EAST LANSING, Mich. (11-20-24) - Freshman
Kailey Starks had a solid breakout game against some tough competition, scoring a team-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line with four steals defensively as Detroit Mercy suffered their first lost of the season with a 101-44 setback at Michigan State on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center.
Fifth-year senior
Aaliyah McQueen added seven points with six rebounds, while senior
Alize Tripp chipped in with six points, going a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. Sophomore
Makayla Jackson also added six points, with freshman
Anna Lassan scoring five points, going 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
Detroit Mercy (2-1) had trouble handling Michigan State's (6-0) pressure defense proved to be the difference. The Spartans had 22 steals coupled with 32 UDM turnovers, which led to 42 MSU points.
UDM held a 6-4 lead to open the game but MSU responded with a 12-0 run and outscored the Titans 23-0 before a layup by Tripp ended the spurt with Detroit Mercy trailing 32-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Detroit Mercy regrouped with an 8-0 run to open the second quarter off a pair of layups from Jackson, a pair of Lassan free throws, and a layup by graduate student
Emaia O'Brien to cut the deficit to 32-16, forcing an MSU timeout. After a timeout, the Spartans responded with a 13-2 run of their own to move ahead 45-18 and took a 58-24 lead into halftime
In the second half, UDM's offensive struggles continued, scoring 12 points in the third quarter and eight points in the fourth.
Detroit Mercy returns home to Calihan Hall for a battle against in-state foe Western Michigan on Sat., Sept. 23 at 1 p.m.
