Injuries and rotation changes have caused rough patches during the women’s basketball season. But in the midst of uncertainty, one thing has remained consistently positive for the Spartans — the team’s freshmen guards.
After a somewhat difficult, injury-filled non-conference schedule, the women’s basketball roster is the healthiest it’s been all season.
The team won its Big Ten opener in commanding fashion Saturday, defeating the Minnesota Gophers (11-4 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) 81-56 on the road.
The women’s basketball team outscored Minnesota 25-5 in the last nine minutes of the first half and enter halftime with a 38-21 lead in the Big Ten opener.
Redshirt junior center Madison Williams had a feeling Sunday would be Tori Jankoska’s day.
Following a lengthy holiday break, the women’s basketball team (7-5) will conclude the non-conference portion of the regular season on Sunday, taking on Colgate (4-5) at Breslin Center at 2 p.m. It will be the first game-action for the Spartans since traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Classic on Dec.
The women’s basketball team bounced back from a tough loss against No. 13 Oklahoma State on Friday, defeating Georgetown 67-54 in its second and last game of the Puerto Rico Classic.
The MSU women’s basketball team fell to No. 13 Oklahoma State, 63-57, Thursday evening in the Puerto Rico Classic.
The last few weeks of practice had been tough for the women’s basketball team.
It’s been a rough stretch for the women’s basketball team, who have dropped their last three games by a combined 13 points. A return home could be what the doctor ordered. After a week off for exams, the Spartans (5-4 overall) will take on Oakland (2-6 overall) at Breslin Center on Sunday.
A Chris Webber-esque technical ultimately sealed a second straight loss for the women’s basketball team.
After a stunning 81-76 loss to IPFW on Sunday, the MSU women’s basketball team will be back in action 7 p.m. Wednesday at Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Entering the game with a five-game winning streak, the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team was stunned on its home court Sunday evening losing to IPFW, 81-76.
It’s tough to win when the opposing team shoots north of 50 percent, both overall and from beyond the arc.
A spirited comeback effort spearheaded by freshman guard Tori Jankoska couldn’t help the Spartans overcome IPFW’s hot outside shooting. The Mastadons knocked down 13 of 23 3-point attempts and shot 53.7 percent overall to help defeat the No. 21 women’s basketball team, 81-76, at Breslin Center.
It wasn’t an easy win, but a win nonetheless. Despite trailing for most of the first half, the No. 21 women’s basketball team (5-1 overall) overcame Temple’s stifling defense and increased its winning streak to five games by defeating the Owls (3-1) 74-70 in Philadelphia, Pa.
After completing an undefeated four-game home stretch Saturday, the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team now will face Temple on the road at 7 p.m. Tuesday to Philadelphia.
Madison Williams already has suffered three anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, tears. But something is telling her she isn’t done yet. The redshirt junior center and former McDonald’s All-American only played in three collegiate games prior to this season. On Saturday night, a Breslin Center crowd of nearly 6,000 witnessed her play in her first game since Nov. 15, 2011. To a standing ovation from the crowd, Williams entered the game with about 15 minutes left in the first half. In two stints — one in the first half and one in the second half — Williams played five minutes and showed a glimpse of her potential when she scored six points, and recorded one rebound, one block and one steal. “(It’s) such a huge weight off,” Williams said about playing in her first game in two years. “All I’m thinking right now is I’m so thankful. God is so good to me just that I can get out there and I’m safe. He kept me safe in that game.
After leading by only two points at halftime, the No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team made a 13-0 run midway through the second half that powered the Spartans through to a win against Rice on Saturday night at Breslin Center. Early in the first half, the Spartans (4-1 overall) got into foul trouble, which saw senior forward Annalise Pickrel head to the bench for most of the first half after picking up two fouls in just two minutes. In the second half, Rice (3-3) tied it right off the bat when forward Megan Palmer hit a layup, but back-to-back 3-pointers by senior guard Klarissa Bell and junior guard Kiana Johnson gave MSU the lead back, and the Spartans wouldn’t lose it again. With less than 10 minutes left, the Owls cut the lead to only four off an Alyssa Lang 3-pointer.
The No. 21 MSU women’s basketball team had no trouble putting away Detroit-Mercy on Wednesday night as the Spartans rolled to an 80-41 victory. The outstanding play of redshirt freshman Branndais Agee as well as a pair of double-digit runs were key in helping the Spartans (3-1 overall) secure the 39-point victory against the Titans (1-4). After Detroit-Mercy guard Senee Shearer hit a 3-pointer to briefly tie the game at 11, MSU started to pull away with 3-pointers by freshman Tori Jankoska, senior guard Klarissa Bell, Agee and sophomore guard Cara Miller on four of the next six possessions to give MSU a 23-13 point lead.