STARKVILLE — Imitation is the
highest form of flattery.
When your job security depends largely on the number of games your team wins, no coach is above stealing a play from an opponent if it is successful.
The ability to duplicate that success isn’t always guaranteed. But Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer doesn’t want to imitate another team. In fact, he likes his players and his team very much. He does, though, want to find a way to help the Bulldogs duplicate their offensive efficiency with greater regularity.
In particular, Schaefer would like to see No. 5 MSU duplicate the effort it delivered in the second quarter Sunday in a 71-61 victory against Texas A&M at Humphrey Coliseum. In that game, the Bulldogs (21-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) outscored the Aggies 26-9 to take a 41-29 halftime lead.
“That is as good as we go,” Schaefer said. “We have had some quarters like that this year. That is the challenge for me the last couple of days and night in trying to figure out how to duplicate that.”
Schaefer will have today and part of tomorrow to replicate that success before MSU gets back to action to take on Auburn at 8 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network) in Auburn, Alabama. The Bulldogs are capable of duplicating that level of offensive execution because their 26-9 second quarter marked the second time they have hit that number. MSU also had a 17-point margin in the second quarter in a 79-68 victory against then-No. 8 Texas on Nov. 20, 2016, at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I think part of it is ball movement and offensive rhythm,” Schaefer said. “I think some of it is our defense. We kind of got going in transition a little bit. We were feeding off our energy on defense and coming down on offense and doing some good things.”
Schaefer also said centers Teaira McCowan, who scored all 10 of her points in the quarter, and Chinwe Okorie were dominant in the quarter against Texas A&M. Unfortunately, Schaefer said MSU got away from its post players in the second half. In fact, Okorie and McCowan attempted only two shots in the final 20 minutes. One of them, a basket by Okorie in the lane, came after Texas A&M had cut the deficit to 55-50.
The second quarter provided a look at one area Schaefer wants to improve on. The Bulldogs twice had stretches when they scored on four-straight possessions in the second quarter. In the first quarter, they went scoreless for a span of 3 minutes, 43 seconds. In the third quarter, they were scoreless for periods of 2:15 and 2:44. In the fourth quarter, they went the first 3:49 without a point, which allowed the Aggies to get back into the game.
While MSU is second in the SEC in field goal percentage (45.8 percentage), which is the highest mark in Schaefer’s five seasons in Starkville, that number likely would be even better if the Bulldogs found a way to feed Okorie, who is shooting 57.7 percent from the field, and McCowan, who is shooting 58.3 percent, even more.
“We have to learn to trust those two down low,” Schaefer said. “They’re shooting at a really high number and we need to give them more looks. At the same time, we have to get them ready for double teams and how to handle that and to have a little patience.”
Schaefer said the Bulldogs have run the gamut of losing or enhancing continuity with their substitutions. He said there also is the give and take of having numerous players touch the ball and how that sometimes leads to turnovers vs. being able to better care for the ball when junior point guard Morgan William controls it.
Schaefer said he and his coaches have to do a better job getting the kids ready and improving their ballhandling and decision-making skills. He also said the Bulldogs are working hard to bring the intangibles — like the ability to set solid screens — to every player. Schaefer has praised senior Ketara Chapel and junior Blair Schaefer for their ability to set screens that free teammates for great looks.
Against Texas A&M, Chapel showed that knack by moving to the wing and screening for Victoria Vivians, who dribbled off the move and into an open jump shot.
Plays like that don’t go for assists, but sharing the basketball has helped MSU have some of its best shooting games. The Bulldogs have had 18 or more assists nine times this season, which is one off the number they had last season. In 2015-16, MSU didn’t have 18 or more assists in a game after it had 18 in a 79-51 victory against Ole Miss. The highest number of assists the Bulldogs had in their last 17 games was 12. This season, MSU has had four of its best shooting games when it has 18 or more assists. The Bulldogs’ 43.6-percent shooting percentage from the field against the Aggies was the team’s lowest this season when it has 18 or more assists.
Schaefer said William and sophomore point guard Jazzmun Holmes are playing well while still learning the half-court piece. He said both players need to be louder and to play at a faster tempo more consistently when the Bulldogs are in a half-court game.
“I think to (Morgan) sometimes halfcourt means it is slow-down halfcourt,” Schaefer said. “We may be running half-court offense but we have to get into it quicker. We don’t need to be getting into our offense with 15 seconds on the shot clock.
“There are games when she is really locked in and communicating and calling plays out and getting people where they need to be. Then there are other games where it is not quite as animated or their voice is not as loud or demanding. I think that is the learning curve you’re dealing with.”
That learning curve is part of a mantra Schaefer hopes will help his players get one minute better and one play better every day. He said Tuesday he doesn’t want his team to peak in January, which is why he is confident the Bulldogs have plenty of room to grow and to improve as they head down the stretch of the regular season.
“I thought in that second quarter we were in attack mode,” Schaefer said. “We didn’t settle and we were really getting after it and attacking inside with our bigs. I thought we were going off the bounce some. We have to continue to stay in that mode. If we do, I think that’s when we’re really, really good. When we get walking around on offense and taking too long to get into plays, it just changes the whole demeanor and the whole dynamic of the game. I think we’re better at a little quicker pace.
“If we’re going to go 15 (rounds), we need to throw 600 punches. We don’t need to be throwing 300 and to be dodging 500. That is what it feels sometimes when we are on offense. We want to stand there and go toe to toe instead of getting some quickness to our stuff. Sometimes we get in that lull and we can’t do that.”
NOTES: MSU climbed back to No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, which was released Tuesday. The win against Texas A&M and South Carolina’s loss to Tennessee combined to move MSU back into the No. 4 spot after a week at No. 5. It is MSU’s 49th-straight week in the poll. That run includes nine weeks in a row in the top five and 13-straight weeks in the top 10. On Monday, MSU slipped one spot to No. 5 in The Associated Press poll. … The SEC announced Tuesday that advanced single-session and promotional tickets will go on sale today for the SEC Women’s Basketball tournament on March1-5 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. All ticket sales will be available through the Bon Secours Wellness Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Single-session tickets prices are: Wednesday and Thursday sessions at $10, $16 for Friday’s sessions, Saturday’s semifinals at $18 and Sunday’s championship game at $20. Special promotional tickets are available for groups of 10 or more, kids 12 and under, and anyone with a current military ID are available for $8 for sessions Wednesday and Thursday, $14 for Friday session, $16 for Saturday’s semifinals, and $18 for the championship game on Sunday. Reserved ticket books also are available for $100. A ticket book contains seven tickets, one for each session, which allows one person to attend all 13 games. All tickets prices are subject to additional taxes and fees.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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