early problem for the Spartans.  MSU turned it around and went on a 12-0 run, aided by forcing multiple turnovers.   

The Spartans ended the quarter with 22 points in the paint and 12 points off eight Purdue turnovers.  Sophomore guard Kennedy Blair and senior forward Grace VanSlooten led the early charge, combining for 15 points in the quarter.  Blair also added three assists and two steals in the opening quarter, getting off to a fast start in what would go on to be another excellent performance. 

“Kennedy does such a good job of putting relentless pressure on the other team. She’s really aggressive in transition. 
She gets to the paint and she’s a really good finisher in the paint,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said.  “So, I thought in transition, especially early in that game, she just made a lot happen. She puts a lot of pressure on the defense.” 

Blair’s ascension has greatly aided a Spartans team that has been missing senior guard Theryn Hallock for over a month.  Blair would go on to finish with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals in another stellar all-around performance.  VanSlooten would finish as the Spartans’ leading scorer with 17, adding 8 rebounds and 3 steals.  

The Spartans continued to pull away in the second quarter, as they led by 27 at the half.  MSU’s bench stepped up in the second quarter, getting key points from players such as senior guard Emma Shumate and senior forward Marah Dykstra.  MSU has not been getting a lot of scoring from their bench lately, having just two points in their last game against USC.  Tonight, the bench scored 26 points, with 16 coming from Dykstra and Shumate. 

“It’s so important in this league. 
I mean, just night in night out matchups look different, the more depth you have, the more balance you have, the better you are, so, I thought our bench has been really good,” Fralick said postgame.  “I thought there were a few games where we were getting less of that. Tonight, it was good to see just the production.” 

Purdue would fight back slightly in the third quarter, but the Spartans still controlled the game and maintained a huge lead.  Gordon and senior guard Madison Layden-Zay provided a spark for the Boilermaker offense, and would go on to be the leading scorers, finishing with 20 and 18, respectively.  VanSlooten countered with eight points in the quarter, and the Spartans led 73-40 heading into the final quarter of play. 

In the 4th quarter, Purdue would outscore the Spartans by double digits.  With the big lead and sophomore center Ines Sotelo out of the game with her fifth foul, Fralick would empty the bench.  Sophomore forward Kendall Puryear would score eight points, while Layden-Zay would drill three shots from beyond the arc.  The Spartans struggled in the final quarter with turnovers, and were unable to generate much offense, but with the game effectively wrapped up, there was no worry about a Purdue comeback. 

The Spartans improved to 19-2, while Purdue fell to 11-10, and 3-7 in conference play.  The Spartans’ next matchup is a big one, as they host rival Michigan Sunday at the Breslin Center.  Tip-off is set for noon ET, and the game will be streamed on FS1.