What MSU's Fralick Thinks of Spartans' Ranked Win vs. Ole Miss

Michigan State women's basketball picked up a crucial victory before Christmas.

The 24th-ranked Spartans came out on the right end of a physical game against No. 15 Ole Miss, 66-49, out in Cherokee, N.C. It's the highest-ranked victory of the Robyn Fralick era at MSU and the program's highest-ranked win in nearly three calendar years.

Michigan State head womens coach Robyn Fralick coaches her Spartans against the Washington Huskies, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. MSU won 80-68. | Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"[This win helps] the momentum," Fralick said after the game. "Merry Christmas, we're excited to go on break. We know there's still a lot in front of us, but we've really been challenging them in practice. We're getting better, and so I think when you see that happening, you show up and you're ready for more challenges."

The Spartans will end up going undefeated in their non-conference schedule, a perfect 11-0. Their lone loss on the season came at Wisconsin on Dec. 7. Michigan State will get back into Big Ten play when it hosts Rutgers this coming Sunday.

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Two of the big catalysts for the Spartans' victory were two of their bigs, Grace VanSlooten and Isaline Alexander. VanSlooten finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Alexander also had 14 points and six boards.

"I thought it was a full team effort," Fralick said. "But I've got to give a special shoutout to my big girls. I thought [Isaline] and Grace were really tough, really physical, and played both sides of the ball."

The Spartans also got 13 points from starting guard Rashunda Jones, who was a team-high plus-19 in 30 minutes of playing time.

Michigan State still won this game with a ton of defense. Ole Miss shot just 33.3% from the field on Monday, including a mere 2-for-17 mark from three-point range. Fralick's offense didn't get going too much, either, scoring well below its season average of 92.2 points per game, but it had enough to still win by 17 points.

"I thought we did a good job of getting stops and scores," Fralick said about how her team created separation. "I thought the first half we got stops, but weren't connecting it with scores. I thought, especially that third quarter, we were getting stops and executing on the offensive end."

During the middle two quarters, Michigan State outscored the Rebels, 37-20. That was the difference in the game, as the two teams matched each other's output during both the first and fourth quarters. Across the second and third quarters, Ole Miss made just six field goals to 13 turnovers.

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