MSU head coach Robyn Fralick loved what she saw from her squad as she takes on her second year at the helm.

“I loved our effort,” Fralick said postgame. “I loved our energy. I love the impact that our entire roster made at the game.”

The name of the game for MSU was defense, as the Spartans forced 33 total turnovers — 21 in the first half — and allowed only 18 points heading into halftime. This relentless effort defensively created opportunities as MSU scored 44 points off of turnovers.

“Our disruption tonight did a really good job forcing turnovers and when you force turnovers, you have advantage basketball, so you’re usually in a situation to create a really good shot,” Fralick said. 

Among the many disruptors on the floor was graduate guard Nyla Hampton, who transferred to MSU in the offseason. Hampton was all over the court, grabbing five steals and a block with consistent pressure on her assignment.

Formerly her coach at Bowling Green, Fralick understands what Hampton adds to that end of the floor.

“(Nyla) has incredibly long arms. I would love to say she has sneaky length and great instincts,” Fralick said. “So with that combination, she really has a great feel of where the ball is going to be and what people want to do. She’s able to get in there and be disruptive with that.”

A two-time MAC defensive player of the year winner, Hampton recognizes her role on this year's MSU team.

“Just having that defensive mindset is extremely important,” Hampton said. “You can score as much as you want, but if you can’t stop the other team from scoring, what’s that going to do for you?”

Stellar play off of the bench joined the Spartans' shutdown defense. Eight non-starters reached the scoring column, most notably junior guard Abbey Kimball and redshirt freshman guard Kennedy Blair.

Kimball scored 10 points in 17 minutes, shooting 3-for-5 from the field with two three-pointers. Blair also reached double-digits with 10 points and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

After a season in which depth was often an issue, Fralick has made bench play a point of emphasis this season. 

“We felt like going into this season that we needed more depth to play the way we want to play,” Fralick said. “I feel like our depth is an advantage. So we’ve got to, as a staff, make sure we’re figuring out how to use that.” 

With 48 of MSU's points coming from its bench, Fralick has to be encouraged with how her team lived up to offseason aspirations on night one of the season. And it’s only the first game — the Spartans have their entire season in front of them. 

As a whole, the Spartans shot 50% from the field and 46% from deep, both bright spots for the offense moving forward. On the other end, their 22 steals were just two shy of a program record.

1-0 to start the season, the Spartans will face off against Yale on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Breslin Center.