Michigan State Women Earn Crucial Road Win at DePaul
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Michigan State returned to the win column with a dominant 90–46 road victory over DePaul. After falling to Wisconsin last week, the Spartans needed a strong response to avoid slipping out of the rankings. With the win, Michigan State improved to 9–1 on the season.
The Spartans played their third straight game without senior guard Theryn Hallock, who remains sidelined with an injury. Michigan State did, however, welcome back sophomore center Inés Sotelo, who missed the first nine games with a foot injury. Junior guard Sara Sambolić also made her Michigan State debut.
Five Spartans scored in double figures: sophomore Kennedy Blair led the way with 16 points, followed by senior Isaline Alexander (15), senior Grace VanSlooten (14), junior Rushunda Jones (13), and senior Jalyn Brown (11).
First Quarter
After DePaul scored the game’s first four points, Michigan State responded with a 6–0 run to take a 6–4 lead. From there, the Spartans never trailed again. MSU followed with an 11–0 run to build a 21–8 advantage with just over a minute remaining in the quarter. At the end of the first period, Jalyn Brown led all scorers with seven points off the bench.
Second Quarter
Michigan State ramped up its defense in the second quarter, which led to an offensive surge. The Spartans held DePaul without a field goal for more than three minutes, extending the lead to 33–16. To cap the half, center Inés Sotelo knocked down a buzzer-beater from beyond half court, sending MSU into the break with a commanding 46–24 lead.
Third Quarter
The Spartans opened the second half with the first eight points of the third quarter. VanSlooten took over offensively, scoring 10 points in the period, half of Michigan State’s total. MSU forced six turnovers in the quarter and dominated inside, scoring 14 points in the paint while holding DePaul to just seven points overall.
Fourth Quarter
Michigan State’s dominance continued in the fourth quarter as shots from beyond the arc began to fall. The Spartans hit four consecutive three-pointers from Juliann Woodard, Emma Shumate, Abbey Kimball, and Amy Terrian, finishing the quarter with six made threes to put the game well out of reach.
Overall Thoughts
Michigan State secured a much-needed road win against a struggling DePaul team. While the Spartans have not faced the toughest schedule through their first 10 games, their final non-conference matchup against Indiana State on Dec. 21 looms as an opportunity to build momentum. With Big Ten play approaching, Michigan State will look to close non-conference action strongly before the competition intensifies.
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