MSU had their chances to take down #1 UCLA but crucial fourth quarter offensive rebounds save the Bruins
By all accounts, Robyn Fralick has Spartan Women’s Basketball on the right track. After a couple of years of MSU hovering around .500, Fralick came to East Lansing last year and led the Spartans back to the NCAA tournament. MSU finished 22-9, earned a 9-seed in the tournament and dropped a close one in the first round game against North Carolina. So far this year, MSU is 19-5 and 9-4 in the Big Ten.
Tonight, however, marked the biggest challenge of Fralick’s young MSU career and perhaps the Spartans’ biggest test since the 2019 NCAA tournament when MSU fell to #1 seed Notre Dame in the second round 91-63. Before that, you probably have to go back to a 2016 Sweet Sixteen matchup where MSU fell to #1 Duke 86-61. Or the 2006 NCAA Championship game. After MSU got past Stanford in the regional final and Tennessee in the national semi-final, the Baylor Bears claimed the title over the Spartans with an 84-62 victory.
UCLA entered tonight’s game ranked a unanimous #1 in both the AP and coaches’ polls with a 23-1 record. As Brian noted in the game preview , the Bruins are coming off their only loss, falling 71-60 across town at USC on Thursday behind a phenomenal game from Trojans’ star Juju Watkins. Despite the loss, there is no arguing that the Bruins (and USC who the Spartans will face Wednesday) reside in the very upper echelon of women’s college basketball and MSU gave the Bruins all they could handle tonight.
UCLA started the scoring with Janiah Barker finding Gabriela Jaquez after a nice cut for a layup. Jocelyn Tate answered with a nice drive for the Spartans. After a couple of misses, Londynn Jones connected on her third three point attempt to put UCLA up 5-2. Theryn Hallock responded for MSU to tie it. Angela Dugalic struck from deep for UCLA and Hallock responded again to tie it at 8. The next seven points would go to UCLA but a Nyla Hampton drive to end the quarter would bring the Spartans to within five at 21-16.
The Spartans appeared to be playing pretty sound defense. UCLA was just breaking it down. Sinai Douglas hit a jumper from the corner of the key while Kiki Rice had a beautiful spinning drive and a nice baseline jumper.
The Spartans were hanging in there on the boards as each team had eight at the end of the first quarter. The differences were UCLA shooting 9-17 while MSU was 6-14 and three MSU turnovers leading to five UCLA points.
Barker got UCLA on the board in the second quarter with a turn around in the key but Jocelyn Tate found Grace VanSlooten for a lay up to keep MSU within five at 23-18. Julia Ayrault missed a three that would have brought the Spartans within a bucket and then Barker got past her on the baseline to put the Bruins back up seven.
From there Ines Sotelo picked up her third foul with 7:32 to go in the second quarter and UCLA really got hot from three. Jaquez drained one to make it 31-22 and then Timea Gardner hit two in a row from the same spot on the floor. Suddenly UCLA was up double digits at 37-26. It would extend to 41-28 when Gardner pressured MSU in the backcourt, anticipated a pass, and stole it for a layup. But the Spartans got the last five points of the half on an Ayrault three and Hallock lay up after a steal.
The Spartans went into the break down eight, leading the rebounding battle 16-15 and getting 22 of their points in the paint to UCLA’s 14. UCLA, however, hit seven triples to the Spartans’ three. UCLA also increased their points off turnovers advantage to 13-4. The Bruins’ ball movement was also excellent and resulted in 12 assists on their 16 made baskets.
The Bruins went back up ten to open the second half with a couple free throws from Angela Dugalic but MSU would cause some problems from there to decisively win the third quarter. Hallock pushed the pace for the Spartans leading to a VanSlooten floater in the lane to get MSU back within eight. Jaddan Simmons drew a foul on Dugalic and hit both free throws and the lead was down to six, 43-37. UCLA would get the next two buckets to go back up ten before a three from Ayrault stopped the bleeding.
The active Spartan defense would start to force some Bruin turnovers and the Spartans would eventually draw closer. Nyla Hampton took it coast to coast after a steal to make it 47-42 and force a UCLA timeout with 5:02 to go in the third quarter.
MSU got even closer after Hallock blew by the defense at the top of the key and went all the way to the rim. Suddenly it was just a three point deficit at 47-44. The Spartans then lost Gardner at the other end, putting UCLA back up five but a Hallock three cut it to 49-47 and forced another UCLA timeout with 3:07 left in the quarter.
The Spartans got the ball back after a UCLA miss coming out of their time out and Ayrault tied it at 49, somehow going under her defender and before falling to the ground. Ayrault was slow to get up and play was stopped. She went to the bench but returned on the next dead ball.
A floater from Tate would give MSU its first lead at 55-53 and the Spartans would take the two point advantage into the third quarter.
In the fourth, MSU would extend its lead to four at 57-53 on a couple of Ayrault free throws but UCLA would reclaim the advantage with a six point run on a baseline jumper from Jones, and then four free throws.
It was really back and forth from there as it became clear that MSU would take this to the wire and have a chance to knock off the #1 team in the nation on their home floor.
A fast break layup from VanSlooten put the Spartans up 65-63 with five minutes to go and Ayrault extended it to 67-63 with four minutes left.
However, a decisive stretch for UCLA started after that as MSU would have trouble getting the rebounds needed to close it out. Foul trouble also started to mount as Ayrault and Simmons would eventually foul out and Hallock was called for four personals.
Elina Aarnisalo drew Ayrault’s fourth on a drive late in the in the shot clock. She hit the first and missed the second to make it 67-64 MSU, but the Spartans couldn’t corral the rebound. UCLA went to Barker off an inbounds play and that cut the MSU lead to 67-66.
After a Hallock drive didn’t convert, UCLA had three offensive rebounds on their next trip and it led to another Barker score to give UCLA the lead back 68-67.
Hallock would draw a foul on Rice and her two free throws put MSU back in front 69-68. Those would be the Spartan’s last points as UCLA closed it out with a 7-0 run. After another offensive rebound, Gardiner hit another three to put UCLA up for good 71-69 with 44.6 seconds to go.
On MSU’s last chance, Hampton took it to the hole and thought she drew a foul on Kendall Dudley but there was no call. Dudley was credited with the block and MSU was called for a technical for arguing the no call. UCLA closed it with the technical foul shots and two more free throws to escape with a 75-69 win.
Hallock led the Spartans with 19 while VanSlooten and Ayrault came up big with 18 each. UCLA was playing without their 6’-7” center Lauren Betts but Barker and Gardiner each scored 18. Gardiner was 4-7 from beyond the arc, including the dagger with under a minute to go that put UCLA over the top. Kiki Rice added 16 for UCLA.
Fralick lamented the missed defensive rebounding opportunities in her post game presser. She said the Spartans got a lot of stops at the end but didn’t get the ball. Fralick said the Spartans have a competitive spirit and fearlessness but needed to finish plays tonight and that the team feels pretty disappointed right now.
Fralick didn’t have a lot to say about the no call on Dudley at the end other than stating she thought there was a lot of contact and there should have been a call.
For her part, UCLA head coach Cori Close called Fralick an excellent coach.
This didn’t go the Spartans’ way in the end but they showed they can play with anyone. Their pressure defense traveled well and gave UCLA all kinds of trouble in the second half. Let’s see if the Spartans can pull out a West Coast split when they take on another massive challenge at USC on Wednesday.
