Freshman guard Theryn Hallock (4) shoots the ball during a game against Purdue Fort Wayne at Breslin Center on Nov. 10, 2022. The Spartans defeated the Mastodons with a score of 85-53.
After losing to No. 19 Oregon in the third place game of the Phil Knight Invitational, Michigan State women's basketball (6-2) will look to end its two-game losing streak against Georgia Tech (5-2) Thursday night.
The Spartans were down by 17 at one point but battled back to even the score against the Ducks. Oregon's offense was too much to handle though as the Spartans ultimately fell.
The game against Georgia Tech is a part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which is returning for its 15th year this season. Last time MSU played in the challenge it fell to Notre Dame to make its record 6-8 all time in the challenge's history.
The Spartans last faced the Yellowjackets in 2014 when MSU rallied from 13 points down to win by six in overtime. The upcoming bout will be their third meeting in history, as Georgia Tech won the first meeting in 2008 in Atlanta.
The Yellowjackets come into the match after going 2-1 in the Gulf Coast Showcase over the weekend. They lost to South Florida to open the showcase, then defeated Air Force and Belmont to reach five wins on the young season.
Georgia Tech is led by fifth-year senior guard Cameron Swartz, who averages 12.7 points a contest. Swartz has been deadly from deep as she also leads the team with 13 threes on a 31% clip this season. Fellow fifth-year senior guard Bianca Jackson is another key player the Spartans will have to keep an eye on as she trails slightly behind Swartz with 12.6 points a game.
MSU will look to graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel and sophomore forward Matilda Ekh for more strong performances in this one. McDaniel recorded a season-high 28 points and eight assists against the Ducks while Ekh, after missing the first game of the PKI against No. 8 Iowa State, put up 14 points on six field goals with two of them coming from beyond the arc.
Tipoff is set at 8 p.m. at the Breslin Center.
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