BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s women’s basketball team is 4-4 on the road this season. It’s not a record to scoff at. Winning on the road is difficult.
Included among those wins was an impressive 74-67 victory at then-No. 23 Iowa on Jan. 12. It proves that the Hoosiers are not only capable of winning on the road, but also have the ability to compete with quality teams away from Bloomington.
With Indiana headed to No. 22 Michigan State for a key Big Ten contest at 2 p.m. Sunday, it would be good for the Hoosiers to demonstrate their road bona fides again.
Of those four road losses, three have come in Indiana’s last four road contests. All of those losses were to solid Big Ten teams – Oregon, Minnesota and Michigan – but the Hoosiers could use another quality road win to bolster their resume.
It would also send a signal to women’s college basketball observers that the Hoosiers have staying power. Indiana has beaten four ranked opponents this season, including a 71-61 win over No. 8 Ohio State on Thursday. However, in its last two chances, Indiana followed a win over a ranked team with a loss.
Indiana is also jockeying with Michigan State and several other teams to avoid having to play on day one of the Big Ten Tournament. A team needs to finish ninth or better to avoid day one.
The win over the Buckeyes helped Indiana – it would currently have the No. 8 seed – but a loss to the Spartans would put Indiana right back in a position to have to potentially go the long route at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Here’s how to watch Indiana’s home game at Michigan State.
How to watch Indiana at No. 22 Michigan State
• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (17-9, 9-6) at No. 22 Michigan State Spartans (19-7, 9-6).
• What: Big Ten regular season game.
• When: Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. ET.
• Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing, Mich.
• TV: Big Ten Network.
• Radio: WBWB in Bloomington.
• Radio announcer: Austin Render.
• Last game: Indiana defeated No. 8 Ohio State 71-61 on Thursday. Michigan State lost 83-75 at Southern California on Wednesday.
• Series history: Michigan State leads 50-34. Indiana won the lone meeting in the 2023-24 season. The Spartans won the last game played at Breslin Center in the 2022-23 season.
Statistics
Indiana Hoosiers
• Guards (as officially listed): Yarden Garzon (13.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.4 apg), Sydney Parrish (12 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Shay Ciezki (10.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.8 apg), Chloe Moore-McNeil (9.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.2 apg), Lexus Bargesser (3.5 ppg), Julianna LaMendola (2.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg), Henna Sandvik (2 ppg), Valentyna Kadlecova (1.8 ppg).
• Forwards/centers: Karoline Striplin (10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg), Lilly Meister (7.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg), Faith Wiseman (0.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg), Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (0.3 ppg).
No. 22 Michigan State Spartans
• Guards: Julia Ayrault (15.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.3 apg), Theryn Hallock (13.7 ppg, 3 apg), G-F Jocelyn Tate (7.7 ppg), Jaddan Simmons (6 ppg, 4 rpg), Nyla Hampton (5.1 ppg), Emma Shumate (4.8 ppg), Kennedy Blair (3.7 ppg), Abbey Kimball (2.8 ppg), Sinai Douglas (1.3 ppg).
• Forwards/centers: Grace Vanslooten (15.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg), Ines Sotelo (5.7 ppg), Juliann Woodard (5.7 ppg), Mary Meng (1.2 ppg), Helen Holley (0.4 ppg).
Rankings
• Michigan State is ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll. The Spartans have been in the poll since Dec. 2. They peaked at the No. 15 spot in mid-December.
Meet the coaches
• Teri Moren, Indiana: Moren is in her 11th season at Indiana and has a record of 243-108 with the Hoosiers. Her overall record in 22 years as a head coach is 442-238. Moren has been Big Ten Coach of the Year twice (2016, 2023). Moren previously coached at Indiana State from 2010-14 and at the University of Indianapolis from 2000-07. Moren was also an assistant coach at Butler (1992-98), Northwestern (1998-2000) and Georgia Tech (2007-10). Moren, a Seymour, Ind. native, played collegiately at Purdue from 1988-92.
• Robyn Fralick, Michigan State: Fralick is in her second season at Michigan State and has a 41-16 record with the Spartans. Fralick coached Michigan State to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Fralick’s career record is 233-92. She has been a head coach since 2015. Fralick had a remarkable 104-3 record at Division II Ashland from 2015-17, winning a national championship in 2017 with an undefeated team. She was 88-73 in five seasons at Bowling Green. Before becoming a head coach, Fralick was an assistant coach at Appalachian State (2004-05), Toledo (2007-08) and Ashland (2008-15).
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