STARKVILLE — Jordan Frericks knows the tape doesn’t lie, so she realizes the No. 11 Mississippi State women’s basketball team likes to take charges.
After playing MSU once earlier this season and watching more film of the Bulldogs for a refresher prior to Sunday’s matchup, Frericks felt No. 21 Missouri had a good game plan. The key was to go in low and under control against the Bulldogs’ aggressive defense.
But Dominique Dillingham has found a way to defy scouting reports. It doesn’t matter if you beat her off the dribble once because she is going to adjust and beat you to the spot next time and sacrifice her body to take the charge.
If Dillingham is on the other side of the lane or if her white headband gets knocked off, that’s OK, too, because she is going to slide over to help her teammates and absorb contact or dive into a scrum for a loose ball.
Dillingham’s defensive tenacity was on full display Sunday, as she helped draw five offensive fouls, including two charges in the final four minutes, to help No. 11 MSU pull away for a 52-42 victory against No. 21 Missouri before a crowd of 4,521 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“Before the game we have to have that mentality to stride step and go in under control,” Frericks said. “We talked about that before the game. It is just something we need to be more disciplined in and not draw that charge because if we stay low we can have easy kickouts.”
Dillingham had only five points on 2-of-9 shooting, but anyone who has watched the 5-foot-9 junior play knows it is almost a bonus when she scores. Her worth to the Bulldogs (21-4, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) is better measured by the number of hustle plays she makes or the tenacity she brings to the court. Her grittiness has come to be known as MSU’s calling card, and it has helped the program mature into one of the nation’s top defensive teams.
Dillingham’s defensive plays were crucial down the stretch to help MSU put Missouri (18-6, 5-6) away. She took two charges on Frericks with the Bulldogs leading by three points and was guarding closely on another offensive foul by Kayla McDowell with 2 minutes, 27 seconds. The final forced turnover gave MSU breathing room that allowed Victoria Vivians (13 points, seven rebounds, five steals) to hit a jump shot to extend the lead. Sophie Cunningham (team-high 13 points) drained a jump shot with 1:32 to go to cut the deficit to 45-42, but Morgan William (game-high 17 points) answered with a drive to the basket and Vivians made a steal and converted a three-point play to make it 50-42 with 1:05 remaining.
“That was really frustrating,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said of her team’s 27 turnovers, the second-highest total this season. “Mississippi State is obviously a very good defensive team. I thought we did a really nice job in the half court defensively, for the most part. But when you allow a team to score 29 points off your turnovers, that is half their points. Some of those were dead-ball turnovers with all of our charges. We watched that on film. We knew that was coming, but the ones that lead to transition layups and are uncontested are the tough ones to really wrap your arms around.”
Frericks echoed Pingeton’s comments when she the charges MSU took were avoidable as long as teams remain under control. But the Bulldogs frustrate teams by pushing them up the line or forcing them to start their offense from uncomfortable position. MSU also enjoys getting into the passing lanes, which can knock opponents off their game and make them rush things. Frericks said that hurried pace works to the Bulldogs’ advantage because opponents then aren’t able to avoid contact as easily. She agreed that Dillingham, as one example, can be similar to a “mosquito” in that she always appears to be there and you can’t shake her.
MSU coach Vic Schaefer said his teams always will try to play the hardest and toughest defense within the rules. He said toughness and physical are the Bulldogs’ “bread and butter” and are things the players work on every day. He said again Sunday how Dillingham has come to epitomize those qualities and how he already is scouring the nation who will be able to replace Dillingham when she graduates.
“We’re struggling on offense, but we can’t keep struggling there and let them score,” Schaefer said. “We still find a way to focus on that end of the floor and get a couple of charges from Dom. Those are big defensive plays.”
Dillingham said taking charges is something that has become second nature after years of playing. She admitted she never has been an offensive whiz, so she said she had to find other ways to make an impact. Her intelligence often allows her to anticipate plays so she can get into position to take charge. She said she enjoys taking them and doesn’t mind the contact because the team gets a lift from the turnover.
MSU needed a lift in crunch time, as Cunningham scored on a back-door layup to cut MSU’s lead to 39-36 with 5:40 to go. The basket came easily because the Bulldogs failed to bring help-side defense or to cut off the baseline. Dillingham said that basket was fresh on her mind later in the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs needed a stop.
“I was really trying to be midline and I was just really focusing on being in help for my team,” Dillingham said. “I just love getting charges. It really fires up everybody. It is really important to get them.”
Dillingham laughed later in the news conference when asked about her proficiency to take charges. She said she needed to come up big for the Bulldogs because she is trying to catch William for the team lead in charges taken. William said Dillingham is beating her in that category now and agrees that the Bulldogs get a shot of adrenaline each time Dillingham or someone else takes a charge.
“I think it gives us a lot of momentum,” William said. “In practice, we get excited about it, but in games the crowd gets so excited. I feel like it gets the other team in a drought and it just gets us going.”
Dillingham added six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 40 minutes. She did everything without being called for a foul on a day in which 52 were called (23 on MSU). Schaefer laughed after the game when asked how Dillingham managed to do that, but he wasn’t surprised because he has watched her find a way for two-and-a-half seasons and he wants her to keep doing it.
“It is just Dom,” Schaefer said. “She is a tough, hard-nosed basketball player.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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