In NCAA tournament debut, Sidney Cooks has big presence for MSU women's basketball

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Sidney Cooks felt like she had recently pieced together some strong practices.

And that translated into a strong showing in the big dance for the Michigan State sophomore forward.

Cooks made a big mark in her first career NCAA tournament game, scoring 21 points off the bench while playing a key role for the No. 9 seeded Spartans in an opening-round 88-87 victory over No. 8 seed Central Michigan on Saturday. 

The 21 points for Cooks matched a career-high she set in an early January home victory over Minnesota.

“I’ve had a few good practices, just really focusing on finishing at the rim lately,” said Cooks, who was 10 of 14 from the field while registering her third game with at least 20 points this season.

“Everyone knows I can shoot a jump shot and I can shoot a 3. I think my best games are when I start inside and catch the ball and score, instead of having to do a move every time. Coach has really been on us about catching and scoring. I was just focused on that and using my height and my speed as an advantage today. It really worked out. I’m glad I was able to make my shots.”

The 6-foot-4 Cooks and 6-4 Jenna Allen were big factors inside against a smaller CMU squad. Both were perfect from the floor in the final quarter and combined for 12 of MSU’s 22 points during the final 10 minutes.

MSU coach Suzy Merchant thought being able to play both together on the court was big.

“(Sidney has) been practicing really well and we felt like the size piece against Central Michigan was something we had to exploit clearly,” Merchant said. “They high-ball screen and space you to death, and we can do some of that, too. We knew our advantage at times would be to play Sid and Jenna together."

McCutcheon delivers on both ends

Junior Taryn McCutcheon knew she was in for a busy day while being matched up against high-scoring CMU guard Presley Hudson.

And it was her energy defensively and ability to knock down 3s that played a critical role in helping the Spartans move on to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016.

McCutcheon knocked down four 3-pointers – her most in a game since Feb. 11 – while scoring 12 points for the Spartans.

“She had to lock in obviously on Presley, and that was sort of her role,” Merchant said. “Sometimes when Taryn really locks in on somebody – it’s not really that she forgets about offense because she never does – she’s an unselfish kid that all of her intent and energy and focus goes one way.

"To see her being able to play both sides of the ball and come out strong for us really gave our team confidence. I thought her defense was good early and then she was knocking down shots. I thought our team really needed that."

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

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