B1G Game 12: Gophers Host Michigan State (2-6-22)

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Ignatius L Hoops

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THE OLD ONE-TWO

Two weeks ago, Michigan State outlasted Minnesota in East Lansing 74-71. It was a primarily a duel of one-two combinations: Nia Clouden and Matilda Ekh for the Spartans and Sara Scalia and Deja Winters for the Gophers. And that duel ended in a draw. Clouden (25 points) and Ekh (23 points) combined for 48. While Scalia (31 points) and Winters (17 points) matched the MSU pair.

Minnesota led 34-30 at the half and scored consistently throughout the game with 17 points in the first second and fourth quarters and 20 points in the third. However, the Spartans scored 22 in both the third and fourth quarter to swing the tide. A Sara Scalia jumper tied the game with 1:07 remaining; but Clouden and Ekh went 7-8 from the line down the stretch. On the other end of the court, Jasmine Powell went 1-2 from the line and Winters nailed a three cutting the MSU lead to one; with only :02 remaining. Close, but once again…

That was the second win in what became a four-game MSU winning streak. Taking advantage of the soft spots in their schedule, the Spartans defeated Penn State 79-58 and Rutgers 61-45 before Maryland visited East Lansing and snuffed out the streak. The Terps emerged with a 67-62 victory; but couldn’t shake the pesky Spartans.

Maryland won the first quarter 21-15. However, eight minutes into the game, Terps star Ashley Owusu went down with an ankle injury. After a visit to the locker room, Owusu returned to the bench wearing a boot on her right leg. Michigan State proceeded to outscore Maryland 47-46 in the last three quarters. The Spartans one-two combo was really just the one as Clouden scored 23 points hitting 6-11 from three. Ekh wasn’t bad, 8 points and 7 rebounds; but it was the first time she failed to hit double figures in five games. However, as has been the case this season, forward Alisia Smith picked up the slack with 18 points and 8 rebounds helping MSU chase the Terps to the final buzzer.

This coming Sunday, Minnesota will again face a team with a pretty thin roster featuring six players receiving the majority of playing time. Nia Clouden, the B1G’s number 7 scorer, is averaging 37 minutes/game in Big Ten play. Matilda Ekh, the primary challenger to Alixis Markowski for B1G Freshman of the Year, is averaging 35.6 minutes and freshman DeeDee Hagemann, third in B1G assists with 6.3 per game, clocks in at 34.9.

Where Suzy Merchant does her juggling is at the post positions. Alisia Smith, who has scored 12,14 and 18 points in her last three outings, Tamara Farquahar, 10th in the B1G in rebounds, and Taiyier Parks, who toys with an occasional double double, each are averaging 20+ minutes per game. As Merchant demonstrated in the Maryland game, she may put all three on the court at the same time.

Ekh and Clouden remain the Spartan’s serious three-point threats. In the B1G, Clouden is fourth in percentage at .455 (25-55) and Ekh is 6th at .423 (30-71}. Sara Scalia is 9th at .411 (37-90). The one-two’s are well represented in threes per game. Scalia is 2nd at 3.4, Ekh is 4th at 3.0, Winters is 6th at 2.7 and Clouden 8th at 2.5.

In the B1G, Michigan State (6-4) averages 69.1 ppg on offense while Minnesota (3-8) averages 66.6. Defensively, the Spartans give up 66.2 ppg while the Gophers allow 74.7. These teams have a lot in common. I’m looking forward to a Williams Arena clash where the one-two combos slug away allowing some serious body work to be delivered in the paint. Just outlasting the opponent is not an option, someone is going to have to step up and win outright.



MICHIGAN STATE BIG TEN RECORD (6-4):

Wins: Illinois 75-60, Nebraska 72-69, Northwestern 65-46, Minnesota 74-71, Penn State 79-58, Rutgers 61-45

Losses: @ Iowa 61-88, Purdue 59-69, @ Ohio State 83-89 and Michigan State 62-67



Nia Clouden Last Six Big Ten Games:

TeamPtsRebAsstMinFoul
Ohio State2132383
Northwestern1854342
Minnesota2555383
Penn State1655343
Rutgers1746381
Maryland2254402


Matilda Ekh Last Six Big Ten Games:

TeamPtsRebAsstMinFoul
Ohio State2724343
Northwestern1814372
Minnesota2366362
Penn State1524364
Rutgers1121342
Maryland1074394


Probable Starters:

HGTPOSYRPLAYERMINAVGREB
5’8”GSrNia Clouden37.019.44.3
6’0”G/FFrMatilda Ekh35.614.73.3
6’3”FGAlisia Smith23.410.05.6
5’7”GFrDeeDee Hagemann34.96.63.4
6’0”FGTamara Farquhar28.97.07.3


Others:

HGTPOSYRPLAYERMINAVGREB
6’3”FJrTaiyier Parks22.09.87.2
6’1”FJrJayla James6.40.81.1
5’8”GGLaurel Jacoqmain5.10.00.7
Click to expand...
 

Smith cannot shoot. Michigan State not even defending her.
 

Kinda like what we're seeing out of Smith today. 10 points at the half. Scalia shooting well again today.
 


I’m liking the energy from the gophers today. Slow start but that seems par for the course.
 


They've been throwing a lot of traps at Scalia today. We adjusted after the first few minutes but it's been causing this troubles here at the end again.
 

Team is 2-1 since JP left the team. I am not blaming her for their record but have liked the energy of this current group. Their only loss was to a very good IN. team and they gave it away @ the end.
 

Fun game, contributions from everyone today. We had alot of good looks that would of put the game away early but couldnt get them to drop. Good for the squad to get this win.
 





Is it crazy to think the less play from Sissoko (the Gophers' top-ranked recruit ever), the better?
 

Gophers made the Spartan posts look like slugs.

Listening to the post-game on the drive home, I think Gaard said he thought Sissoko didn't start because she took a shot to the nose in shoot around. We may have lucked into a good combo.
 

Great win. Good contributions from lots of players. I think LBK and Hubbard provide good leadership and maturity. Scalia provides stability and offense. Maybe, the team is believing in each other and the game plan. Keep the Ball Roll'n.
 



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