STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer couldn’t watch.
With his silver national finalist ring glimmering off his forehead and his eyes buried beneath his hand, Schaefer rubbed his temples in frustration as his squad slogged through a 78-57 win over defending Division II national champion Lubbock Christian Monday at the Humphrey Coliseum.
“They came in here with a really good mindset and I thought that was exactly what we needed,” Schaefer said. “Disappointed in our defensive effort in the first half and in general. Just didn’t think we played very hard. I think it was a great wake up call for us.”
Selected as the nation’s No. 10 team in the Associated Press’ preseason top 25, the Bulldogs looked the part of a team that lost three starters in Monday’s first half.
Lubbock Christian jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead 3:53 into the game courtesy of backdoor cuts-to-finishes from Maddi Chitsey and Allie Schulte — who combined for 24 of Lubbock Christian’s 25 first quarter points.
Chitsey capped the opening run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
With Schaefer remaining rather mellow on the sideline as he rotated his entire bench, sophomore center Jessika Carter took charge — adding 10 of her game-high 27 points in the opening quarter.
“They got me the ball and I had to finish,” Carter said. “I’ve got big shoes to fill, so I just finished.”
“If you can get 10 rebounds and 14, 16 points from Jess, that’s going to help us win a lot of ball games,” Schaefer added.
While Carter thrived underneath, it was a mixed backcourt product that plagued the Bulldogs throughout Monday’s contest.
Sophomore point guard Myah Taylor was solid in her first action replacing Holmes. Taylor finished the night with just two points on 1-of-3 shooting, but added eight assists to no turnovers in 24 minutes of action — a ratio Schaefer explicitly referenced with delight postgame.
Senior Jordan Danberry and freshmen Rickea Jackson and Aliyah Matharu were less efficient — combining for eight turnovers in the first half alone.
Finding a second half stride, the Bulldogs outscored the Chaparrals 35-16 over the game’s final two quarters.
“We just decided to hook up and defend a lot harder,” Schaefer said.
Outside of Carter, junior forward Chloe Bibby — who saw her first action since suffering a season-ending knee injury last January — added 11 points in her return to The Hump, while Jackson struggled to six points on 18.8 percent shooting.
“I’ve got a bit of rust to knock off — it’s been a while,” Bibby said through an ear-to-ear smile. “But I’m just enjoying the moment and trying to get better with each play and each practice and slowly I’ll get there.”
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday as they open their regular season at home against Southern Miss.
“Young kids got a little bit of the jitters out,” Schaefer said of Monday’s win. “As y’all can tell, we’re way different and we’ve got a lot of growth and a long way to go. But it was good to get out there and play under the lights and have some adversity.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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