EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Western Michigan women's basketball plays one of its non-conference in-state rivals on Sunday afternoon.

LAST TIME OUT
In a game that came down to the final buzzer, the Broncos were victorious over the Milwaukee Panthers 65-64 on the road. WMU was led by a pair of players with career shooting nights, redshirt senior forward De'Ahna Richardson and sophomore guard Kailey Starks with 22 and 21 points. Both Brown and Gold players ended the night with over 20 points for the first time in their careers. It was also the first game for Western Michigan having multiple players score 20+ since Feb. 5 against Akron. 

The Brown and Gold capitalized on 18 turnovers from Milwaukee, scoring 17 points after taking the ball away. Western Michigan also had better chances after the initial shot, getting 10 second chance points. While Richardson led the Broncos on offense, three separate players had six rebounds each on defense. Senior guard Alli Carlson had another big night helping others on the floor with six assists while Starks led the team in steals with three.

A GAME OF FIRST'S
The Broncos win against Milwaukee included a handful of first for the 2025-26 team outside of it being the first win of the season. Richardson and Starks had their first 20+ games in their careers, setting new career-highs on offense on Thursday night against the Panthers.

WMU Head Coach Kate Achter also earned her first win leading the Brown and Gold in the Cream City. Achter picked up her last win as the Head Coach ofSER Detroit Mercy against Milwaukee in the Horizon League Tournament in a 73-62 win. And then her first win with Western Michigan was the 65-64 win over Milwaukee on their home court earlier this week.

BACK TO EAST LANSING
Sunday afternoon's game at the Breslin Center will be the Broncos first in the building in eight years. WMU's last game against Michigan State in East Lansing was on Dec. 3, 2017 where the Brown and Gold lost by only three, 65-62.

While Western Michigan has earned a win in East Lansing before, they haven't picked up a win in the Breslin Center. The Broncos last win on the Spartans home court came in 1979 back when the MSU home court was the Jenison Fieldhouse, which was used by Spartan volleyball until the 2022 season. The Breslin Center opened in 1989 and WMU has only played four times on its court since 1989.

SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State currently leads the series between the two programs 21-11. The Brown and Gold's last win against the Spartans was over 40 years ago in the early 1980s. Western Michigan earned a 77-60 win over MSU on a neutral court in Grand Rapids on Nov. 26, 1982. The Broncos and the Spartans renewed the series between the two programs last season in Kalamazoo on Dec. 3. Prior to the game in 2024, the in-state rivals hadn't met since 2017 when WMU lost by only three, 65-62.

Last season, the Brown and Gold lost to Michigan State 79-42 at University Arena. In the loss, graduate student guard Hannah Spitzley swiped two steals and scored a team-high 15 points after shooting 62.5% from the field. 

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State enters Sunday afternoon's game as one of the Top 25 teams in the nation. The Spartans are ranked 24th after earning three straight wins at home to begin the 2025-26 season. MSU has been putting up national numbers in its first three games, being ranked in the Top 5 in scoring offense (104.3), scoring margin (54.0), field goal percentage (56.7%), assists per game (27.3), turnover margin (20.67), and assist/turnover ratio (2.65). 

The Spartans have five players averaging double figures, led by senior forward Grace VanSlooten. Also in double digits for Michigan State includes senior guard Theryn Hallock, senior guard Jalyn Brown, junior guard Rashunda Jones, and senior guard Emma Shumate. VanSlooten, Hallock, and Jones have started all three games for the Spartans so far this season. VanSlooten also leads MSU under the glass, averaging 5.3 rebounds through 40 minutes.