Lansing Sun

The Michigan State women's basketball team, ranked No. 21/22, is set to face Penn State at the Breslin Center on Wednesday, January 22 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be available for streaming on B1G+ with commentary from Jack Stager and Derrick Mitchell.

Michigan State enters the match after a convincing 86-68 victory against Illinois on January 19, marking their third consecutive win. The Spartans now hold a record of 15-3 overall and are 5-2 in Big Ten play. Theryn Hallock achieved a career-high of 26 points during the Illinois game, while Grace VanSlooten contributed significantly with 24 points off the bench.

Penn State recently secured its most notable win of the season by defeating No. 9 Ohio State, marking their first victory over an AP top-10 team since 2012. With this win, they improved to a record of 10-9 overall but remain at just one win in eight Big Ten games.

In previous encounters between these teams, Penn State leads with an overall series score of 31-25 against Michigan State. However, the Spartans have had more success recently, winning three straight and seven out of the last eight meetings.

Michigan State's defense has been robust throughout the season. They rank eighth nationally and first in the Big Ten for turnovers per game (24.4) and are also second in steals within the league (13.3 spg).

The upcoming game features former Spartan Gabby Elliott playing for Penn State; she is currently second on her team in scoring with an average of 12.3 points per game.

Head coach Carolyn Kieger leads Penn State into this matchup as she continues her sixth season with a coaching record of 73-95 for the Lady Lions.

As Michigan State looks forward to extending their winning streak further, they rely heavily on players like Julia Ayrault who consistently deliver strong performances both offensively and defensively.