Huskers Set for Showdown at No. 23 Spartans

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
at 23/24 Michigan State Spartans (8-1, 3-1 Big Ten)
Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, 2 p.m. (CT)
Breslin Center - East Lansing, Michigan
Live Video: B1G Network+
Live Radio: Husker Sports Network (1:45 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (B107.3 FM), Omaha (ESPN 590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App, TuneIn

Huskers Set for Sunday Showdown at No. 23 Spartans
Nebraska completes its two-game road trip to the state of Michigan when the Huskers square off with No. 23 Michigan State on Sunday. Tip-off between Nebraska (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) and the Spartans (8-1, 3-1 Big Ten) is set for 2 p.m. (CT) at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

A live video stream will be provided to subscribers of Big Ten Network plus. Live radio will also be available through the Husker Sports Network with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch calling the action across the network stations, the Huskers App and on Huskers.com.

Both teams will be looking to bounce back from narrow Thursday night losses to top-15 foes. Nebraska suffered a 64-62 setback at No. 15 Michigan. The Huskers rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter and got a steal and a last-second half-court heave by Bella Cravens that got off in time but did not draw iron, as Nebraska was the first team this season to play Michigan (8-0, 3-0 Big Ten) within single digits. The Huskers also held the Wolverines 24 points under their season scoring average and forced season-low shooting percentages by Michigan in every category.

The Spartans fell 93-87 to No. 12 Maryland at the Breslin Center on Thursday. MSU trailed by 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter but closed the gap to 83-81 against the Terps with 1:46 left. It was the first loss of the season for the Spartans, denying them a 9-0 start that would have been the best in school history. Nia Clouden led Michigan State with a career-high 32 points.

Sam Haiby led Nebraska at Michigan with 27 points and nine rebounds. The Big Red's leading scorer, Haiby is averaging 17.3 points per game on the season, including 19.7 points per game in Big Ten play. The College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week (Jan. 4), Haiby's last-second shot on New Year's Eve to beat No. 15 Northwestern was ESPN SportsCenter's Top Play of New Year's Eve.  The 5-9 junior guard finished with 19 points against the Wildcats and added 16 in a win over Rutgers (Jan. 3). She opened Big Ten play with a career-high 33 points in a win over Illinois (Dec. 10).

Haiby enters the Michigan State game leading Nebraska in scoring (17.3 ppg), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (1.3 spg) while tying for second on the team in rebounding (7.3 rpg). She has twice been chosen to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll this season (Dec. 14, Jan. 4).

Sophomore Isabelle Bourne also has solidified herself as a rising star in the Big Ten. The 6-2 forward from Canberra, Australia notched back-to-back double-doubles in wins over No. 15 Northwestern (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Rutgers (11 points, 12 rebounds). She was also the primary defender responsible for holding Arella Guirantes to just eight points on 3-of-24 shooting. Bourne enters the Michigan State game ranked second among the Huskers in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), assists (2.1 apg) and blocks (1.1 bpg). Through six Big Ten games, Bourne's numbers are even better at 15.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.

Kate Cain, a 6-5 center from Middletown, N.Y., joins Haiby and Bourne as Nebraska's tri-captains in 2020-21. A three-time Lisa Leslie Award candidate, Cain notched four blocks against Northwestern to become just the sixth player in Big Ten history with 300 career blocked shots. Cain is averaging 2.6 blocks per game this season to go along with 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Ashley Scoggin has stepped into a major role in her first year as a Husker. The 22-year-old redshirt sophomore has started all eight games and is averaging 7.4 points while leading Nebraska with 14 made three-pointers (.412). She posted career highs of 16 points against both Purdue and Idaho State.                

Junior Bella Cravens also has been a major contributor as a starter in Big Ten play. The 6-3 forward from Laie, Hawaii, is averaging 7.2 points and a team-best 9.2 rebounds in conference games, including a career-high-tying 16 rebounds in the win over Illinois. She added 13 boards in the win over Rutgers and is coming off a 10-point effort at No. 15 Michigan.

Scouting the Michigan State Spartans
No. 23 Michigan State is off to one of the best starts in school history, carrying an 8-1 overall record and a 3-1 Big Ten mark. The Spartans played a full slate of five non-conference games and went 3-0 against unranked Big Ten foes (Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue) before suffering a narrow 93-87 loss to No. 12 Maryland in East Lansing on Thursday night.

Following Sunday's game with Nebraska, MSU will play at Illinois (Jan. 14) before being scheduled to face top-20 foes in four of the next five games, including two each against rival Michigan and Indiana. The Spartans will complete a two-game season series with Nebraska in Lincoln (Feb. 27).

Junior Nia Clouden leads Michigan State as one of the Big Ten's top scorers. A second-team All-Big Ten choice last season, Clouden is averaging 20.6 points per game, including 25.3 points in conference action after her career-high 32-point effort against Maryland on Thursday.

Clouden has scored at least 15 points in every game this season, including five 20-plus efforts. A dynamic penetrator, Clouden is shooting 55.2 percent from the field and averaging team-bests of 5.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game. She joined Michigan State's 1,000-point club on Thursday night.

The only other Spartan to start all nine games is fellow junior Tory Ozment. The 6-1 wing is averaging 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while ranking second on the team with 4.7 assists.

Sophomore Alyza Winston provides Michigan State with its most consistent three-point threat while ranking second on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game. The 5-7 Winston has hit 17-of-43 threes (.395) and is 10-of-12 (.833) at the free throw line.

Julia Ayrault adds another three-point threat while adding size. The 6-2 sophomore from Grosse Point Woods, Mich., ranks third on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) while leading the Spartans in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and blocked shots (1.3 bpg). Ayrault leads the team in defensive rebounds (38) and is tied for second on the team with 12 steals. She also ranks third on the team with 10 made threes (.333) and has hit 79.2 percent of her free throws.        

A third sophomore, Taiyier Parks, rounds out MSU's probable starting five by adding more size. The 6-3 forward is averaging 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in just 15.4 minutes per game. Parks (22) and redshirt senior Mardrekia Cook (24) lead the Spartans in fouls committed. Cook (3.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) has started five times and is averaging 18 minutes per game.

The Spartans also have a deep and experienced bench that includes former Penn State starter Alisia Smith (8.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Ohio State starter Janai Crooms (3.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg). Both are juniors. 

Graduate center Lauren Rewers, a 6-4 transfer from Hawaii, and Laurel Jacqmain, a 5-8 fifth-year senior transfer from Saginaw Valley State, both add more depth.

Sophomore Moira Joiner (5.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg) has started three games for the Spartans this year, while freshman Kendall Bostic (6.3 ppg, 4.1) has played productive minutes in all nine games.

As a team, Michigan State (82.1 ppg) is Nebraska's fourth consecutive opponent to enter the game averaging better than 80 points per contest. The Spartans are hitting 46.8 percent of their shots from the field, including 31.4 percent (58-185) from three-point range. MSU is hitting 69.2 percent of its free throws. The Spartans carry a plus-4.4 rebound margin and a plus-5.8 turnover margin, but in Big Ten play, MSU has been out-rebounded 39.5-38.2 and its turnover margin has shrunk to plus-3.8.

Nebraska vs. Michigan State Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Michigan State 8-4 with all 12 meetings as Big Ten Conference foes. The Huskers suffered a 78-70 overtime loss to the Spartans in East Lansing on Dec. 31, 2019, in the most recent meeting between the two teams.

The Huskers are 5-0 against Michigan State in Lincoln, including an 82-71 win over MSU on Feb. 17, 2019, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers are 2-4 against Michigan State all-time in East Lansing, with their most recent win coming on Feb. 14, 2018 (79-69).

Four of Nebraska's eight wins have been by 10 points or less, while NU's most lopsided win in the series came with an 86-58 victory over the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on March 8, 2014 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Michigan State's first three series wins in East Lansing were all by double digits, including a 73-53 victory in the first-ever meeting on Feb. 23, 2012. Two years later, the Spartans worked their way to a 70-57 win on Jan. 9, 2014, before rolling to a 93-73 victory over the Huskers on Jan. 7, 2017.