Michigan State Women’s Basketball Triumphs Over Southern California
In East Lansing, the Michigan State women’s basketball team, currently ranked 13th in the nation, secured a hard-fought 74-68 win against Southern California on Thursday evening. The Spartans, improving their record to 18-2 and 7-2 in the Big Ten, showcased a strong defensive performance that resulted in capitalizing on 24 turnovers from the Trojans, converting them into 25 points.
Key Performers
Kennedy Blair emerged as a standout for Michigan State, scoring a total of 21 points. Her performance included making 8 of her 15 attempts from the field and hitting 5 out of 6 free throws, complemented by 5 steals. The game saw Michigan State establish a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, starting with a significant 13-5 run that pushed their advantage to 66-54 with just over five minutes left in the game.
Southern California, with a record of 11-8 and 3-5 in the conference, made a valiant effort to close the gap, highlighted by a quick 10-0 run led by Jazzy Davidson, who notched the final five points of that stretch. Despite her and Kara Dunn’s impressive combined score of 44 points—Dunn leading with 23 and Davidson contributing 21—USC fell short.
In addition to Blair, Grace VanSlooten contributed with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while teammates Rashunda Jones and Ines Sotelo added valuable support with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Upcoming Matches
Looking ahead, USC is set to face No. 7 Michigan on Sunday, while Michigan State will travel to Purdue for their next matchup on Thursday. This victory comes as a much-needed bounce-back for the Spartans following a previous loss to then-No. 10 Iowa, where they were edged 75-68.
