Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's women's basketball team is set to participate in the West Palm Beach Classic. The Spartans, ranked No. 15/17, will face Montana on Thursday, December 19 at noon and conclude the tournament against No. 24 Alabama on Friday, December 20 at 4:30 p.m. Alex Inbornone will provide commentary for BallerTV.

The Spartans have had a strong start to their season with a 10-0 record, marking only the fourth time any Michigan State basketball team has achieved such a start. Montana enters the tournament with a 4-5 record and has recently faced losses against North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

Julia Ayrault, a graduate guard/forward for MSU, is performing notably well, averaging close to a double-double over her last six games. She scored 19 points and secured four rebounds in their recent victory over Iowa.

Montana's team is led by Mack Konig, who averages 12.1 points per game. Meanwhile, Alabama's team features Sarah Ashlee Barker as its leading scorer with an average of 16.3 points per game.

The tournament will also feature games between other teams such as Tennessee and Tulsa. This marks Michigan State's first trip to Florida since the 2021-22 season when they participated in the West Palm Beach Invitational.

The Spartans are currently enjoying a winning streak that dates back to last season, having won their last 15 regular-season games. Their current performance sees them ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll.

Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced Julia Ayrault and Nyla Hampton as team captains for this season. Grace VanSlooten was named to the Cheryl Miller Award preseason watch list.

The Spartans continue to show strength on both offense and defense within the Big Ten conference, leading in scoring offense while maintaining solid defensive statistics including steals per game.