Skip to content
Sections
  • Obituaries
  • eEdition
  • Popular Content
  • Submit a Tip
Dispatch Mobile Logo
Share
Subscribe
Login
LoginSubscribe
May 31, 2023
  • QUICK LINKS
  • Obituaries
  • eEdition
  • Popular Content
  • Submit a Tip
  • News
  • Columbus & Lowndes County
  • Starkville & Oktibbeha County
  • West Point & Clay County
  • Area
  • State
  • National
  • Business
  • Sports
  • High School Sports
  • College Sports
  • Local Columns
  • eEdition
  • Opinions
  • Local Columns
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Roses & Thorns
  • Dispatch Editorials
  • Obituaries
  • Lifestyles
  • Columns
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Transitions & Announcements
  • Community
  • Religion
  • Classifieds
  • Photo Galleries
  • Public Records
  • Building Permits
  • Marriages & Divorces
May 31, 2023
Dispatch Logo

Open eyes, open minds.

Home » Sports » College Sports » Mississippi State women’s basketball looking for center depth ahead of SEC play

Mississippi State women’s basketball looking for center depth ahead of SEC play

By Ben Portnoy • December 15, 2019

 • 3 mins to read

Mississippi State women’s basketball looking for center depth ahead of SEC play
While Jessika Carter has been a stalwart for Mississippi State, it’s when she’s not on the court that the Bulldogs have struggled. Photo by: Jim Lytle/Dispatch file photo

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State has a frontcourt depth problem.

While the Bulldogs have enjoyed wild success in recent years at the center position courtesy of No. 3 overall WNBA draft pick Teaira McCowan and former all-SEC performer Martha Alwal, the 2020 season has been a trying one underneath in Starkville.

Through 10 games, sophomore Jessika Carter has held down the starting center position with an impressive array of athleticism and defensive prowess. And while Carter has been a stalwart — she plays 29 minutes per game — it’s when she’s not on the court that the Bulldogs have struggled.

In MSU’s 71-65 loss to No. 22 West Virginia on Dec. 8, the issue was perpetuated as Carter picked up her fourth personal with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter.

Looking to save Carter for the home stretch, coach Vic Schaefer was forced to use junior college transfer Yemiyah Morris for an extended run against a physical WVU frontcourt — one in which she recorded just two points and one block in eight minutes of action.

“She has been doing better in practice and being more active,” Schaefer said postgame. “She was one for two, missed two free throws, had a block in about eight minutes. She was fine.”

While MSU’s eighth-year head coach was fine with the initial returns on Morris’ minutes, the sequence offered a glaring look at MSU’s lacking depth at center.

While Carter has produced at an elite level thus far — averaging 14.7 points and 11 rebounds per game — Morris and sophomore Promise Taylor have combined for an average of just 5.7 points and 3.5 boards in relief.

This isn’t to say Morris and Taylor are devoid of talent. A one-time Freshman All-SEC performer at Ole Miss, Taylor has continued her transition back into basketball shape after an ankle injury sidelined her from practice for the entire 2019 season.

Now healthy, she’s shown some flashes of ability in the early stages of this year. In MSU’s 124-43 dismantling of Murray State on Nov. 15, Taylor notched 10 points in 17 minutes of action, marking her first double-digit scoring output since Feb. 22, 2018, against Auburn during her freshman season at Ole Miss.

“It just feels good to get out there and compete with my teammates,” she said at the time. “I’ve been out for so long, so getting back just felt great.”

As for Morris, after a prolific junior college career at Cochise Community College in Arizona, she was a late addition to MSU’s 2019 recruiting class in hopes of adding some depth behind Carter.

That said, both Taylor and Morris have been virtual nonfactors of late. Over the past seven games, Taylor played double-digit minutes just once — in a 35-point win over San Francisco — and has appeared for just one minute in three of those contests.

Morris has been similarly dormant, having played a total of just 28 minutes over MSU’s last seven games.

Now heading into the final stretch of nonconference play starting with an afternoon affair against Louisiana today, Schaefer remains adamant he needs more from his backup centers with SEC play just 18 days away.

“Yemiyah and Promise to me are lagging behind right now, to be honest with you,” Schaefer said. “Their development has been disappointing, and I know coach (Johnnie Harris) is working with them daily.”

Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.

basketball Bulldogs college dawgs hail state Jessika Carter Mississippi State MSU NCAA SEC Southeastern Conference sports vic schaefer

You can help your community

Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.

Subscribe

READER FAVORITES

  • Transfer portal tracker: Keeping tabs on MSU baseball’s comings and goings 

    By Justin Frommer • 17 hours ago

  • MSU baseball takes first portal hit with three departures

    By Justin Frommer • 17 hours ago

  • Will Armistead finding success as Southern Miss pitcher

    By PARRISH ALFORD Special to The Daily Journal • 2 days ago


Popular

Shooter, victim in fatal Inferno shooting had violent history

May 29, 2023

Transfer portal tracker: Keeping tabs on MSU baseball’s comings and goings 

May 30, 2023

MSU baseball takes first portal hit with three departures

May 30, 2023

Man arrested for armed robbery at convenience store

May 29, 2023



On This Day 2022

Brewers call up ex-Bulldog Ethan Small to make MLB debut

By Dispatch Staff Report

Featured Podcast

The C Dispatch Podcast

Sections

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Lifestyles
  • Obituaries

Info

  • About
  • Contact
  • Submit a Tip
  • Terms & Service
  • Popular Content

Contact

Main Switchboard:

(662) 328-2424

Physical Address:

516 Main Street
Columbus, MS 39701

Mailing Address:

PO Box 511
Columbus, MS 39701

cdispatch.com © 2023 – The Commerical Dispatch

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT