EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 24/21 Michigan State women’s basketball finally returns home for its Big Ten home opener on Sunday, Dec. 28 against Rutgers at 2 p.m. After winning the Cherokee Invitational, the Spartans improved to 11-1 overall and are 0-1 in B1G play. Jack Vohwinkle and Madison Groff will be on the call for B1G+.
 
• This is the Spartans first game in the Breslin Center since a 102-41 win over Oakland on Nov. 23. Michigan State played six-straight road games, going 5-1 during that stretch.
 
• Rutgers comes to town with an 8-4 overall record and an 0-1 mark in league action. The Scarlet Knights Big Ten loss came at home against Iowa on Dec. 6 79-36.
 
• By winning the Cherokee Invitational crown, Michigan State not only defended its 2023 Cherokee title, but also collected its second tournament title of the season after winning the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship of the Junkanoo Division in the Bahamas on Nov. 30. It is also MSU’s fourth tournament title in the last three seasons.
 
• For the second-straight game MSU unfolded a new starting lineup against Ole Miss with Isaline Alexander, Rashunda Jones, Kennedy Blair, Inés Sotelo and Grace VanSlooten being their fourth starting lineup of the season.
 
SCOUTING RUTGERS
Rutgers comes to East Lansing with an 8-4 overall record and start 0-1 in Big Ten action. The Scarlet Knights had a two-game losing streak snapped with a 54-45 home win against Lafayette on Dec. 20. RU is 8-2 at home and 0-2 on the road this season. In their only Big Ten game, the Scarlet Knights fell to Iowa at home 79-36.
 
The Scarlet Knights have three players averaging in double figures, led by Nene Ndiaye (16.3 ppg). Zachara Perkins is second in scoring with  10.9 ppg, while Imani Lester is this with  10.4 ppg. Ndiaye’s 16.3 ppg  is 11th in the Big Ten in scoring. Imani Lester is fourth in the league in offensive rebounds (3.42).
 
Rutgers is 16th in the Big Ten in scoring margin (+2.17). The Scarlet Knights are tied for 13th in rebound margin (+5.17).
 
Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington is in her fourth season at the helm of the Scarlet Knights with a record of 41-68. Overall in 16 seasons, she holds a record of 250-237. She also spent 12 season as the head coach at Penn State.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Michigan State holds the all-time series lead with Rutgers, 11-6. In East Lansing, MSU leads 6-3, while in Piscataway, the Spartans have the edge 5-3. Michigan State has won the last five games in the series. The last time that Rutgers defeated MSU was a 63-53 win in East Lansing on Feb. 24, 2021. Last season, Michigan State earned the road win, 70-60.
 
TAKING DOWN THE BEST
No. 24/23 Michigan State knocked off No. 15/15 Ole Miss for the Spartans’ highest ranked win under head coach Robyn Fralick. It is the Spartans’ third overall win over an AP Top 25 team in their three seasons under Coach Fralick, with all three coming in last two years after beating No. 21 Iowa (68-66, 12/15/24) and No. 24 Michigan (88-58, 1/25/25).
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Senior forward Isaline Alexander made her first start of the season and 22nd career start after making 19 starts in 2022-23 and two in 2023-24. Alexander has scored in double figures in four-straight games for the Spartans.
 
BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
By winning the 2025 Cherokee Invitational crown, Michigan State not only defended its 2023 Cherokee Invitational championship, but also collected its second tournament title of the season after winning the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship of the Junkanoo Division in the Bahamas on Nov. 30. It is also MSU’s fourth tournament title in the last three seasons after winning the 2023 Cherokee Invitational and the 2024 Acrisure Classic crown last season in Palm Springs, Calif.
 
DID YOU ALSO KNOW?
For the first time this season, the Spartans have six players averaging in double figures, led by Grace VanSlooten with 14.5 ppg. Kennedy Blair is second (12.6 ppg), followed by Rashunda Jones (11.5 ppg), Theryn Hallock (10.9 ppg), Isaline Alexander (10.2 ppg) and Jalyn Brown (10.2 ppg).
 
BY THE  NUMBERS vs. OLE MISS
               The Spartans out-rebounded the Rebels, 37-32, as MSU improved to 7-0 when out-rebounding the opposition. Ole Miss was out-rebounded for just the second time this season and the 32 rebounds was the second-fewest rebounds by the Rebels behind the 31 boards vs. Wisconsin.
               Senior forward Grace VanSlooten both took and made her first 3-pointer as a Spartan with her triple early in the fourth quarter, VanSlooten is now 3-of-31 in her career after going 2-for-30 during her two seasons at Oregon.
               Junior guard Rashunda Jones was the third Spartan in double-figures with 13 points, netting 10+ points in the third-consecutive game. Jones has scored double-digits in five of the last six games as part of the eighth total time this season.
 
GETTING IN THE STARTING LINEUP
After using the same starting lineup for seven games, Michigan State used a different starting lineup against Clemson on Nov. 30. After an injury to Theryn Hallock, MSU went with the lineup for senior forward Grace VanSlooten, senior forward Marah Dykstra, senior guard Emma Shumate, junior guard Rashunda Jones and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair. MSU is 2-1 with that lineup. MSU rolled out its third lineup against Indiana State with Blair, Jones, Van Slooten, Inés Sotelo and Sara Sambolić, which is now 1-0. The Spartans changed it up for a fourth time against No. 15 Ole Miss with VanSlooten, Jones, Blair, Sotelo and Isaline Alexander making the starting five. VanSlooten, Blair and Jones are the only three Spartans to start all 12 games.
 
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Redshirt-sophomore Kennedy Blair has shown some of the most improvement in Big Ten scoring improvement from 2024-25 to 2025-26. Last season, she averaged 3.4 ppg, while scored 12.6 so far this season for a 9.2 ppg improvement. Indiana’s Shay Ciezki is first with a 11.8 ppg improvement, Northwestern’s Grace Sullivan is second after  after a 10.1 ppg improvement.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
MSU played its sixth-straight game away from home on Dec. 22 against No. 15 Ole Miss as the Spartans are now 6-0 at home, 4-0 in neutral games and 1-1 in road games. When Michigan State faces Rutgers on Dec. 28, it will have been 35 days since its last game at the Breslin Center against Oakland on Nov. 23.
 
GETTING HER GROOVE BACK
With the 14 points and six boards against Ole Miss on Dec. 22, senior forward Isaline Alexander is now averaging 14.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the last four games. For the season, she is now averaging 10.2 ppg.
 
GVS GETS RESULTS
With the 16 points against No. 15 Ole Miss, senior forward Grace VanSlooten reached double-figures for the third game in a row and now in 11 of the 12 games this season. VanSlooten has netted 10 or more points in 30 of the last 31 games, including posting 10+ points in 40 of her 43 games played as a Spartan, being held to single digits twice last season and missing one game due to illness.
 
Additionally, VanSlooten has now tallied double-figures scoring 91 times out of 106 career games, registering 10+ points in 55 games during her time at Oregon.
 
WIPING UP THE GLASS
Michigan State had 44 rebounds against Indiana State on Dec. 21, posting their second-straight game with 40+ rebounds after pulling down a season-high 49 rebounds last time out at DePaul. Overall, it was the Spartans’ third game this season with 40+ rebounds, joining 43 vs. Eastern Illinois (11/20/25). MSU had a 44-30 (+14) rebounding advantage, as the Spartans have out-rebounded their opposition in seven games, improving to 7-0 when doing so. The Spartans out-rebounded Ole Miss on Dec. 22 37-30, improving to 8-0 when out-rebounding their opponents.
 
LOOKING AT THE NET
In the current women’s basketball NET ranking, the Spartans stand No. 8. They are third among Big Ten schools behind No. 4 UCLA, and No. 6 Michigan. UConn stands No. 1.
 
RANKED TEAMS IN BIG TEN
This Big Ten continues to be one of the toughest conferences in the country with three teams in the top 10 in the rankings. In the AP poll, UCLA is No. 4, while Michigan and Maryland stand No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. Iowa continues to hold the No. 14 spot followed by No. 17 USC. Michigan State (No. 24), Ohio State (No. 19) and No. 220 Nebraska round out the group.
 
SPARTANS VS. THE NCAA
After the first 12 games, Michigan State stands fourth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.93). The Spartans are third in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+13.0). Michigan State is also fifth in the margin and second in the Big Ten (+38.7). MSU has also been strong on the defensive end of the ball, standing 12th in the country and second in the B1G in steals per game (13.9 spg). Junior guard Rashunda Jones is 15th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (3.06).
 
STRONG BENCH
The Spartans’ 59 points scored by their bench was more than Eastern Illinois’ entire team scoring of 53 points on Nov. 20.  Against DePaul on Dec. 14, the Spartan bench scored 44 of 90 points. MSU kept that trend up against Indiana State with 64 bench points. This season, the MSU bench has out-scored opponents 464-221.
 
BIG TIME BIG TEN NUMBERS
The Spartans are second in the Big Ten in scoring offense behind Michigan, averaging 92.2 ppg and second in scoring margin (+38.7). Michigan State is also first in 3-point field goal field percentage (.409). The Spartans stand third in assists per game, averaging 21.6 apg and second in steals per game with 13.9 spg.
 
Individually, Rashunda Jones is second in the league in steals per game, averaging 2.8 spg, while senior forward Grace VanSlooten is tied for sixth (2.3 spg). Kennedy Blair is also fourth in assists with 5.8 apg. Jones is third in the B1G in assist/turnover ratio (3.06).
 
FINDING THE MAGIC NUMBER
Michigan State’s 102 points against Oakland on Nov. 23 marked the Spartans’ sixth time out of six games scoring 90+ points. MSU’s 90 points  against DePaul on Dec. 14 was the first time reaching 90 in the last four games, after the Spartans had scored 90 or more points in each of the first six games of the season. MSU is now 7-0 when scoring 90+ points.
 
The Spartans’ 115 points in the win against Indiana State on Dec. 21 was MSU’s second-most of the season, behind the season-high 125 points in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25). It was Michigan State’s fourth 100-point game, moving to 4-0.
 
WELCOME BACK
After tearing her ACL on Jan. 22, 2025 against Penn State, Juliann Woodard returned to the lineup against Eastern Michigan. Woodard entered the game at the 3:46 mark of the fourth quarter. At the 3:39 point, she drained her first shot, which was a 3-pointer. Her trey gave the Spartans a 32-point advantage.
 
ADDING UP THE ACCOLADES
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Watch List Presented by AXIA Time.  She was one of 50 players named to the watch list that honors the best players in the nation.
 
VanSlooten is one of 13 Big Ten players named to the watch list, including her team USA teammate Hannah Stuelke from Iowa. VanSlooten was also named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team as well the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List.
 
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
After missing all of the 2024-25 season and much of the 2023-24 season, senior forward Isaline Alexander returned to action on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst. Alexander scored a career-high 20 points against Western Michigan. She topped her previous career-high of 17 points from Nov. 19, 2022 vs. Central Michigan for her first career 20-point outing and just her seventh career double-figure scoring outing .
 
She netted her career-best 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the floor, also a career-high, bettering her previous career-high field goal outing of seven field goals, vs. Oregon (11/27/22).
 
OH WHAT A NIGHT!
With her career-best 25 points against Oakland on Nov. 23, redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair is the second Spartan to score 20 points this season, as well as the first MSU player with 25 or more points since Theryn Hallock netted 29 points last year at Ohio State (2/26/25).
 
One game earlier against Eastern Illinois, Blair became the first Spartan player with 15 or more rebounds since former Spartan great Julia Ayrault had 15 boards, nearly two years to the day, on Nov. 23, 2023, vs. James Madison.
 
HOLDING ON TO THE BALL
The Spartans only had three turnovers on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst, also setting a school record for fewest turnovers, bettering the previous record of five done three previous times, first done in a 56-55 win at Northwestern on Jan. 22, 1989, then again in a 76-69 win vs. Stanford on March 29, 2005 and most recently in a 68-66 win over Toledo on March 18, 2018.
 
BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
Three players earned gold medals for their home countries this summer. Grace VanSlooten  won the FIBA Women’s Americup for Team USA. Marah Dykstra won gold for Canada in the FIBA 3×3 Junior Pan American Games. Inés Sotelo and Spain won a gold medal in the 2025 FIBA Eurobasket.
 
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced senior forward Grace VanSlooten and senior guard Abbey Kimball as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2025-26 women’s basketball team. This is the first time that either has been named a captain for Michigan State. VanSlooten is in her second season with MSU after transferring from Oregon. Kimball is in her fourth season as a Spartan.
 
BIG TEN OPENERS
After losing its Big Ten Conference opener against Wisconsin, Michigan State is now 21-23 all-time in Big Ten openers. Last season, MSU defeated Iowa, having won eight of their last 15. The win against Iowa was the first time that the Spartans opened league play with the Hawkeyes since 2021-22 season, and the win avenged that 88-61 loss. During the 2023-24 season, the Spartans fell to Nebraska at home 80-74 on Dec. 9. During the 2022-23 season, the Spartans fell to Purdue at home 76-71 in overtime. During the 2020-21 season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers.
 
NEW DIGS
The Spartans welcome four transfers to the 2025-26 season. Rashunda Jones is a junior guard, who comes to Michigan State after two years at Purdue. Marah Dykstra is a senior forward who spent three season at Montana State in the Big Sky Conference. Jalyn Brown is the second-straight player to come to MSU from Arizona State. The guard played two seasons at ASU. Last season, senior Jaddan Simmons spent one season with MSU. Finally, Sara Sambolić is a junior guard from Slovenia who transferred from the University of Ljubljana.
 
ROBYN FRALICK RADIO SHOW
Michigan State women’s basketball head coach Robyn Fralick started her weekly radio call-in show, the Robyn Fralick Radio Show, on Nov. 18 at One North Kitchen and Bar. Coach Fralick joins host Dalton Shetler, the Spartans’ play-by-play voice, from 12-1 p.m., for an in-depth look into the MSU women’s basketball program. The show is held at One North Kitchen and Bar on 1310 Abbott in East Lansing.
 
Radio Show Dates
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Tuesday, Jan. 20
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Tuesday, Feb. 3
Tuesday Feb. 10
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Tuesday, Feb. 24
 
 
 
 
 
 
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