There were just 24.6 seconds left when Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer sent in his final instructions from the sidelines.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Bulldogs had created enough of a margin for a bit of ceremony.
Schaefer used a stoppage of play to substitute his starters, all of whom had played 37 minutes or more.
One by one, they left the floor — Victoria Vivians, Blair Schaefer, Roshunda Johnson and Morgan William, all seniors — to booming applause from the Humphrey Coliseum crowd of 9,881. So did junior Teaira McCowan, whose dominant play in the second half helped stretch a one-point halftime lead into a 71-56 victory over Oklahoma State and a berth in the Sweet 16, where top-seeded MSU will play fourth-seeded North Carolina State at 6 p.m. Friday in Kansas City.
For Coach Schaefer, the moment was an answer to a prayer,
“I was really hoping the Good Lord would bless ’em today with a win in their last game at the Hump,” he said, his voice choked with emotion. “I probably said that prayer 10 times today. Of everything that I’ve wanted, I just wanted that for these kids.”
As a group, the seniors have cemented a place in MSU history. There is no group of players at MSU, men or women, who have achieved anything near what they have achieved over the past four years — four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, a national runner-up, a first SEC title in women’s sports at MSU and more wins (123) than any other group.
The 123rd win, like so many before them, was a testament to poise, toughness and a special bond with the fans, who have turned out in record numbers this season — more than 133,000 total fans in 18 home games.
“The atmosphere here, I’m going to miss it,” Vivians said. “It (the fan base) grew as we grew as players. I feel like we play the game the way the fans want us to play. We’re not out there just playing free ball. We’re playing hard ball. They recognize that.”
Coach Schaefer is convinced the bond goes beyond what happens on the court.
“Those fans are in there to see these kids,” he said. “They deserve all the credit, the way they play the game, the way they honor the game. I’ve said that a million times.
“We have kids. We have blue-hairs, gray-hairs, no-hairs and everything in between,” he added. “You have to commend our kids for that. They have created this by how they play and how they spend time with people. In this day and age, it just doesn’t happen very much.”
‘They are a fit’
Each of the four had their own separate journeys. Vivians was a prize recruit after setting the all-time scoring record in Mississippi high school basketball. She was a star immediately at MSU, starting in 141 of her record 144 games and moving into second place on the school’s all-time scoring list Monday evening.
But what is special about this group of seniors is that Vivians was the exception.
William, at 5-foot-5, was considered too small, only to become the all-time leader in assists at the school. Blair Schafer, the coach’s daughter, seemed so marginal a recruit it was two years into her career at State before she had any real impact on the court. As a senior, she has become the personification the team’s hard-nosed defensive identity and a deadly accurate outside shooter.
Johnson wasn’t even on the team four years ago. Interestingly enough, she was playing for the team State defeated Monday night. In her three years at MSU, she’s become a tough defender and, like Schaefer, a deadly accurate shooter.
“They are a fit,” Coach Schaefer said. “So many times in recruiting, you get caught up with a number next to some kid’s name instead of going and getting someone who fits.
“That’s what we had with this group,” he added. “You just get kids that fit your program and play the way you want to play and fit our fans. So, yeah, they’re special.”
Vivians said Monday was a chance for the seniors to celebrate their journeys — both individually and as a group — with a fan base that has grown along with them.
“It was amazing,” she said. “I’m glad I got do this with the people sitting here with me. We finished the year undefeated at The Hump, which was great. The atmosphere here, I’m going to miss it.”
The final goodbye, of course, has yet to come. The Bulldogs are four wins short of a national championship, something fixed on their minds.
But the end is near, something Coach Schaefer understands.
“Whenever that last game is, it’s going to be hard on this old guy, I’m telling you,” he said. “They’re four special kids.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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