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No. 16 MSU women’s basketball looks to keep momentum against Oregon

January 29, 2025
<p>Michigan State junior forward Grace VanSlooten (14) and senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate (11) high-five after scoring at the Breslin Student Events Center on Jan. 22, 2025.</p>

Michigan State junior forward Grace VanSlooten (14) and senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate (11) high-five after scoring at the Breslin Student Events Center on Jan. 22, 2025.

The Michigan State University women’s basketball team has been a healthy surprise for most fans of the sport this past season, seeing a historic amount of success under second year head coach Robyn Fralick.

The Spartans are 17-3 overall midway through the season, while 7-2 in Big Ten conference play. Defined by their stifling defense and tight-knit culture, they have comfortably sat within the AP top 25 rankings all season long, currently ranked No. 16 following a dominant road win against rival Michigan.

Coming into East Lansing on Thursday is the Oregon Ducks, one of the newest members of the recent Big Ten expansion. Sitting at eighth in the conference at 6-3 (15-5 overall), the matchup won’t be one for Fralick to look over, as the Ducks have won three straight entering Thursday’s contest.

The two programs have a short history, with Oregon leading the series 3-1. The Spartans lone win came in 2018 when the Ducks led by star Sabrina Ionescu came into East Lansing as the No. 3 team, falling to the Spartans 88-82.

 Looking ahead to Thursday, there are two key stories to watch for in the conference matchup.

Grace VanSlooten faces her former team

One of the biggest reasons MSU has been as successful as they have been all season long is because of junior forward Grace VanSlooten. 

VanSlooten, a former top-20 recruit in the 2022 class (ESPN) and McDonald’s All-American, spent her first two seasons in Eugene under head coach Kelly Graves. In her two years, VanSlooten averaged 13.2 points per game as a freshman followed by a team-high 15 points per game in her sophomore year, which earned her honorable mention All Pac-12 honors.

In her first season under Fralick, VanSlooten has started 12 of her 19 games played, averaging 14.2 points alongside 7 rebounds per game. VanSlooten has been a much needed aid to the Spartans roster, who struggled when it came to size last season. 

As of recently, VanSlooten has seen a number of double and even triple-teams when carrying the ball. However, despite the pressure, she has still managed to score in double figures in all but two games this season, including a dominant 24 point performance against Illinois last week.

The return against her former team is anticipated by the outfit, but they look to stay the course.

"Obviously it’s a tough one for Grace, she transferred from (Oregon), so we’re going to play our hearts out for her, but we take it game by game." Junior guard Theryn Hallock said following the win against Michigan.

A defensive battle may be in store

All season long, the Spartans have been one of the teams in the Big Ten synonymous with tough defense, but the Ducks are not too far off. Oregon sit fourth in the Big Ten in steals per game (10.1) and are fourth in scoring defense, allowing only 58.8 points per game. 

Oregon holds two double-digit scorers, led by senior guard Deja Kelly, who averages 10.5 points per game and 4.6 rebounds. Alongside Kelly is senior guard Peyton Scott, averaging 10.4 points on 41% shooting. The Ducks have a rather balanced roster, but shutting down Kelly and Scott will be key for the Spartans' success.

On the other end, the Spartans are coming into the game as leaders in major defensive categories. The Spartans are 13th in scoring margin in the NCAA, beating their opponents by an average of 23 points per game. The Spartans also rank 13th in blocks per game with 5.6 and seventh in steals per game with 13.2.

For either team to win, it will be dependent on shutting down the prolific scorers. The Spartans will have to find a way to force other options to score for Oregon, while the Ducks will have to focus on clogging the paint to limit where MSU have thrived all season.

MSU and Oregon will tip off on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. at the Breslin Center, with Big Ten Network airing the matchup.

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