With 5:13 left in the second quarter, No. 22 Michigan State needed a bucket as Oakland cut the lead to eight. Just 11 seconds later, redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair delivered. She drove into the paint for another score — just as she had all half — pushing the Spartans’ lead back to double digits and sparking a 27–4 run to close the half.
Blair was unstoppable — she already had her career high by the 5:02 mark in the second quarter and finished the half with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. She ultimately finished the game with 25 points in just three quarters, the main contributor in a 102-41 MSU victory over Oakland.
"One of my favorite things about coaching Kennedy is that she just wants to win. She doesn't care how, if it's assists, if it's rebounds, if it's getting stops, scoring for me, she's just trying to make the right basketball play," MSU head coach Robyn Fralick said. "I think tonight, when we kind of had a slow start, missed some layups, some free throws, she just got going."
Through the first quarter, Blair was the lifeline of the struggling Spartan offense, scoring 11 of the team’s 22 points. MSU shot just 37.5% from the field while also going a disappointing 2-of-7 from the free throw line.
The first quarter was marked by an unusual sight for Michigan State: senior forward Grace VanSlooten was missing from the scoring column. She finished the opening period scoreless — a surprising development for MSU’s leading scorer, who entered the game averaging 17.2 points. VanSlooten didn’t record her first points until 11 seconds before halftime, raising questions about how she was feeling physically after leaving the previous game with a fourth-quarter injury.
VanSlooten revealed after today's contest that she hyperextended her knee last game but was mainly just sore.
"I think she's still getting better, very grateful that she's back out playing, and we'll be excited to use this time to keep helping her," Fralick said. "I know we're going to just keep working to get her full speed ahead."
While the offense showed early struggles, the defense continued its dominance — something that has become expected from this squad. The Spartans totaled 21 steals and forced 33 turnovers, which turned into 43 points. Blair led the way with four steals, putting together an impressive all-around performance to go along with her career scoring night.
MSU also shut down Oakland from behind the arc, holding the Golden Grizzlies to 4-of-25 shooting from three-point range, not scoring a 3-pointer until the 5:45 mark in the second quarter.
The offensive struggles may have plagued the first quarter, but the Spartans were fully reignited in the second. MSU caught fire, shooting 70.6% from the field, 66.7% from beyond the arc and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
Blair’s continued dominance and her ability to find open teammates played a major role in the surge. She went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and added three assists in the second quarter alone.
"I think it’s just experience. I’ve played basketball for 20 years, so I think that I’ve been around a lot of really good coaches who have helped grow my IQ," Blair said regarding her understanding of the game. "I think that with the trust built around me, I’m able to just play freely, and I don’t think about every little thing that I do."
The Spartans’ 27-4 run over the final five minutes of the first half set the tone for the remainder of the game, as MSU’s lead never dropped below 28 across the final two quarters.
The team will not return to Breslin for over a month, shifting its focus to Friday as it prepares to face Temple (3-3) at 6:30 p.m. in the Baha Mar Hoops Tournament in the Bahamas.
"We're ready for it. You know, that's what the biggest thing is right now. We need it. We're ready for it. We need some good days of practice," Fralick said regarding the upcoming tournament. "The phrase we use in our program is, 'When it’s time to hoop, you hoop.' I don’t care if you’re home, on the road, hot, cold, morning, night, and we haven’t had that yet."
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