MSU head coach Robyn Fralick is upset after the decision made by referees that followed a technical foul at the Breslin Center on Jan. 30, 2025.
The 2024-2025 season has come to an end for Michigan State University women’s basketball. After advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, the Spartans fell to No. 2 North Carolina State, 83-49.
Junior forward Grace VanSlooten led the Spartans with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and one steal. She was the only Spartan to reach double figures in Monday’s game.
From the start of the game, the Spartans didn’t look like themselves. As a team that typically controls the pace, they struggled to find their rhythm.
"The first quarter really got us on our heels," head coach Robyn Fralick said. "We’ve been a team though that has been behind and roared our way back many times. So, we have been a team able to go on runs. We’ve typically been able to do it with our defense and being able to kind of be disruptive. And tonight, we never got that run."
By the end of the first quarter, the Spartans trailed by 18 points, with the score at 27-9.
NC State did what it does best, out-rebounding MSU 44-29. The Wolfpack shot 31-of-62 from the field and 15-of-30 from beyond the arc, setting a new record. MSU struggled early, shooting 19-of-58 from the field.
Senior guard Aziaha James remained the Wolfpack’s leading scorer, finishing with a game-high 26 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. Graduate guard Madison Hayes and senior guard Saniya Rivers each scored 17 points, while freshman guard Zamareya Jones added 12.
Defense has been the Spartans’ identity this season, forcing 22 turnovers and 12.4 steals per game. MSU only forced 11 turnovers and grabbed five steals. The Wolfpack’s offense proved too much for the Spartans to handle.
"They have great guard play, so that makes it tricky," Fralick said. "They don’t have a primary ball handler, they have multiple. And then you know they shot it so well so all of a sudden, it’s really spaced out which its harder to be disruptive.”
This time, the Spartans couldn’t fight their way out of an early drought, and the game slipped away.
Although the Spartans were eliminated, this season has been a success. MSU earned two consecutive NCAA Tournament bids under Fralick and received its highest seeding since 2016.
"I only see it (the program) going up," VanSlooten said. "Just how hard everybody works in the program, the culture that surrounds it. I mean the only way we can go is up. So, I’m really excited to put a lot of work in this off season and really get better."
MSU women’s basketball finished the season 22-10 overall.
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