KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The power of five Sunday pushed the Mississippi State women’s basketball team back to the Final Four.
Victoria Vivians scored a game-high 24 points, and Teaira McCowan added 23 points and a career-high 21 rebounds to lead No. 1 MSU to an 89-73 victory against No. 3 seed UCLA in the championship game of the NCAA tournament’s Kansas City Regional before a crowd of 4,089 at the Sprint Center.
Morgan William had 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists, Roshunda Johnson had 12 points and five assists, and Blair Schaefer had nine points in an effort that epitomized the chemistry and execution that have fueled MSU (36-1) on its road to its second-consecutive appearance in the Final Four.
MSU, which added it to its program record for wins, will face No. 1 seed Louisville (36-2), which defeated No. 6 seed Oregon State 76-43, at a time to be determined Friday in the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.
“It doesn’t happen unless you have kids who are committed to the process, loyal to the mission and all that that entails,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “It is so hard to do. When you have the type of kids we have at Mississippi State, with the heart, the competitive fire, and the spirit they have, they’re not going to be denied.”
MSU led 42-26 at halftime and by as many 18 points in the third quarter. The Bulldogs still led by 15 early in the fourth quarter before the Bruins (27-8) cut the deficit to 67-61 on a layup by Jordin Canada (23 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals) with 6 minutes, 50 seconds left.
From that point, MSU relied on the power of five to answer every push by UCLA.
“I just think that speaks to the ability of our team to go get a bucket when we need one,” Blair Schaefer said. “We have a lot of players who can create their own shot. I think that’s what Morgan, Ro, Victoria, and T did. They can create off the bounce really well. They know how to use their body to get into the defense really well and to get to the free-throw line. I think we did a really good job of that tonight.”
Schaefer had all of her points on three treys in the second half. None was bigger than the one she drained at the 5:47 mark. It also might have been the Bulldogs’ signature possession of the season. Johnson initiated the play when she fed McCowan on the left block. McCowan kicked the basketball to William, who found an open Schaefer to push the lead to nine.
UCLA cut the deficit to six four more times, but MSU answered each challenge. Vivians, who joined McCowan in being named co-Most Outstanding Players of the regional, scored on a drive as the Bulldogs capitalized on the 6-foot-1 senior’s creativity in isolations.
At the 2:08 mark, Johnson found Vivians on a back cut for another layup. It was the second time the Bulldogs tried the play.
“Coach called the play and he asked me were they hugging me and I said, ‘Yeah, they were trying to deny me the ball and if they do that the backdoor is going to be wide open,’ ” Vivians said. “The first time was my fault because I didn’t go through and the second time it worked fine.”
MSU went nearly exclusively to one-on-one plays to Vivians in the final five minutes until William and McCowan were involved in another one of those big buckets. William attacked the basket from the left wing and came up shot on a layup on the right side of the rim. McCowan cleaned it up, though, by beating Lajahna Drummer to the ball and scoring and drawing a foul.
McCowan’s scream of “And one” added to the jolt of the score and provided a final exclamation point on a night MSU had four double-digit scorers for the eighth time. The Bulldogs also have had five score in double figures eight times, including twice by the five starters.
“I kind of lost it and then I picked it up, I gathered it and then I went up,” McCowan said. “The whole game was urgency. You’re supposed to go rebound. You’re supposed to go get a bucket. It was like that the whole game, but I guess that one was when we really needed it.”
If the basket was the exclamation point, coach Schaefer added another two or three to it when he jumped up in the air and pumped his right fist to punctuate the basket with 54.6 seconds remaining.
“I got some air time, didn’t I?” Schaefer said.
As much as all of the Bulldogs had a hand in the victory, coach Schaefer said the team chemistry on the court extends to the coaching staff, too, which helped MSU realize a season-long goal of punching its ticket to Columbus, Ohio.
“I was excited about how hard our kids played and how they took the game plan,” Schaefer said. “I thought our game plan was right on. (Assistant coach) Dionnah (Jackson-Durrett) did a tremendous job, as our whole staff did getting it ready.”
Schaefer said associate head coach Johnnie Harris had the scout for Texas, while assistant coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis had the scout for North Carolina State. He said Harris jumped in and started to help with UCLA after the second Sweet 16 game Friday night.
“It is such a team effort,” Schaefer said. “Those three are just diamonds. They are incredible. They are the best. Their attention to detail is second to none. I thought our kids were ready. No question about it.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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