WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – No. 15/17 Michigan State women’s basketball suffered its first loss of the season to RV/No. 24 Alabama, 82-67, at the West Palm Beach Classic on Friday evening at Rubin Arena.
With the loss, the Spartans fall to 11-1 this season. Alabama improves to 11-1 with the victory.
Michigan State had three players in double figures led by 18 points and two steals by graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault. Junior forward Grace VanSlooten was just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, junior guard Theryn Hallock14 points with two steals. She scored nine of her 14 points in the fourth quarter alone.
The Spartan defense once again stood tall, forcing 29 turnovers after causing Montana to turnover the ball 30 times on Thursday.
Alabama had five players in double figures led by 18 points fro Aaliyah Nye.
The Spartans forced four early Crimson Tide turnovers to jump out to an early 4-0 lead. Both teams struggled from the field early on, both starting 1-for-7. Alabama used a 7-0 to take a 7-4 lead. VanSlooten scored six of Michigan State’s eight points in the low-scoring quarter, as the Tide lead 9-8 after the first period.
The pace picked up in the second quarter, as both offenses got going. Five-straight points from Ayrault tied the score at 19-19 with under six minutes left in the half. A 6-0 Michigan State spurt put the Spartans back on top 22-19 with 5:05 left in the half. The teams went back and forth for the remainder of the period. Despite the Saprtans going the final 3:08 without a field goal, and Alabama led at the half 32-30.
In the third quarter, Alabama opened up a 52-36 lead with a 14-0 run. A pair of Jocelyn Tate free throws stopped the run. The Tide continued to be strong from beyond the arc, hitting four alone in the third quarter. For the game, Alabama was 9-for-21 from long range. The Tide out-scored the Spartans 31-11 in the third period to take a substantial, 63-41, lead, which was MSU’s biggest deficit of the season.
The Spartans scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and continued to battle. A 7-0 run made it a 65-54 game. A pair of Ayrault free throw made it an eight-point game with 2:58 remaining, but Alabama used a 6-0 run to put the game away.
The Spartans will now take a break for the holidays before returning to action against No. 8/8 Maryland on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. in College Park, Maryland.
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