Lansing Sun

Michigan State's women's basketball team achieved a historic milestone with their 89-61 victory over DePaul at the Breslin Center, marking their best start in program history with a 9-0 record. This surpasses previous records of 8-0 set during the 2012-13 and 2020-21 seasons.

Head coach Robyn Fralick acknowledged graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault and junior forward Grace VanSlooten for reaching the 1,000 career points mark, achieved at the Acrisure Classic last week. The team also set a new school record with 14 blocks in a single game, breaking the previous record of 13 from 2006 against Indiana.

Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons led the scoring for Michigan State with 18 points, five assists, and three steals. Ayrault recorded her second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore guard Emma Shumate added 12 points. Senior guard/forward Jocelyn Tate contributed ten points to round out the Spartans' double-digit scorers.

DePaul's top performers were Jorie Allen and Grace Carstensen, each scoring 15 points. Notably, Allen is the sister of former Spartan Jenna Allen.

The game began with Michigan State scoring six consecutive points before DePaul managed to respond. After an initial slow phase for MSU, they went on a decisive run to secure a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter. By halftime, Michigan State had extended their lead to a comfortable margin of 42-25.

In the third quarter, Ayrault's steal and score helped extend Michigan State's lead to over twenty points. The final quarter saw MSU maintaining control through effective outside shooting and defense.

The Spartans will conclude their home games for this year against Iowa on December 18th at noon, which will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.