STARKVILLE — Morgan William sat silently and shook her head.
The Mississippi State 5-foot-5 point guard was affirming coach Vic Schaefer’s assessment of her performance Sunday in a 78-62 loss at Vanderbilt. Even though William agreed with Schaefer that she didn’t play well, she didn’t like doing it.
“She will wear that. She didn’t play well Sunday,” Schaefer said. “I expect her to bounce back and have a good ballgame.”
Schaefer’s comment speaks to the competitiveness of the freshman from Birmingham, Alabama. It also speaks to how much more William has to learn. Schaefer and William will hope for a better outcome at 7 tonight when No. 15 MSU (18-1, 3-1) play host to LSU (8-8, 2-2) at Humphrey Coliseum. The game can be seen online and on the WatchESPN app via SEC Network +. WKBB-FM 100.9 will broadcast the game live. HailStatePLUS subscribers also can access a live audio stream on www.hailstate.com.
William was 0 of 5 from the field and had five points and five turnovers in 30 minutes against Vanderbilt. The effort marked the third time in four SEC games William has had more turnovers than assists. Despite that fact, William has played a key role directing MSU’s attack that leads the SEC in scoring and is 11th nationally at 80.1 points per game. She is second on the team in scoring at 10.2 ppg., she leads the squad with 72 assists, and is second on the team with 32 steals.
Not only will William be tested to bounce back on offense, she and her backcourt mates also will be challenged by group of LSU guards that figures to make their lives difficult. Led by senior guard DaShawn Harden (team-high 11.9 points per game, 26 3-pointers) and sophomore guard Raignye Moncrief (second on team in scoring, 10.3 ppg.), the Tigers have one of the most talented backcourts in the league. Both players are 5-9 or taller, which could present matchup problems for William or senior point guard Jerica James, who also is 5-5.
LSU also received a boost earlier this month when coach Nikki Caldwell announced the return of junior guard Danielle Ballard from an indefinite suspension. Ballard, a preseason first-team All-SEC selection, averaged 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game last season. Ballard has eight points in her first two games.
“I am not sure we are going to be able to win the battle, but we are going to have to at least break even and push the battle on the wing and on the perimeter because they are talented and because they are veterans,” Schaefer said. “They are very good on both ends. Defensively, they have outstanding quickness and are long. Offensively, they are good off the bounce. Harden shoots it well from 3-point range. It presents a lot of problems for us. Our guards are probably going to have to play their best game of the year, especially defensively.”
LSU has won the last eight meetings in the series. MSU hasn’t scored more than 58 points in any of those games. Schaefer might have known that Sunday when he said after the Vanderbilt game that the challenge for his team was not to let one loss turn into two. In the SEC, every game — even when it is at home — is a battle, and Schaefer knows his team must have the right mind-set if it is going to get back on track. He didn’t see that mentality Tuesday in practice. On Wednesday, he said that first practice after a loss wasn’t “a bag of roses and peaches and cream.” In fact, the team spent most of the first half of practice working on conditioning so it could be fresh enough to sprint back on defense to avoid getting beat down court for easy transition baskets.
“I think we have a good understanding,” MSU senior guard Kendra Grant said. “After the loss, coach talked about the importance of not losing two in a row. I think that is something we took to heart. We don’t need to underestimate LSU. We also don’t need to underestimate Alabama (the team’s opponent at 3 p.m. Sunday).”
Vanderbilt snapped MSU’s season-opening 18-game winning streak by shooting 62.9 percent from the field. William smiled when she was asked if she wanted to crumple up a final stat sheet from a game like that and start fresh. With another new challenge on deck tonight, William said she needs to learn from the last game so she can be better against LSU.
“I just have to take that I played bad and own up to it and come out next game and just play better,” William said. “That is all coach wants me to do. I can’t hold my head down. I have to keep my head up and keep going.”
William said turnovers were the primary lesson she took from the game. There were several instances William tried to do things too quickly and lost possession of the ball. She also penetrated into the defense and tried to force shots against taller players. Schaefer said he has seen William struggle this season when she tries to go too quickly. He hopes William can regroup after watching the film and seeing her mistakes.
“I am anxious to see the character of this team and see how we bounce back,” Schaefer said. “We know JJ (James) is not going to play 40 minutes and usually they split pretty evenly, so (William) can’t play bad. We have talked all year that our quarterbacks can’t play bad. Dak (Prescott) goes out and plays bad, chances are we are not winning in football at Mississippi State. The same is true for the quarterback at Ohio State or Florida State or anywhere else. The same is true for us. We happen to have two of them. Those kids have to continue to play well. Morgan is still learning the game. Her game is up-tempo. That is where she is most comfortable. She is great in the open floor. Where she has got to develop is when it becomes a half-court game, we have to run some sets and she has to get to the right spots on the floor, and she can’t go 0 of 5 (from the field) and she can’t have five turnovers, and five turnovers against a team that really didn’t pressure you, didn’t have somebody really athletic guarding you, and quick, which she is going to have (against LSU). She has to continue to work and get better.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino in Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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