STARKVILLE — Beware the headband.
The fuzzy, elasticized variety tennis player John McEnroe used to wear has been replaced by what Mississippi State women’s basketball player Martha Alwal calls the “Skylar Diggins” headband. Named in honor of the former Notre Dame standout, Alwal and several of her MSU teammates proudly wear the white, cloth headband with the adidas affixed to their foreheads.
For MSU freshman Dominique Dillingham, the headband is another accoutrement that completes her ensemble for battle. Armed with little more than a neoprene sleeve for her left knee, Dillingham has taken to throwing her body into opponents and onto the floor with alarming regularity in MSU’s first nine game. Dillingham’s penchant for floor burns nearly cost her her headband Wednesday night, but the momentary loss of headgear didn’t deter her from delivering one of the most complete and aggressive performances of her young career.
Dillingham scored a team- and career-high 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, and made three steals to help fuel MSU to a 78-51 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette before a crowd of 2,516 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“Growing up, that is how I was raised, to play hard,” Dillingham said. “Growing up, I wasn’t always the best, so I always just had to play hard.”
Alwal (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Kendra Grant (12 points) also scored in double figures as MSU (8-1) rebounded from a loss to Middle Tennessee State on Sunday in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Showcase. MSU shook off the effects from a lackluster first half, in which it led 28-27 at halftime, to shoot 46.4 percent and hold ULL (4-3) to 21.2 percent in the second half.
Dillingham played a key role in everything MSU did. She even had team manager Yasma Smith working overtime to help her retrieve her headband. Dillingham’s aggressivness on the offensive glass in the first half forced her to lose her headband. The 5-foot-9 freshman from Spring, Texas, rebounded a miss by Savannah Carter and finished her shot all in one motion for the putback despite losing her headgear. The headband was tossed off the court before action moved to the other end, but Smith quickly came from MSU’s bench on the other end of the floor and leaned over the padded partition in front of the baseline seating to re-claim Dillingham’s headband. Dillingham had the headband back on less than a minute later when she attempted two free throws. True to her hustling nature, Dillingham rebounded her own miss on the second attempt.
Whether it is rebounding missed free throws or hanging in the air to complete a pumping baseline drive, which just so happened to earn play of the game, Dillingham has done a little bit of everything to impress MSU coach Vic Schaefer.
“Really loved Dominique’s game tonight,” Schaefer said. “The kid just continues to bring it. She had another career-high tonight. I loved her toughness and her energy. She and (Savannah) played their guts out.”
Dillingham’s versatility has allowed her to play multiple positions for the Bulldogs. Not only can Dillingham play shooting guard, or the two, but she plays bigger than her listed size and has a penchant for mixing it up in the paint, which allows her to play small forward, or three. That same mind-set gives MSU a scorer from the wing who can drive to the basket and finish strong, pull up and shoot a mid-range shot, or hit from 17 feet and beyond. Dillingham’s third double-figure scoring game eclipsed the 19 points she had in an 81-63 victory against Savannah State on Nov. 26.
Schaefer said Dillingham’s ability to score, to defend, to rebound, and to do all of the little things he needs has her competing with Grant for a spot in the starting lineup. He said Dillingham and Grant will battle it out the next two days to see who will get the start at 7 p.m. Saturday against Alabama State.
“She is productive night in and night out,” said Schaefer, who called Dillingham the most consistent of the four healthy newcomers. “She is just a basketball player. I am on her right now because I want her to make more shots. She is comfortable and she is playing basketball. You can tell she is very confident. She is a confident kid, and she has bought in defensively and she is playing well.”
Dillingham’s 7-for-13 shooting effort from the field was her best shooting performance. She secured that mark despite hearing assistant coach Aqua Franklin chastise her from the bench with a shout of “Shoot it.” Franklin’s words came near the 13-minute mark after Dillingham received a pass at the free-throw line, hesitated, and then dribbled to her left for a shot she missed.
“That is our problem with her right now,” Schaefer said. “That is the one thing that has been her Achilles’ is that she has to learn that in the SEC your window to get it off is about that much (holding his hands less than a shoulder width apart). It is not like high school where you can catch it, turn, look at everybody, and shoot it. You’re window is going to be really small and you have to learn to catch, turn, and shoot. Boom. It has to be like that.”
Schaefer was pleased four of Dillingham’s six rebounds came on the offensive end. He also is excited that his freshman doesn’t settle for the outside shots and is aware enough to take the ball to the basket and attempt to take advantage of the tighter officiating that could send her to the free-throw line.
Still, Alwal and Grant acknowledged they often worry about Dillingham and Carter because they seem to enjoy careening across the court. Still, they said the energy both players bring is infectious.
“I worry all of the time,” Alwal said. “They are energy players. I understand getting the ball, but they just throw everything (at it) and they are all in for it, but Schaefer loves it, though. He tells them to keep doing it. They’re doing a good job, so keep doing what you’re doing, Dom.”
Dillingham said her headband always falls off because she has “slick” hair. She said she is always throwing them off after they become loose and fail to stay on her head, even though she wears her hair back in a ponytail. The ponytail saved Dillingham from losing the headband a second time at the 14-minute, 26-second mark of the second half when she tried to take a charge from Keke Veal. Called for the block, Dillingham re-tied the headband around the back of her head and went back to work.
Dillingham said she is more comfortable driving to the basket than settling for a perimeter shot. She said it is a little easier getting a chance to convert a shot from closer in or going to the free-throw line after she throws her body into an opponent.
“I always think drive, so I have to get that in my head to shoot it first,” Dillingham said.
Until Dillingham does that, she will tie the headband as tightly as she can and hope it weathers the storm of floor burns and caroms into opponents.
NOTE: MSU associate baseball coach Butch Thompson will be the guest speaker for the first Hail State Hoops luncheon at 11:15 a.m. today at Mize Pavilion. The program will start at 11:30. The cost for the luncheon, which includes lunch, the program, and the chance to win door prizes, is $12 per person, or $60 for all six luncheons. Fans can RSVP by calling 662-325-0198.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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