STARKVILLE — Cameron Newbauer thinks Vic Schaefer has one of the nation’s best defensive teams.
For most of the 2017-18 season, Schaefer hasn’t agreed with that assessment. In fact, he often has bristled when he discusses the Bulldogs’ performance on defense because he takes so much pride in his players honoring the game with their effort and intensity.
But Schaefer is beginning to see signs of the kind of defense he wants from his team.
No. 2 Mississippi State forced 23 turnovers and limited Florida to less than 40-percent shooting from the field Thursday en route to a 90-53 victory in a Southeastern Conference game before a crowd of 6,727 at Humphrey Coliseum.
The win helped MSU (21-0, 7-0 SEC) eclipse the mark set last season for best start to a season in program history. The win also enabled the Bulldogs to earn their best start in league play and match their longest winning streak in the SEC.
Teaira McCowan led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds. In the process, the 6-foot-7 junior center eclipsed 1,000 career points to become the 26th player in program history to accomplish that feat. Victoria Vivians added 17 points, and Blair Schaefer had 15 on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range to help the Bulldogs pull away.
MSU did it with a defensive effort that forced two five-second violations inbounding the basketball and two shot clock violations and took one charge (by Schaefer). The Bulldogs also turned 23 turnovers into a 27-6 edge in points off turnovers.
“They made it uncomfortable at times for us to do things,” Newbauer said.
Still, Florida trailed only 22-20 in the second quarter before MSU used a 13-0 run to open a 35-23 halftime lead. McCowan had 15 points in the third quarter to outscore Florida in a 31-14 frame that blew the game open.
Newbauer, who is in his first season at Florida after building Belmont into a NCAA tournament program, smiled when he was informed Schaefer probably wouldn’t agree with his assessment of MSU’s defensive prowess. Newbauer said, “That’s Vic,” but he elaborated on what he feels makes the Bulldogs so tough defensively.
“They make you so uncomfortable starting with their full-court pressure,” Newbauer said. “They find you immediately when the ball goes through the basket, and they do a great job not fouling. They only had 13 fouls. It is their MO. It is what Vic has done forever. Of course he is not going to agree because to him 53 points is too many, I’m sure, but they’re a good defensive team.”
Surprisingly, Schaefer did agree with Newbauer when he gave his opening comments about the victory. He started by praising his players for extending the winning streak, which he acknowledged Wednesday isn’t normal. The fact that MSU and Connecticut remain the only undefeated teams in Division I women’s basketball proves Schaefer is right, but the veteran coach feels better about his team’s defense after a tough 71-52 victory against then-No. 6 Tennessee on Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee, and after seeing the Bulldogs hold the Gators (10-11, 2-6) below 60 points in a SEC game for the fourth time this season.
“In the second half, defensively, we were really good,” Schaefer said. “Fourteen forced turnovers in the second half. Thirty-six points in the paint in the second half. Our defense really turned into offense.”
Junior transfer Funda Nakkasoglu led Florida with 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The point guard gave MSU problems with her ballhandling and ability to create looks. She even had two nifty reverse layups to keep the Gators in the game early, but while she was 5-for-8 from the field in the first half, the rest of her teammates were 4-for-21.
“It rattled us,” Nakkasoglu said when asked about MSU’s defense. “It clearly showed. We had 23 turnover. I think we handled it better when we were less fatigued, maybe in the first half. In the second half, they’re not the No. 2 team in the country for nothing. Their defense clearly shows they are aggressive and they want to get up in us.”
Even though MSU isn’t as deep as it was last season en route to a program-record 34-win season and a trip to the national championship game, it is still finding a way to affect teams. The 23 turnovers marked the 12th time MSU has forced an opponent int 20 or more turnovers. As a result, the Bulldogs recorded 20 or more points off turnovers for the 15th time.
Newbauer said the Bulldogs are so effective at making teams “uncomfortable” because they wear them down.
“You have to work so hard to get good shots, and it wears you down over the course of the 40 minutes,” Newbauer said. “You can’t really tell that until you’re in the game playing against it and what that does to you mentally, physically, emotionally for 40 minutes.
“You have to try to figure out how you’re going to score and make them guard you and try to wear them down in long possessions and capitalize on long possessions.”
After seeing the Bulldogs in person, Newbauer expected the Bulldogs to play defense like they did, but there some other things he didn’t expect. That could bode well for MSU as Schaefer continues to cajole the Bulldogs to play even harder and with more focus on defense.
“Some of the areas we thought we could exploit we had a hard time exploiting,” Newbauer said. “They were ready to play. They let their defense fuel their offense. They are darned good.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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