Lady Spartans face a challenging stretch. Can they overcome recent losses and injuries to rewrite their season's narrative?
The Lady Spartans are struggling — but all is not lost.
After dropping both games last week, Michigan State Spartans women's basketball fell from No. 13 to No. 18 in the latest AP Poll.
Michigan State opened the week against No. 2 UCLA Bruins women's basketball. The Bruins delivered a decisive 86–63 loss, overpowering the Spartans in a game that quickly got away from them.
Looking to bounce back, MSU traveled to Ann Arbor to face the rival Michigan Wolverines women's basketball. After one quarter of solid basketball, the Spartans unraveled. Mental lapses and a lack of offensive rhythm proved costly, and Michigan pulled away for an 86–65 win — the second loss of 20 or more points for MSU that week.
With those defeats, the Spartans have now dropped four of their last five games as the regular season winds down. What once felt like a fairytale season is suddenly at a crossroads.
Offensive Struggles Against Top Competition
In back-to-back matchups against top-10 opponents, Michigan State’s offense stalled. The ball movement lacked sharpness, shots weren’t falling, and the Spartans struggled to find any consistent rhythm. After scoring with ease earlier this season, two 60-point performances highlighted a concerning downturn.
Injury Concerns Add to the Challenge
The struggles didn’t end with the final buzzer.
Starting guard Rashunda Jones exited the Michigan game late in the third quarter with a foot or ankle injury and did not return. Her absence would be a significant blow. Jones, who transferred from Purdue and quickly became an integral piece on both ends of the floor, has been a steady presence all season.
“I’m not sure how serious it is yet,” head coach Robyn Fralick said after Sunday’s game.
The Spartans also endured a frightening moment when forward Juliann Woodard took an elbow to the face and lay motionless on the floor as blood pooled on the court. Crisler Arena fell silent as medical staff attended to her, and several Spartan players were visibly emotional. A stretcher was brought out, though Woodard ultimately walked off under her own power. Woodard missed most of last season with a torn ACL, making the scene even more concerning.
“I don’t have many updates or details. She was coherent, knew who she was and where she was and all those things when she left. A very scary moment to see anybody, any athlete have that sort of incident,” Fralick added.
Three Games to Reset
Despite the recent slide and injury scares, the Spartans still control how this regular season closes. With three games remaining before the Big Ten Tournament, momentum is still within reach.
This is the same team that won 16 of its first 17 games. They know how to win. They know how to score. The question now is how they respond to adversity.
A strong finish — potentially entering the Big Ten Tournament on a three-game winning streak — could completely shift the narrative.
Michigan State returns home Wednesday to face the Northwestern Wildcats women's basketball before traveling Sunday to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball.
The ranking drop can do one of two things: signal the beginning of the end, or spark a renewed identity.
We’ll find out which version of the Spartans shows up this week.