Wednesday night was no different for the Robyn Fralick-led Spartans, who took a strong 101-44 win over Detroit Mercy to begin the season 6-0.

Though it was MSU's third time reaching the century scoring mark this season, most of the game was defined by its effort on the other end of the floor. Five Spartans grabbed three or more steals, notably junior guard Theryn Hallock and graduate guard Nyla Hampton’s four apiece.

"Something that we’ve been really challenging our team on is doing it right over and over again and dominating the details of some of the nuances of what we want to be able to do defensively and offensively," Fralick said postgame.

The Spartans have yet to play any power conference competition, but the stats speak for themselves. MSU entered ranked 10th in the country in steals per game (16) and second in scoring margin (49 points), both of which should increase following Wednesday's victory. 

MSU started off strong in large part due to junior forward Grace VanSlooten, who made her presence felt inside in the absence of graduate forward Julia Ayrault. VanSlooten scored 14 of her 16 total points in the first half to set the tone.

Coming off a double-double performance in MSU’s 79-42 win over Western Michigan on the road, the Oregon transfer picked up where she left off.

"Coming into the game, we felt like we really had a good advantage in the paint," Fralick said. "Grace did a great job setting the tone early with getting to the free-throw line and getting some baskets in the paint, really setting the tone and putting pressure on the rim."

Through six games, an in-your-face, press defense has given MSU's opponents little space to spread the ball. It's helped them secure some early cushions. 

"We play alignment basketball. We play aggressive on both ends of the basketball,” Fralick said. "We play aggressively defensively. It’s a mentality. It's the way we practice; it’s the way we train, it’s the way we teach."

The aggressive mindset is not exclusive to the staff. Players have seemingly bought into this kind of no-holds-barred intensity on defense. 

"Our defense really gets our offense started," VanSlooten said. "When we get stops in the press and everything like that, that’s really our way to get our offense started and kind of get some easy points. We’ve always just wanted to be relentless on the defensive end."

Alongside the Spartans' defense came stellar minutes from many of their freshman. Freshman forward Juliann Woodard was arguably the game's individual standout, scoring a team-high 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting in just under 14 minutes. 

"(Woodard) is a great shooter, great scorer," Fraylick said. "She has a real knack for putting the ball in the basket, which that’s important. She’s also a really good rebounder, but it’s been fun, and she’s really come along."

The redshirt freshmen pair of guard Kennedy Blair and forward Mary Meng also added valuable minutes, with Blair scoring 10 points and Meng blocking three shots.

Beyond just tonight’s win, the freshmen have been a pleasant surprise for the Spartans. It may not be out of the question to see different lineup looks as the season progresses. 

"I think that these games have really given some kids some opportunities for us to see more of what they can do in real games," Fralick said. "I know as a staff; that’s something we’re always evaluating. How do we put our best combinations out there? And I think that these early games have given us a really good look."

The Spartans will travel to Palm Springs, California to face University of California in the Acrisure Classic games on Tuesday, Nov. 26 for their first true test of the season.