PORTLAND, Ore. - Michigan State women's basketball continues action at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon. The Spartans take on No. 18/18 Oregon, Nov. 27 at 1 p.m. ET at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on ESPN2. This will be the battle for third place at the Phil Knight Invitational, as North Carolina and Iowa State will face each other in the championship game. Pam Ward and Stephanie White will be on the call for ESPN2.

• MSU suffered its first loss of the season after a 80-49 defeat against No. 4/5 Iowa State on Thursday. The Spartans are now 6-1 this season. Oregon also dropped its first game of the season in a tight 85-79 game against North Carolina. The Ducks are now 4-1 this season.

• Michigan was without leading scorer Matilda Ekh against the Cyclones. Ekh was in Sweden for a game with the Swedish National Team.

• The Spartans trail the overall series against Oregon 1-2, but captured the last game in the series in East Lansing, 88-82, on Dec. 9, 2018. Senior guard/forward Tory Ozment is the only current Spartan to have played in that game.

• Senior guard Moira Joiner's start against Iowa State on Nov. 24 was her first since Dec. 9, 2021 against Illinois.

SCOUTING OREGON
The No. 18/18 Ducks started the season with a 4-0 record this season, before its semifinal PKI loss to North Carolina, 85-79 on Thursday. Four Oregon players average in double figures through the first four games led by Grace VanSlooten, averaging 14.0 ppg. Te-ina PaoPao is second in scoring with 13.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Overall, Oregon is averaging 83.6 points per game, while allowing only 57.8.

Oregon head coach Kelly Graves is in his eighth season with the Ducks and 28th overall. Graves has 194-76 record at Oregon. He led Oregon to the program's first-ever Final Four in appearance in 2019, while reaching third-straight Elite Eight.

SERIES HISTORY VS. DUCKS
No. 18/18 Oregon is on top of the all-time series with Michigan State, 2-1, but the Spartans won the last meeting in East Lansing, Dec. 5, 2018, 88-82. Michigan State took down Sabrina Ionescu and the Ducks behind a team-high 27 points from senior Jenna Allen. 

The Ducks took the two earlier meetings. In 2002, Oregon edged the Spartans, 65-54 in Eugene, while the Ducks topped MSU, 88-55 in Eugene in 2016. This is the first neutral site meeting between the teams. In the PK80 Invitational, MSU played on Oregon's home court but faced UConn.

LOOKING BACK PK80
Michigan State women's basketball suffered its first loss of the season, falling to No. 1 Connecticut, 96-62, in the first game of the women's portion of the PK80 Invitational on Nov. 25, 2017 at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.

Redshirt-senior guard Branndais Agee became the 26th player in Michigan State women's basketball history to reach 1,000 points. The last player to do so was All-American Tori Jankoska in 2015. Agee ended the game with 10 points, while freshman forward Sidney Cooks led the Spartans with 11 points and eight rebounds.

LAST TIME VS OREGON
Jenna Allen scored 27 points - including a big 3-pointer in the final minute - and Michigan State handed No. 3 Oregon its first loss of the season, 88-82 on Dec. 9, 2018.
Up by three late in the fourth quarter, the Spartans (8-1) ran the shot clock down and got the ball to Allen, who sank a 3-pointer with 34.7 seconds left, then ran down the court with her arms outstretched, holding three fingers out with each hand.

Allen ended the game one-point shy of her career high with 27 points, adding seven rebounds to lead the Spartans. 

Sabrina Ionescu scored 29 points for Oregon and Erin Boley added 24, but the Ducks (7-1) didn't start defending well until the final quarter, and Michigan State made enough shots late to pull out the win.

SPARTANS VS. DUCKS PART TWO
Both Spartan squads will take on Oregon at the Phil Knight Invitational. The MSU men take on Oregon on Friday, Nov. 25.

FREQUENT FLYER
For the first time this season, the Spartans had a different starting lineup. With sophomore guard Matilda Ekh in Sweden for a Swedish National Team game, MSU's starting five were sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann, junior guard Gabby Elliott, senior guard Moira Joiner, graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel and senior forward Taiyier Parks. Joiner was making her first start of the season. Ekh who trained with the Swedish team this summer is expected to return for Sunday's game.

DID YOU KNOW?
Senior guard Moira Joiner's start against Iowa State on Nov. 24 was her first since Dec. 9, 2021 against Illinois.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK
The Spartans are looking to get back on track after suffering their first loss against No. 4/5 Iowa State on Nov. 24. MSU had its worst shooting performance of the season against ISU, shooting only 28.3 percent from the field. Michigan State also struggled from long range, shooting 11.1 percent from beyond the arc.

MO THREES
Senior guard Moira Joiner has had a resurgence since returning from concussion symptoms that shortened her 2021-22 season. In seven games this season, she has averaged 9.6 points per game. Against Central Michigan on Nov. 19, she scored a season-high 17 points. She also tied her career high with five made 3-pointers. She also made five treys against Rutgers on Jan. 20, 2020 and Northwestern on Jan. 23, 2020, which were back-to-back games. Joiner as reached double figures in four of MSU's six games this year.

BY THE NUMBERS VS. IOWA STATE
• Senior forward Taiyier Parks tied a career high with three blocks. She has tallied three blocks seven times in her career with the last time occurring against Penn State on Jan. 27, 2022.

• Graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel scored 11 points to reach double figures for the fifth time this season. Sophomore DeeDee Hagemann led the team with 14 points, which was her third double-figure scoring game this year. 

STAYING OFF THE SCOREBOARD
Against FAMU on Nov. 17, the Spartans also held the Rattlers to single-digits in the second and third quarters, with six points in the second stanza and seven in the third. The six-point second quarter would have tied the fewest by the Spartans, holding Indiana to six points on 12/28/17, if not for last time out stymieing Oakland (11/15/22) to just four points, while the seven-point third quarter is also the second-lowest in the third stanza this season, as last time out, Michigan State limited Oakland to just five points in the third quarter.

The Spartans have had at least one single-digit quarter in six of its seven games this season. Against the Chippewas on Nov. 19, MSU held CMU to only eight points in the third period. In the quarter, the Spartans forced seven turnovers and held the Chips to 4-for-12 from the field.

BALANCED ATTACK
Without All-American Nia Clouden to dominate the box score this season, the Spartans are looking for a more balanced attack. In seven games this season, Michigan State has spread out the scoring. Senior forward Taiyier Parks led in scoring with a career-high 18 against Purdue Fort Wayne. Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh was atop the score sheet with 20 against Western Michigan and 16 against Florida A&M. Three players led MSU in scoring against Central Michigan with sophomore forward Isaline Alexander, junior guard Gabby Elliott and senior guard Moira Joiner all scored 17 points. Four Spartans are averaging over 9.0 points per game: Ekh (11.2 ppg), Kamaria McDaniel (10.7 ppg), Joiner (9.6 ppg) and Elliott (9.6 ppg).

TOPPING THE CHARTS
Michigan State is among the Big Ten's leaders early on this season. The Spartans are currently fourth in the B1G in scoring margin (+34.1) and third in scoring defense (50.9 ppg). MSU is also fourth in rebound margin (+12.7) and third in steals (12.9 apg).

Sophomore guard Matilda Ekh is first in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made with 18. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann stands sixth in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ration (3.38).

AROUND THE NATION
Early this season, Michigan State is 13th in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 19.7, behind Michigan (23.5 apg). MSU is also eighth in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+34.1).    

SEASON OPENERS
All-time, the Spartans are 35-15 in season openers, but 28-2 when the opener is in East Lansing. Coach Merchant is 13-3 in season openers at MSU, and has won 19 of her last 22, including her time at Eastern Michigan. Last season, the Spartans earned a dominating 86-37 win over Delaware State on Nov. 7.

UP NEXT
Michigan State will return home to host Georgia Tech on Thursday, Dec. 1 in the ACC/B1G Challenge at 8 p.m. MSU will then open Big Ten play against Purdue at home on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.

EVERYONE GETS POINTS
A total of seven different Spartans set or tied a season-high, including three players scoring their first points of the season, including two tallying the first points of their collegiate careers against Florida A&M on Nov. 15. Freshman guard Abbey Kimball tallied the first five seven points of her Spartan career, getting into the scoring column with a pair of free throws, and finishing with a field goal and 5-for-5 at the charity stipe. Freshman guard Maddy Skorupski made the first field goal of her MSU career to finish the night with two points. Senior guard Jayla James netted not only her first five points of the season, but also a new career-high, topping her previous top mark of four points last season at Wisconsin (1/24/21).

GUESS WHO'S BACK
Despite losing All-American Nia Clouden, the Spartans bring back a lot of fire power. MSU returns two starters in sophomore guard Matilda Ekh and sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann. Ekh was third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game. She was also eighth in the B1G in 3-pointers made with 2.3. Hagemann was sixth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.7 ppg and was fourth in the conference in assists (5.3 apg).

TITLE IX CELEBRATION
Throughout the season, Michigan State will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. MSU Athletics kicked off its year-round celebration on June 23, 2022. While the work in advancing women's athletics is not complete, the Spartans will celebrate the advancements that have been made in the last 50 years.  

LEGENDARY SPARTAN
Former Michigan State women's basketball guard Nia Clouden was drafted 12th in the first round by the Connecticut Sun at the 2022 WNBA Draft. Clouden was the 12th Big Ten student-athlete drafted by the Sun franchise (which began as the Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002). Clouden, an Owings Mills, Maryland native, became the eighth Spartan to be selected in the WNBA draft. Tori Jankoska was the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Sky, while Aerial Powers was the fifth overall pick in 2016 going to the Dallas Wings. 

Maxann Reese and Kristen Rasmussen were the first Spartans selected in the WNBA, drafted in 2000. Reese was taken in the third round, while Rasmussen was selected in the fourth. In 2003, Syreeta Broomfield was drafted in the third round. In 2005, Kristin Haynie was the ninth overall pick by Sacramento, while Liz Shimek was taken in the second round by Phoenix in 2006.

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
The Spartans will once again play a very difficult schedule. Nine of the MUS's 2022-23 regular-season opponents competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, including MSU's ACC/Big Ten Challenge opponent Georgia Tech. All three teams at the Phil Knight Invitational competed in the NCAA Tournament with MSU facing Iowa State in the first game. The Spartans will then face either Oregon or North Carolina in the next game. From the Big Ten portion of the schedule, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State reached the NCAA Tournament.

SPARTANS: THE NEW CLASS
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced the signing of two National Letters of Intent on Thursday, including Jordan Wood (Chicago, Illinois/Carmel Catholic High School) and Bree Robinson (Mississauga, Ontario/ Webb School). 

Wood is a 6-4 forward, who is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She attends Carmel Catholic High School and is coached by Ben Berg. Wood is currently ranked No. 62 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.  As a junior, she scored 1,000 points, as well as leading the Corsairs to a Class 3A Illinois State Championship.  Last season, she averaged 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while also leading the team in assists (3.2 apg). She is a three-time All-East Suburban Catholic Conference and All-Area honoree, as well as capturing First-Team All-State accolades. Wood played AAU for Midwest Elite, competing on the EYBL Nike National circuit for coach Ralph Gesuado.

Robinson is a 5-8 guard, who is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, plays for head coach Matthew Shewmake at the Webb School (Tenn.). She helped lead the Webb school to a Tennessee State Championship, earning First-Team All-District 3 honors in the process. She also has a vast amount of international experience playing for Team Canada. She was the captain for Team Canada, playing in the U16 FIBA Americas in 2021, capturing a silver medal. She was also named Canletes 2022 All Canadian Player of the Year. She played for AAU Become One, competing on the GUAA Under Armour circuit for coach Handel Kipp. 

CLOSING OUT THE GAMES
The Spartans have been extremely effective closing out games over the last couple years, winning 244 of its last 257 games (.949) when leading with five minutes left, including 194 of their last 209. In Coach Merchant's tenure, Michigan State is 278-21 (.930) when holding a lead with five minutes left. This season, MSU is 6-0 when leading with five minutes remaining. 

MAGIC NUMBERS
In head coach Suzy Merchant's tenure, when two numbers on the scoreboard were achieved it typically has been a sign of a MSU win. The Green & White have won 176 of their last 206 games (.854) when scoring at least 70 points, and the Spartans are 196-41 (.827) under head coach Suzy Merchant when hanging at least 70 points on the scoreboard. This season, MSU is 6-0 this season when scoring 70 points.






 

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