EAST LANSING– No. 18 Michigan State women’s basketball demolished Northwestern 104-68, on a night that honored six Spartans’ seniors. MSU controlled the game from the opening tip and bounced back after losing four of its last five for a much-needed win.
The Spartans were able to get back on track after the recent skid and get back to what they’ve been doing all season. Here are three takeaways from the night.
Seniors show out
The senior class showed out on senior night with multiple stellar performances. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten bounced back with a 22-point performance, leading the Spartans in scoring. VanSlooten also had seven rebounds, two steals, and three blocks. Senior forward Marah Dykstra had a season-high 14 points on the night, stepping up in her increased role with multiple players sidelined. Senior guard Jalyn Brown had 15 points and 5 assists, continuing her strong scoring since being thrust into the starting lineup. Senior guards Emma Shumate and Abbey Kimball also added six points each from deep. Kimball got to see increased playing time for the first time in a while, and the team captain took advantage of it.
“I think tonight was good because obviously senior night, you want to make it about the seniors, but we really just want to make it about the team and just cementing ourselves and we’ve accomplished so much this year, we really want to leave that on a high note,” Dykstra said postgame. “We had two really solid practices before this game and so we knew that we were connected and focused coming into this one.”
MSU head coach Robyn Fralick has preached a next player up mentality all season, and Dykstra embodied that against the Wildcats. The Canadian native made the most of her increased role and was also efficient from the field, missing only one of six shots from the field. She was also a perfect 3/3 from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Theryn Hallock has been sidelined since December, so she was unable to take the court on senior night but was still honored postgame. Hallock could return for a fifth year with a medical redshirt, but no decision has been made yet.
Sara Sambolic steps up
Junior guard Sara Sambolic was named a starter with junior guard Rashunda Jones sidelined and took full advantage of the opportunity given to her. Sambolic had 13 points and six assists and came out of the gates hot with six first quarter points.
“She was awesome. 13 points, six assists, no turnovers, and then, [Caroline] Lau is one of the best passers in the country,” Fralick said postgame.” And I thought Sara did a great job of just making it hard for her to get it, making it hard for her to initiate often. So, I feel like she really set the tone and credit to her.”
Sambolic missed a large chunk of the season with an injury and got her second start of the season against Northwestern. Sambolic showed great ability to be a floor general and was spreading the ball around and finding her teammates. Sambolic also added a block defensively despite her lack of size. Fralick had high praise for the defensive ability and tenacity Sambolic demonstrated all night.
Limiting the turnovers
In MSU’s recent skid, turnovers have been a huge problem, most notably against Michigan. The Spartans had over 20 turnovers against their rival Sunday, with 12 coming in a single quarter. The Spartans needed to get back to spreading the ball around and limiting turnovers.
The Spartans did exactly that, as they had 29 assists and only five turnovers on the night. Sophomore guard Kennedy Blair had a double-double with 17 points and ten assists, and Sambolic, Brown, and VanSlooten all added at least four assists. Blair had five steals on the night, and the Wildcats finished with 17 turnovers. The Spartans had 22 points off Wildcat turnovers and were able to get back to the brand of basketball they have been playing all season.
“Back on track has been the theme of the past two days. We’ve done so much this year, and we really want to finish the season strong. And I think our two practices this week have really got us back on track,” Dykstra said. “But tonight, I think it was just about us playing as a team, playing for each other, and playing for something bigger than ourselves. And I think that really showed out there and the way we moved the ball and found everyone.”
One of the five Spartan turnovers was a shot clock violation with one second left in the game, in which the Spartans just let the clock run down. The Spartans were excellent at controlling possession and limiting mistakes, a big reason for the 36-point victory, their largest margin of victory in conference play. The Spartans will need to continue to limit the turnovers to succeed in postseason play as the regular season winds down.
The Spartans are back in action Sunday, as they travel to Minneapolis to take on a surging Minnesota team. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET.
