GREEN & WHITE BASKETBALL

Jankoska carries MSU women's basketball past Oakland

Senior guard's 37-point night vaults her to fourth on Spartans' career scoring list.

Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal
Michigan State's Tori Jankoska (1) shoots against Oakland's Nola Anderson, left, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, in East Lansing, Mich. Jankoska led Michigan State with 37 points in an 81-74 win.

EAST LANSING - Tori Jankoska continued her climb up Michigan State's career scoring chart.

And the senior guard did much more while carrying the Spartan women's basketball team to a third victory in four games.

Jankoska had a career-high 37 points and added 10 rebounds and seven assists Friday as MSU grinded out an 81-74 win over Oakland University at Breslin Center.

"(Tori) was amazing, really," MSU coach Suzy Merchant said. "(She was) a few assists away from a triple-double, and a legit one that's very efficient, too. She's really doing everything she can on the offensive end like being competitive and attacking a lot of different ways.

"I was proud of her because this team has been through a lot. We've traveled so much. We've been gone so much. We've played like eight games in a short span. You go West Coast then turn around and go to New York and then have a one-day prep for somebody's Super Bowl game. Our kids were really tired, so to see her be able to step up and do that as a senior I think is inspiring really."

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Michigan State's Victoria Gaines, top, gets an emphatic shot block against Oakland's Taylor Jones in the final moments of the game Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 81-74.

Jankoska registered the third-highest scoring game in MSU history and her second 30-point game of the season for the Spartans while moving past Alyssa DeHaan and Kisha Kelley to become the school's fourth all-time leading scorer. She was 11 of 16 from the field and made all 12 of her free throws during her career-best scoring night.

And for Jankoska, it was all about doing whatever was necessary to make sure the Spartans rebounded from Wednesday's road loss to Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

"(In) that third and fourth quarter, we needed some scoring and we needed some stops," said Jankoska, who had 27 points in the second half. "It was really doing whatever I could do to keep us having the lead and win."

Jenna Allen had 13 points and Branndais Agee added 12 points off the bench for MSU, which was playing its second game in three days and fifth in 11 days.

 

In a game that featured 11 lead changes, the Spartans (7-2) took the lead for good on a basket by Allen in the closing seconds of the third quarter. MSU fended off Oakland in the final quarter to pull out the win.

"I was proud of them to be able to gut it out because you could see even from the tip and the beginning (we were tired)," Merchant said. "I'm trying to do my best to keep their legs, but at the same time we've got to practice a little bit too because we're so young." 

Taylor Jones had 19 points off the bench to pace Oakland (4-3).

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

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