Young Spartan Learns Tough Lesson in Loss to Michigan

The No. 13-ranked Michigan State women's basketball team fought hard in a home overtime loss to No. 9 Michigan on Sunday, frequently battling from behind.

The Spartans made a 7-0 run in the waning moments of the second quarter to take a one-point lead at halftime, mounted a similar comeback to lead by one after three quarters, and rallied again to force overtime. It was a total team effort, but one player in particular seemed to be involved in play after play: redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair.

"She played so tough, made a huge shot to tie the game at the end," head coach Robyn Fralick said postgame. "But taking care of the ball, those are some good lessons. When to attack, when not to attack, just decision-making. But he spirit, her competitiveness, her toughness, she wills a lot to happen. The reason we got back in the game to tie it up, she had a lot to do with that. I love her physical impact on the game, and [there were] definitely a lot of lessons learned in the game."

Kennedy Blair's Impact

The redshirt sophomore from Dearborn is enjoying a breakout season. After appearing in 20 games and averaging just about nine minutes and just over three points per night, she's developed into Michigan State's second-leading scorer with 13.4 points per game. She's also been huge in other areas, placing among the team's best in rebounds (7 per game), assists (5.5), and steals (2.2).

michigan state overtim — Michigan State's Kennedy Blair, left, moves the ball as Michigan's Brooke Quarles Daniels defends during the first quarter on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Blair finished Sunday's overtime game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, and she's scored at least 15 points nine times this season. She's also become a trusted leader on the team, often controlling the offense and having the ball in her hands down the stretch in some high-pressure moments.

Her shot gave the Spartans the lead at halftime. She was a big part of the comeback in the third quarter, making a high-IQ pass in the paint that led to the go-ahead layup, and her shot with five seconds left in regulation forced overtime.

Kennedy Blair finishes a gritty layup with seconds remaining on the clock to force OT in East Lansing 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kAyK9nD0Zk
— Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) February 1, 2026

But as Coach Fralick said, there were still some times when Blair struggled. She finished the game with seven turnovers, always crucial in a close rivalry game, and many of them came with chances to build momentum or gave momentum to the Wolverines. In fact, a bad pass from Blair in overtime led to a layup for Michigan, and it never trailed the rest of the game.

"The biggest thing we can take away from this is learning," Fralick added. "In a game like this, the lessons are loud and clear, so those are the things we can take away as we go into Wednesday."

Lessons in a rivalry loss leave a bitter taste, but Blair has played well this season, and the Michigan State women's basketball program will be better for it as it continues on an upward trajectory under Fralick's watch.

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