EAST LANSING, Mich. - A strong first-half start was all the Spartan women's basketball team needed to cruise to a 89-65 win over Niagara Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center.
This is the seventh-straight season that Michigan State has started the season with a 2-0 record. With the loss Niagara falls to 1-2 this season, also losing to Oakland on Nov. 12. With the win, head coach Suzy Merchant also inched closer to another milestone. She now has 499 career wins and 298 wins at Michigan State.
For the second-straight game, MSU had at least four players in double figures, paced once again by junior guard Alyza Winston, who led all scorers with 17 points to go along with a career-high six assists. Senior guard Nia Clouden added 12 points, while freshman guard DeeDee Hagemann and junior forward Taiyier Parks both scored 11. Hagemann continues her strong start adding a game-high seven helpers.
Niagara was led by 12 points from Maddy Yelle with Ally Haar adding 11.
Clouden scored the first six points of the game, as MSU jumped out to an early 8-0 lead. After making 5-of-6 field goals, Michigan State extended its lead to 19-4 with under three minutes remaining in the quarter. Turnovers plagued the Purple Eagles in the first quarter as 12 turned into 11 points for the Spartans. MSU ended the first period with a 28-8 advantage.
In the second quarter, the Niagara offense came to life, as MSU only out-scored NU, 22-19. Niagara chipped away at the deficit, using a 7-0 run, but a pair of Hagemann free throws put the lead back to 23 points. At the half, the Spartans held a 50-27 lead over the Purple Eagles.
A 6-0 run gave MSU a 65-41 advantage in the third quarter with less than four minutes remaining in the period. Winston and Clouden combined for 10 of the Spartans' 24 third-period points. Michigan State distributed the ball well in the quarter with 11 assists on 11 made baskets.
Parks was stellar on both ends of the floor in the second half with four points, three rebounds in two steals in the final 20 minutes of play. Freshman forward Isaline Alexander got some good minutes off the bench in the fourth quarter as well. The Canadian import scored eight points in the fourth period, adding three rebounds.
Michigan State continues its four-game homestand with two home games next week. The Spartans will host Valparaiso on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., before taking on Bryant on MSU Day on Friday, Nov. 19 at 12 p.m.
Post-Game Quotes vs. Niagara
- Michigan State improves to 2-0 all-time against Niagara. The first time that the teams met MSU came away with a 116-50 win on Nov. 8, 2008 in East Lansing, In that game, Michigan State also set the record for margin of victory, winning by 66 points.
- This is the seventh-straight season that Michigan State has started the season with a 2-0 record.
- Junior guard Alyza Winston has led the team in scoring the first two games of the season, scoring 20 vs. Morehead State and 17 vs. Niagara. She now has 17 career double-figure scoring games. With 12 points, senior guard Nia Clouden now has 71 career double-figure scoring games and two this season.
- Spartan head coach Suzy Merchant now holds a 298-157 record at MSU, along with a 499-277 career record. Merchant is looking to become just the second Spartan women's basketball coach to capture 300 wins at MSU. Karen Langeland is the all-time leader with a 376-290 record at MSU. Merchant is also 12 wins away tying Langeland for the most Big Ten wins by an MSU coach with 156.
- Junior guard Alyza Winston set a new career high with six assists, while freshman DeeDee Hagemann set a new career mark with seven in her young MSU career. On her birthday, junior guard tied her career high with six assists. She previously had six against Detroit Mercy on Dec. 2, 2020.
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November 15, 2021 at 06:02AM
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Fast Start Guides Spartans Past Purple Eagles Sunday - Michigan State Athletics
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