EUGENE, Oregon — Despite trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, the No. 15 Michigan State women’s basketball team rallied for an 85-81 win at Oregon on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Spartans have now won eight-straight games to improve to 16-1 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten contests. This was Michigan State’s first win in Eugene and only second-ever win against the Ducks. Oregon falls to 14-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten contests.

MSU’s 16-1 start is the best record through 17 games since 2010-11 when also going 16-1, and it’s the best B1G start through six league games also since 2010-11.

The Spartans had five players in double figures, the most in a B1G game this season. In her return to Eugene, former Duck senior forward Grace VanSlooten had her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Once again, junior guard Rashunda Jones answered every call, scoring a season-high 23 points to go along with a game-high five steals. Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair had 11 points with four assists, while senior guard Emma Shumate and senior guard Jalyn Brown both added 10 key points.

The Ducks were led by 20 points by Katie Fiso.

Oregon used the long ball to jump out to an early 9-2 lead. Sofia Bell hit four-straight 3-pointers to start the game for the Ducks to take a 12-2 lead, leading to a MSU timeout at the 6:27 mark. The Spartans then went over two minutes without scoring before a VanSlooten free throw stopped the drought. After going five minutes without a field goal, Blair hit a trey to cut it to 21-9. MSU used a 6-0 run to cut it to single digits, before a Mia Jacobs shot made it a 31-20 game at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Ducks took their largest lead of the game at 36-20 on a 3-pointer by Astera Tuhina with 8:26 on the second-quarter clock, before the Spartans sparked their comeback.  MSU later used a 6-0 run on back-to-back 3-pointers by sophomore guard Julianne Woodard and Shumate to cut it a 41-33 Oregon lead. A VanSlooten bucket capped a 10-0 run to make it a 41-37 game with under four to play. The run was up 14-0 after a pair of Sotelo free throws. The Spartans’ 17-0 run was halted by a Kate Fiso steal and a score with nine second left in the period. Despite trailing by as many as 16 points, Michigan State led going in to the locker room at 44-43. The Spartans out-scored the Ducks, 24-12, in the second period.

Another trey by Woodard put MSU back on top 55-53 with 4:14 left in the third quarter. A 10-0 Spartan run upped it to a 58-53 lead. The Ducks got a Jacobs buzzer beater to trim the Michigan State lead to 67-62 at the end of the third period. VanSlooten and Brown led MSU with seven points each in the frame. The Spartans out-scored the Ducks, 23-19, in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Ducks scored the first five points to tie the score at 67-67 with 8:48 remaining. For much of the final 10 minutes, the teams went back and forth exchanging leads. Michigan State went on a 6-0 run to take an 80-75 advantage with 2:45 remaining and did not relinquish it from there. Sophomore center Inés Sotelo was crucial to MSU in the closing minutes, including a go-ahead lay-up with 3:09 to go that gave the Spartans lead for good. She scored four points with two steals to help seal the Victory for MSU. 

The Spartans return home to take on Nebraska on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Breslin Center. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Michigan State Women’s Basketball Post-Game Notes: at Oregon

• Senior forward Grace VanSlooten played the first two years of her collegiate career at Oregon (2022-24) and Sunday was her first time back in Eugene since transferring to MSU . . . Sunday was the second overall time facing her former team, as MSU played Oregon last season in East Lansing, with the Ducks winning 63-59 on Jan. 30, 2025 . . . VanSlooten is now averaging 15.0 ppg against her former team after 16 points Sunday and a jersey-matching 14 points in last season’s meeting.

• No. 15/15 Michigan State won its eighth game in a row to move to 16-1 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten action . . . the Spartans’ 16-1 record matches their best record through 17 games since 2010-11 when also going 16-1, before losing in game 18.

• Michigan State’s 5-1 Big Ten record is its best B1G start through six league games also since 2010-11.

• MSU swept its two-game tour of the Pacific Northwest after the 82-67 win at No. 23/23 Washington on Thursday . . . Michigan State is the first Big Ten team to go 2-0 in the two-game swing at Washington and Oregon this season, after Michigan and Northwestern split.\

• The Spartans rallied from a double-digit deficit to win in both road games, bouncing back from a 16-point deficit of 36-20 with 8:26 left on Sunday . . . MSU rallied from an 11-point deficit in the first quarter in Thursday’s Victory for MSU at Washington.

• Michigan State’s Sunday starting line-up of junior guard Rashunda Jones, sophomore center Ines Sotelo, senior forward Grace VanSlooten, redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair and senior guard Jalyn Brown was the third-straight game with that starting quartet . . . it marks the Spartans’ fifth different starting line-up of the season . . . MSU is now 4-0 with that starting five.

• Senior forward Grace VanSlooten, junior guard Rashunda Jones and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair all started for the 17th-consecutive game this season, remaining the only three Spartans to start all 17 contests.

• A total of five Spartans netted double-figures, including four of the five starters along with one player off the bench, led by starting junior guard Rashunda Jones with a game-high 23 points, followed by senior forward Grace VanSlooten’s double-double with 16 points and a game-best 10 rebounds . . . redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair added 11 points, while the senior guards duo of Jalyn Brown and Emma Shumate tallied 10 points apiece . . . MSU is now 4-0 when five or more Spartans post double-digits in the scoring column.

• Sunday was the first time with five Spartans in double-figures in the last six games, last doing so on Dec. 21, 2025 at DePaul with a season-high tying seven in double-digits.

• The five players in double-figures was the most in a Big Ten game, bettering the previous top mark of four Spartans coming in back-to-back games against both Indiana (1/1/26) and Illinois (1/4/26).

• Sunday was MSU’s first-ever win in Eugene in three tries, having lost in both 2002 and 2016 trips there, as well as a loss in 2022 in Portland, Oregon . . . it was the Spartans’ second overall win over the Ducks and first since 2018, in a nearly identical score of 88-82, as MSU is 2-0 vs. UO when scoring 80-plus points in the series . . . Sunday’s win trimmed the Ducks’ lead to 4-2 in the all-time series, including leveling the series as Big Ten foes at 1-1, with the road team winning both meetings after Oregon’s 63-59 win in East Lansing.

• Michigan State played away from home for the ninth time in its last 11 games, as MSU’s games on Jan. 4 vs. Illinois and Dec. 28 vs. Rutgers were the lone games not on the road during that span . . . the Spartans are now 8-0 at home, 4-0 in neutral games and 4-1 in road games.

• With the win, MSU improved to 8-1 on Sundays . . . Michigan State also moved to 7-1 in day games.

• The Spartans also improved to 4-0 in January, winning their first four game of a month for the second time, also winning the first four in November on the way to an 8-0 mark in the month.

• MSU’s 85 points on Sunday marked the Spartans’ fourth-straight game netting 80 or more points, scoring incrementally increasing with 80 points at Indiana (1/1/26), 81 vs. Illinois (1/4/26) and 82 on Thursday night at Washington, before the 85 points Sunday at Oregon . . . MSU is now 13-0 when lighting up the scoreboard for 80+ points.

• The Spartans scored the most points in a Big Ten game . . . it was also MSU’s second-most scoring in a true road game for the second-straight time, as Sunday’s 85 points bettered the previous number two spot of 82 points Thursday night at Washington, behind the 90 points at DePaul (12/14/25).

• Michigan State scored the most points the opposition had allowed in regulation for the second-straight game, as Thursday’s 82 points at Washington was the most allowed by the Huskies in any game, while the 85 points scored on the Ducks on Sunday was the most that Oregon had allowed in regulation this season, and only Michigan has scored more points on Oregon, but had to do so in double overtime in a 92-87 2OT win by UM on Dec. 29 at Eugene . . . Oregon entered Sunday’s game with MSU only allowing 59.1 points per game. 

• Junior guard Rashunda Jones netted a new Spartan high for the second-straight game, after registering her first career double-double last time out with 17 points and 10 rebounds Thursday at Washington, then netted her first 20-point outing as a Spartan on Sunday with the game-high 23 points . . . Jones now has six 20-point outing of her collegiate career after posting five outings of 20+ points during her two seasons at Purdue.

• Jones has netted double-figures in each of the eight games during MSU’s eight-game win streak, last being held under 10 points with eight points in the loss at Wisconsin (12/7/25) . . . Jones now has 13 double-figure games this season.

• With six rebounds Sunday, Jones now has 16 rebounds in her last two games after her collegiate career-high 10 boards last time out at Washington on Thursday, for her top back-to-back games of the season . . . Jones only had one outing of five or more rebounds before the outburst at Washington, with five rebounds vs. Rutgers (12/28/25).

• Jones also swiped a game-high five steals on Sunday, tying her season-high for the third time this season and her career-best for the fourth time, last snagging five steals vs. Oakland (11/23/25) . . . the five steals was also the most by Jones in a B1G contest this season, as she had five total steals in the three previous games combined.

• Senior forward Grace VanSlooten logged her second double-double in the last four games as part of her fourth of the season and 11th of her Spartan career . . . it is the 21st double-double of VanSlooten’s collegiate career after 10 during her time at Oregon.

• VanSlooten’s 16 points and 10 rebounds gives her 66 points and 41 rebounds in the last four games since being held to eight points and four rebounds vs. Rutgers (12/28/25), averaging 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over the last four contests.

• The 16 points was VanSlooten’s 15th double-figure outing in the last 17 games this season . . .  VanSlooten now had posted double-digits in the scoring column in 34 of her last 37 games . . . overall, VanSlooten has posted double-figures in the scoring column in 44 of her 48 total games as a Spartan, being held to single digits twice last season and missing one game due to illness.

• Overall, VanSlooten has now netted double-figure scoring 99 times out of 111 career games, registering 10+ points in 55 games during her time at Oregon.

• With the 10 rebounds, VanSlooten double-digit rebounds four times this season, logging a double-double in all four outings . . . VanSlooten has snared five or more boards in 11 of the 17 games played this season, including eight or more boards in each of the last four games and in five of the last six games.

• VanSlooten added one block in Sunday’s game, as she has at least one rejection in the last two games and seven of the last eight as part of in 12 of the 17 games . . . VanSlooten has a team-best 16 blocks on the season.

• Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair registered 11 points for post double-digits for the fifth-straight game as part of the 12th game this season and the 15th time of her career.

• Blair also dished out a team-best four assists, marking the fifth-straight game with four or more helpers . . . she has distributed four or more assists in 16 of the 17 games, and MSU is 15-1 when she dishes out four or more assists.

• Additionally, Blair swiped three steals, marking the eighth game this season with multiple steals, along with the seventh game with three or more swipes.

• Senior guard Jalyn Brown netted 10 points Sunday for her first double-figure outing in the last three games . . . Brown has netted 37 points in MSU’s last three road games, averaging 12.3 ppg in those three road games.

• Brown netted double-digits for the eighth time this season and MSU is now 8-0 when Brown scores in double-figures . . . of Brown’s eight double-figure scoring outings, three have come in true road games, with Sunday’s 10 points at Oregon joining 11 at DePaul (12/14/25) and 20 at Indiana (1/1/26) as part of four coming away from home, with 13 vs. Indiana State (12/21/25) in Cherokee, North Carolina.

• Senior guard Emma Shumate netted three 3-pointers on Sunday, as the Spartans’ sharp-shooter has made multiple triples in each of the last five contests as part of 13 of the 17 games on the season.

• Shumate has made 12 triples in the last five games after being held without a 3-pointer vs. Ole Miss, averaging 2.4 3-pointers per game over the last five contests . . . Shumate has 19 3-pointers in the last seven games, boosted by her career-best seven 3-pointers vs. Indiana State in the opening game of the Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee, North Carolina, and is averaging 2.7 treys per game over the last seven contests.

• On the season, Shumate now has a team-leading 39 triples on the season out of 42 total field goals . . . Shumate is averaging 2.3 3-pointers per game for the season.

• Shumate also added a block on Sunday for her fourth-consecutive game with at least one block as part of a total of six blocks over the last four games with a career-high tying three rejections vs. Illinois (1/4/26) . . . Shumate has at least one block in eight total contests this season, with 10 overall blocks on the season.

• Sophomore forward Julianna Woodard netted three 3-pointers on Sunday, all coming at pivotal moments in the game . . . the three triples was Woodard’s most in a Big Ten game this season and her second-most in a game this season behind her career-high five triples vs. Eastern Illinois (11/20/25) . . . it was Woodard’s third-straight game with at least one trey as part of her 10th game with at least one 3-pointer along with her third game with multiple triples in a game.

• Sophomore center Ines Sotelo swiped two steals on Sunday, both coming in the fourth quarter . . . it marked the second-straight game that Sotelo tallied two steals and has at least two steals in four games this season, now with nine steals in her seven games played.