Davidson Hosts No. 25/23 Michigan State Wednesday

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DAVIDSON, N.C. — For the third year in a row, the Davidson women's basketball team welcomes a big time opponent to John M. Belk Arena when the No. 25/23 Michigan State Spartans come to town Wednesday evening for a 6 p.m. contest as part of a doubleheader with the Wildcat men's team.

Davidson (5-3) previously hosted Power 5 conference teams Rutgers (2013-14, Big Ten) and Southern Cal (2014-15, Pac-12) the past two years.

OPENING TIP: Quick Hits
•Davidson is in its 37th season and reached the 400-win mark last year at Gardner-Webb.
•The 'Cats are in their second year in the Atlantic 10 after a 21-year run in the SoCon.
•The Wildcats were picked to finish 14th in the A-10 Coaches Preseason Poll.
•Davidson returns nine letterwinners and all five of its starters from last year's 5-25 team.
•Head coach Michele Savage is in her sixth year (84-84) and is facing the Spartans for the first time.

Last Game Out vs. Western Carolina ...
•Davidson played its home opener last Saturday and secured a 64-51 win vs. Western Carolina.
•The 'Cats jumped out to leads of 19-14 and 34-26 at the end of the first two periods each and never looked back, getting a combined 25 first-half points from Hannah Early and Mackenzie Latt.
•Early recorded her second double-double, finishing with 20 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
•Latt followed with 19 points, while Justine Lyon added a season-best 10.
•Davidson won its ninth straight game in the series and its 12th in the past 14 games overall.

Home Opener ...
•Davidson improved to 17-18 all-time in home openers (two years are incomplete) and 4-2 under Savage with its victory Saturday vs. Western Carolina.
•It was the Wildcats' first home-opening win since the 2007-08 season.

Last 5 Games Combined ...
•Davidson is 4-1 in its last five games, running off a three-game win streak and winning its 7th in-season tournament title since 1992-93 at the UNCW Thanksgiving Tournament during the stretch.
•The big three of Early (13.8), Latt (15.6) and Dukes (15.5) are all averaging in double figures.
•Dukes is averaging a team-best 7.8 rebounds and shooting a blistering 66.7 percent (24-of-36).
•Davidson has an average scoring margin of plus-7 in the past five games (66-59 ppg).

Random Notes ...
•It is the second year in a row Davidson will face a Big Ten opponent, playing at Rutgers last year.
•Prior to Rutgers moving to the Big Ten, the 'Cats' last Big Ten opponent it faced was Mich. State.
•This is the third year in a row Davidson has hosted a team from one of the Power 5 conferences.
•Davidson is on a season-long five-game home stretch after a season-long seven-game road trip.
•Dukes was named the College Sports Madness Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, Nov. 30.
•Dating back to last year, Early has scored in double digits in 31 of the past 38 games.
•Dukes ranks among the best in the Atlantic 10 so far- 1st in field goal percentage (.641, 8th in nation), 3rd in blocks per game (2.3) and 3rd in free throw percentage (.840).
•The Wildcats' defense has been solid, holding the opposite to 35.3 percent shooting and 60.2 points per game, ranking 1st and 5th, respectively in the A-10.
•Win their home win Saturday, Davidson snapped a 10-game home skid dating back to last season.
•Early and Dukes have combined to score 2,175 points during their careers.
•Davidson has out-rebounded the opposition in six of its eight games so far this year.
•Davidson is a combined 41-for-53 from the charity stripe in the past three games.

All-Time Series vs. Michigan State ...
•The Wildcats will be facing Michigan State for just the second time ever.
•They last saw the Spartans in their season opener of the 2003-04 campaign in East Lansing, falling in a close 74-68 contest in the first game of the Spartan Classic.
•Emily Callahan paced the 'Cats with 19 points and freshman Katie Hamilton had 14 off the bench.

Scouting the Spartans ...
•Michigan State is off to a 5-2 start, having played five of their first seven games at home.
•The Spartans are ranked 25th in the recent Associated Press Poll this week and 20th in the USA Today's Coaches Poll as of Dec. 1.
•The Spartans' fifth win came last Sunday, a 76-47 decision over Loyola Chicago.
•Akyah Taylor had her second double-double of the season, a 15-point, 11-rebound effort to lead the way.
•Junior guard Aerial Powers led all scorers with 18 points and added nine rebounds.
•Senior Jasmine Hines tied a career high with three blocks, as MSU had a season-high nine blocks.
•Tori Jankoska is averaging a team-high 18.7 points a game on the season.
•Powers (17.4) and Branndais Agee (11.6) are also averaging in double figures.
•Michigan State is outscoring its opponents by an average of nearly 19 points.
•Powers is the active career Big Ten leader in rebounds with 673.
•The Spartans opened the year on a five-game win streak before falling in back-to-back games to ranked teams Baylor and Louisville.
•They started the year ranked 24th in the first AP Poll, marking the third straight year the Spartans have been ranked to start the season.
•Michigan State was picked to finish third in the coaches preseason Big Ten poll, while Powers and Jankoska both earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team.
•MSU returns six of its 10 letterwinners, including three of five starters. It has seven newcomers.
•Last season, Michigan State was 16-15 overall and 7-11 in Big Ten action.

A Look Ahead ...
•Davidson continues its five-game home stretch by hosting South Carolina State this Saturday at 2 p.m.

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