Moira Joiner and Tory Ozment stayed in the fight. Now they're reaping the rewards for MSU women's basketball.
EAST LANSING ― After sharing a few embraces with teammates, Moira Joiner got down at center court to kiss the Spartan head before exiting the Breslin Center floor for the final time.
It was a moment the Michigan State graduate student has dreamed about since she was little.
It also was a moment that a few years ago wasn't a certainty for Joiner, with concussions nearly leading to an early end to her basketball career.
But Joiner and Tory Ozment, who also missed some time with injuries, overcame adversity together to reach the finish line and had an opportunity to celebrate their senior nights Thursday evening. Joiner had 16 points and Ozment added 15 to help propel an 87-70 victory over Illinois.
"Nights like these definitely make all the late night hours in the gym worth it, Joiner said.
Ozment, who is in the final stages of her sixth season in the program, and Joiner, a fifth-year player, have made the most of their final seasons after past adversity to help the Spartans (21-7, 11-6) close in on their first NCAA tournament berth since 2021.
Ozment missed the entire 2021-22 season with an ACL tear and was hampered by a foot injury as a freshman. She has overcome those and is now in the midst of the best season of her career. Ozment is averaging 10.3 points, 4..9 rebounds and is shooting 52.4% from the field — all career bests — while emerging as one of the Big Ten's top reserves.
Joiner missed the final 15 games of the 2021-22 season due to concussions, and has come back strong with the best two seasons of her career. She is averaging a career-best 14.8 points and shooting 47.4% from the field and 42.2% from 3-point range. Joiner became the 30th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points this season.
"My basketball career in general was hanging by a thread," Joiner said. "Hard work and dedication really takes you a long way."
First-year MSU coach Robyn Fralick has thanked Joiner and Ozment daily for sticking things out in East Lansing and said both make everyone want to become better Spartans.
"To really love Michigan State the way that they have loved Michigan State through injuries, through COVID, through a coaching change (is impressive)," Fralick said. "Their stories are worth paying attention to because it hasn’t been easy. It hasn’t been a linear story. They’ve persevered, they’ve endured, they’ve worked. They’ve continued to improve.
"They didn’t come back to have another year here. They came back better. They came back to help make us better. I’m just so grateful for that. They’re everyday kids. Every day they show up and we know what we’re going to get out of them. Those are transformative life skills for now and for after Michigan State."
Ozment and Joiner hope how they have endured while facing challenges during their time at MSU sets an example for those behind them.
"I think me and Mo both kind of trusted the process," Ozment said. "It's not linear and that's also how life is. We stayed in the fight and we never gave up. Being a Spartan means to be tough and to be resilient. We wanted to embody that. If you trust the process and keep working hard and be a good person and be a good teammate, good things come back to you."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU's Moira Joiner, Tory Ozment reap rewards after staying in the fight
