STARKVILLE — Flip the switch.
Aleighsa Welch hasn’t attended any of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team’s practices or been in the team’s locker room to listen to coach Vic Schaefer talk.
But the South Carolina forward played Thursday like she has heard Schaefer speak time and time again.
Welch showed the kind of attitude and swagger Schaefer wants to see from his players in an 18-point, 11-rebound effort that propelled No. 6 South Carolina to a 71-64 victory against MSU before a crowd of 2,323 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“A monster,” Schaefer said of Welch. “It is a great learning film for our kids. She had 18 points and six of their 14 offensive rebounds. She had four assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes. I don’t think she takes too plays off, either. She is really, really good, really special.”
Welch had the play of the game with MSU positioning itself to pull the upset. The 6-foot forward bulled her way to the basket on a drive from the right wing. She missed her first shot, but she went up between two defenders to grab the rebound and score to give South Carolina a 63-57 lead with 2 minutes, 58 seconds to go.
MSU responded with a jumper by Martha Alwal to cut the deficit to four. Following a miss by South Carolina, MSU had a chance to cut into the lead even more, but Ketara Chapel’s jump shot went in and out. Kendra Grant rebounded the shot and missed from on the block. Savannah Carter rebounded that miss to give MSU another look, but Jerica James missed a 3-pointer and Chapel missed an offensive rebound.
South Carolina made MSU pay for its inability to capitalize when Tina Roy drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 55.9 seconds remaining to kick the lead to 66-59. The Gamecocks hit 6 of 7 free throws down the stretch to seal the deal.
“It was a big play at a big time,” Welch said. “Coach (Dawn) Staley challenged us to fight with our backs up against the wall, and I knew I had to step up. I knew I had to do something energy wise to get my team going. I figured they would feed off my energy. I just wanted to be as aggressive as I could because it was a big moment in the game.”
Khadijah Sessions had 14 points and Asia Dozier added 10 points and four assists to help the Gamecocks (21-2, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) win their fifth game in a row and stay atop the league standings. South Carolina’s only SEC loss was a 67-65 overtime setback against No. 25 Texas A&M on Jan. 16 in College Station, Texas.
South Carolina extended the winning streak thanks to a solid post presence that matched a season high with 14 blocked shots. Elem Ibiam had seven of the blocks. She also had five points and was part of a front-court rotation with Welch and Alaina Coates (eight points, five rebounds) that outscored MSU 32-16 in the paint.
“It is what has worked for us all year,” Welch said of the team’s frontcourt. “It has got us where we are now and it is something that has never failed us when we needed it.
MSU (16-8, 3-7) countered South Carolina’s post advantage — Alwal had just 10 points and was limited to 28 minutes due to foul trouble before fouling out — with a 28-17 edge in bench points. In fact, the Bulldogs used a lineup that featured just one starter (Carter) when it rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to create drama down the stretch.
Carter (10 points, seven rebounds, two assists) helped fuel that comeback with James (11 points, 3 of 5 from 3-point range to match a career-high mark), Grant, Sherise Williams, and Chapel (nine points, four rebounds).
But as close as MSU crept, South Carolina always had an answer. The Gamecocks held a 40-31 rebounding advantage, even though the Bulldogs had a 15-14 edge in offensive rebounds. Several times, MSU had great looks at the basket but it didn’t get the bounce or made mistakes at key junctures that denied it more chances to cut into the lead.
“That is where you have to get it done (on Welch’s missed shot). You made her miss now get the rebound and let’s go the other way,” Schaefer said. “I thought we battled our tail off down there. We got outrebounded by nine, but we did all we can do.”
Still, Staley and Welch liked what they saw from MSU.
“We knew coming into the basketball game Mississippi State is playing extremely well,” Staley said. “They have been in every basketball game. It is only a matter of time before they’re able to win basketball games like this. It took us a few years to really figure out what this league is all about. … I think this Mississippi State team is well on its way. They are above the curve at this point.”
Said Welch, “They made big plays. They hit big shots. You have to give credit where it is due. But we did a good job of answering their runs. … When they made a big play we had to come down the court and make one, too.”
Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, also liked what she saw from Welch, her junior forward who entered the game leading the SEC league in field goal percentage (61.1 percent). Welch was 5 of 16 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line.
“That epitomizes what Aleighsa does for us,” Staley said. “In her case, our bigs have been really consistent and playing well all year and she has sacrificed some of her games, but you see her play when the score is tight in this time of game. She always shows her leadership and ability to put us on her back and will us to a win. We needed every bit of that tonight.”
South Carolina used a 3-pointer by Sessions to build its biggest lead, 52-40, with 11:37 to play, but MSU answered with a 14-3 run to cut the deficit to 55-54 with 6:28 to go. A layup by Williams off a pass from James helped the Bulldogs send a surge through the crowd that made it think an upset was possible. Unfortunately, MSU failed on three chances to take the lead.
Schaefer has used the phrase “flip the switch” in an attempt to get his players to leave their pleasant personalities in the locker room and to take on a hungrier, more aggressive mentality on the court. He has seen flashes of it, but he said the Bulldogs are still learning how to play with that tenacity and consistency.
“I love our effort and energy and our passion,” Schaefer said. “South Carolina is awfully good. There are just some times where we are not smart. Just like Tennessee, this was a chance to beat No. 6. To beat a team like that, you can’t take plays off. You can’t have the handful of mistakes we had.”
MSU will play at 2 p.m. Sunday at Auburn.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.