ANN ARBOR, MI— No. 13 Michigan State women’s basketball looked to break its recent skid with a trip to Ann Arbor. Coming in having lost three of their last four, the Spartans looked to get the best of their rival and get revenge for their previous meeting at the Breslin on February 1.   

It was not to be, as the Wolverines would prevail 86-65. Turnovers would plague the Spartans all night after a good start. 

The Spartans got off to a hot start, leading by eight at one point in the first quarter. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten and sophomore guard Kennedy Blair each had seven points in the opening frame.  

VanSlooten fought through contact on her first bucket of the night, and Blair had a steal that she turned into two points. Blair also added three rebounds in the opening ten minutes, and the Spartans held a 21-15 lead after one quarter. It was imperative for MSU to get off to a hot start after recent slow starts, most notably against UCLA. 

In the second quarter, everything would go wrong for MSU. A six-point lead would turn into an 11-point halftime deficit. Sophomore Syla Swords would heat up offensively, while MSU would continue to turn the ball over.  

Swords opened the quarter with five straight points and would score ten in the quarter. Swords would finish as the night’s leading scorer with 24 and was a threat every time she touched the ball. 

Michigan outscored MSU 26-9 in the second quarter. MSU only attempted seven shots and had 12 turnovers in the quarter alone. MSU is averaging 13 turnovers per game this year but had 12 in one quarter tonight.  

Blair struggled in the second, as she had five turnovers, including three on three straight possessions. Every offensive possession was a struggle for MSU, as they continued to dig themselves into a hole. Sophomore guard Mila Holloway also contributed 8 points in the quarter and finished with 15. 

Michigan also excelled at keeping possessions alive. Compared to MSU’s seven shot attempts in the quarter, Michigan had 22. Michigan had ten offensive rebounds in the first half, five of them coming from senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels. Michigan had 11 second-chance points in the quarter and continued to pull away. Junior guard Rashunda Jones had a bucket plus the foul at the end of the quarter to try to get positive momentum. 

“We did a good job defensively; we got stops and then I thought our ball movement was good. We felt like we could move the ball and attack them on multiple sides, and we did early and got good shots, made some. We didn’t make all of them, but they were good shots,” MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said.
 

“And then in the second quarter, we were dropping the ball. It was a lot of self-inflicted, just playing a little bit sped up, which got us just out of rhythm, out of sorts. You can’t turn the ball over that much and be effective. We gave up so many second shots, too, so that makes the game really hard.” 

In the third quarter, the Spartans would fare a little bit better but were unable to close the gap. Blair would score eight of the 20 points in the quarter and get to the line several times. Blair finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds but also had 8 turnovers on the night.  

Swords would also add eight points, and junior forward Ashley Solfilkanich scored six points in the quarter to push the Wolverines lead out further. Solfilkanich also blocked three shots in the quarter. The Spartans would ease back on the turnovers with only three in the quarter but would still finish the night with 24.  

Blair hit a three at the buzzer to cut the Michigan lead to 15 entering the final ten minutes. Jones also went down with an injury in the quarter and would not return for MSU. 

“We weren’t able to get stops and then we kind of settled in and really got stops for the rest of the game,” Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “Our second quarter defense was outstanding, but I thought our defense and the way we forced turnovers all game was really exceptional. Olivia and Syla were both tremendous, but they had a lot of support from their teammates as well.” 

There was no comeback, as the Wolverines would keep suffocating the Spartans. Sophomore guard Olivia Olson scored eight of her 23 points in the fourth, pushing the lead out further. Olson also had eight rebounds in the game. Blair had six in the quarter and freshman guard Amy Terrian would add five.  

With about five minutes left, sophomore forward Juliann Woodard went down hard in what was a scary scene. She was eventually taken off the court in a wheelchair and would not return. The final minutes of the game were a formality, and Michigan would win 86-65 in front of over 11,000 fans on a ceremonious night, as they retired Naz Hillmon’s jersey before the game.  

”I think it says a lot about the talent in the state and the basketball in the state, but also the community and the excitement around us, whether you’re over in East Lansing, whether in Ann Arbor, we’re packed, over 11,000 people,”’ Swords said postgame.  

“It’s just a really exciting place to play basketball, to have a rivalry. The students are going to come out, the community’s going to come out, it’s just a really exciting game to play.” 

Michigan improved to 22-4 and 13-2 in the Big Ten, while MSU fell to 20-6 and 9-6 in conference play.  The Spartans have now dropped four of five and are looking to reverse fortunes with the season winding down. 

“Right now, there are things that we’re not doing well that are getting really exposed. So, starts with me. I’m responsible for figuring out how to get us back playing confident and competitive,” Fralick said. “One of the things that we always feel is a signature is we’re going to fight, and we’ve got to find a way to get that back at a high level quickly.” 

The Spartans have a rather short turnaround, as they are back at the Breslin hosting Northwestern on Wednesday night.  Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.