STARKVILLE — Morgan William is back in attack mode.
All it took for the Mississippi State point guard to revert to the darting, shifting, scoring ways of her freshman season was a little show and tell from coach Vic Schaefer.
Just like he did in a talk with forward Ketara Chapel, Schaefer showed William her statistics from a year ago and compared them to her start to the 2015-16 season.
There was no comparison.
As William looked and listened, it dawned on her that as team captain she had a responsibility to do more.
“He just told it like it was,” William said. “He said, ‘Mo, you were attempting all of these free throws (last season) and now you’re not attempting any. You were getting to the basket and scoring (last season) and now you’re not.’
“I was just like, ‘You’re right.’ Ever since then, I have been attacking and staying aggressive and getting to the free-throw line and scoring and shooting the ball with confidence.”
Just as Schaefer’s talk sparked a revival in Chapel, who scored in double figures in four-straight games, it also has paid dividends with William, who is averaging 13.6 points in the last eight games. She also is averaging 5.5 assists and 5.6 free throw attempts per game in that span.
William will try to keep that pace going at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when No. 7 MSU (14-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) plays host to Auburn (11-3, 1-0) at Humphrey Coliseum.
William is coming off a SEC-best 21-point effort in a 76-70 victory Sunday at Florida. William helped seal the deal by going 5 of 6 at the free-throw line in the final 1 minute, 32 seconds. She also was 7 of 14 from the field and had four assists and four steals in 36 minutes.
That effort came on the heels of a 15-point effort in a 68-58 victory against then-No. 20 South Florida on Dec. 30, 2015, in Jacksonville, Florida. William was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line in the victory.
“(Ketara and Morgan) weren’t doing anything and I went back and showed them the stats at this time last year,” Schaefer said after the game against USF. “Morgan had been to the line a ton and we couldn’t get her to the line. I have got to get her to the line.”
William’s play in the last eight games has evoked memories of how she played early in her freshman season when she had a swagger that dared defenders to try to stop her.
An issue with her right shin is the only thing that has slowed William recently. William had her right foot in a boot Tuesday during the team’s luncheon and at a media availability, but the lingering issue likely won’t prevent her from playing. That’s good news because William appears to have found her rhythm and is emerging as the Bulldogs’ second-best scoring option.
“I guess I was being selfish to the team and not going to score,” William said. “I really don’t have an excuse.”
William said she felt she was being “selfish” because she wasn’t “playing like herself.” That has changed thanks to six double-figure scoring games to end 2015 and to open 2016.
Last season, William averaged 9.1 ppg. in 34 games off the bench. She was second on the team in assists (123) and shot a school-record 82.4 percent from the free-throw line (team-high 171 attempts). She was even better in SEC play (85.2 percent).
William made an immediate in the first 15 games, averaging 10.9 ppg. and scoring in double figures eight times. She had three games with double-digit free throw attempts in that stretch. Overall, she was 77 of 93 (84.7 percent) from the free-throw line in the first 15 games.
William’s latest run has lifted her scoring average to 9.7 ppg., which is second on the team. She also leads the team in assists (5.2 per game) and free throw percentage (88.9 percent, 56 of 63. The streak started with eight free throw attempts in a victory against Southern Mississippi. Since then, Schaefer only has had to remind William to attack to get her going, which is what he did prior to the game against USF.
“That was one of the first things coach wrote on the board today: Morgan stay aggressive. Attack,” William said last week. “He said, ‘Get to the line.’ He told me to stay aggressive, so I stayed aggressive. He told me in huddles to get people together and get their minds right and play defense, so I got them up in huddles and told them what to do and we did good on defense.”
Junior Dominique Dillingham has noticed a difference in William in the last month.
“After coach Schaefer talked to her and (Ketara), I definitely could see her attacking more and just being her old self, getting to the free-throw line more and just attacking,” Dillingham said. “She can get into the lane whenever she wants, so she is just being more confidence and taking what the defense gives her now.
“I have definitely seen more of (that swagger). Once she starts going hard, it is hard for anybody to stop her. I think she just has to keep doing what she is doing and she is going to be fine.”
Although William admits she still isn’t 100 percent, she said she is just trying to get through the lingering issues with her shin.
Schaefer is excited to have William back as an aggressor who can create shots for her teammates and who can break a defense down to get to the free-throw line.
“She has really stepped up,” Schaefer said. “She is shooting the ball extremely well and great from the free-throw line. She has a lot of confidence right now.”
NOTES: MSU moved up two spots to a school-record No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, which was released Tuesday. The ranking is one better than what MSU is ranked (No. 7) in this week’s The Associated Press poll. … MSU signee Jacaira “Iggy” Allen was nominated Tuesday for the McDonald’s All American Games. The 5-foot-11 ½ guard led Ft. Lauderdale Dillard High School (Fla.) to the Class 5A state title and a national runner-up finish last season. The final rosters for the 24 girls and 24 boys selected for the games will be announced Jan. 17 on ESPNU. The 15th-annual girls game will air live on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. March 30 at the United Center in Chicago. … MSU’s game against Auburn will be broadcast on the SEC Network as part of “whip-around coverage” that will feature multiple games.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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