STARKVILLE — Kendra Grant is playing with an urgency that shows she understands she could have only 11 games left in her college career.
The Mississippi State women’s basketball team needed its senior guard to play with that attacking mind-set on offense. On an afternoon where little came easily, Grant poured in a game- and season-high 17 points Sunday to lead No. 15 MSU to a 66-50 victory against Alabama in a Southeastern Conference game before a crowd of 4,557 at Humphrey Coliseum.
While Grant provided the spark on offense, sophomore Dominique Dillingham brought her lunch pail and continued to stuff the final stat sheet. Dillingham had eight points, three rebounds, two blocked shots, one assist, and one steal. She also took three of MSU’s six charges and played her usual solid defensive game to help MSU (19-2, 4-2 SEC) snap a two-game losing streak.
“I think today I wasn’t thinking so much,” Grant said. “I think that is when I kind of run into a few problems. I have to just let the game come to me and just let it flow. Whether it is stepping into my shot or looking for another player for an extra pass, I just let it come to me today.”
Grant has said something similar about her game in the past, but most times this season she has come into games and recognized she is supposed to provide a scoring spark. The 5-foot-11 standout from Richland did that as a starter in the first 60 games of her career. She had to settle into a role off the bench as a junior, and is in the same situation this season, averaging 6.5 points per game in 11.4 minutes.
As a wily veteran, Grant said some of her teammates might be thinking too much or holding themselves back on the offensive end instead of letting their skills take over.
“For the freshman it just could be jitters,” Grant said. “They have played enough games where the jitters go away after a while. They should just be loose. Maybe they go out kind of tight, but when they let the game come to me, just like when I let the game come to me, I just play better.”
Freshman point guard Morgan William (12 points) was the only other MSU player in double figures. William added six assists (two turnovers) and three rebounds in 26 minutes. Senior center Martha Alwal and freshman guard Victoria Vivians also had eight points. Even though Alwal, who didn’t play (coach’s decision) Thursday in a 71-69 loss to LSU in double overtime, was 2 of 11 from the field, she had 10 rebounds and three blocks. The 10 rebounds marked the second time this season the 6-4 first-team preseason All-SEC pick has reached double figures in that category.
Vivians, who was scoreless in eight minutes against LSU, also had three rebounds, and two assists. Although she didn’t play as many minutes (17) as Alwal (season-high 35), Vivians attacked the basket and tried to do more than be a perimeter shooter. Her assists came when she found gaps in the zone or got into the lane and passed to teammates for open shots.
“I think Morgan was pretty good at that today,” Schaefer said of getting into the seams in the zone. “She had a couple of turnovers early and then comes up with six assists and has 12 points. She had a pretty good floor game.
“We did a better job today. I just think we still have a long way to go in that area in not settling for jump shots.”
“They just do some things that make you play a little differently, but the play awfully hard when they’re making you play differently. That is what makes them difficult to score against. We are struggling offensively. We are really having a hard time putting any kind of stretch together of points. Defensively, I don’t have any complaints.”
MSU held Alabama to 30.4-percent shooting (7 of 23) in the first half to build a 37-27 halftime lead. The defensive effort ended a string of three games in which opponents had shot 60 percent or better from the field in the first half. As good as MSU was defensively, Schaefer didn’t like that the Bulldogs committed 25 fouls, which allowed the Crimson Tide to go 23 of 31 (74.2 percent) from the free-throw line.
MSU’s defense came through in crunch time after Nikki Hegstetter hit 1 of 2 free throws to trim Alabama’s deficit to 45-42 with 10 minutes, 15 seconds to play. William and Dillingham took charges on consecutive possessions to give MSU a chance to create separation. Dillingham’s came on Ashley Williams when she slid over and was in position to help her teammates.
“Dominique is a kid who doesn’t know anything but fifth gear and playing hard. She does it all game,” Schaefer said.
Schaefer said the team charts charges taken and that Dillingham likely is at the top of that board. He said the 5-9 guard from Texas epitomizes the grit and determination he wants his players to have on the court, especially on defense.
“She is my poster child and my teaching point,” Schaefer said. “Whether it is on-ball defense or coming out of help, she is great, but the thing she has got is toughness. You don’t find smart toughness, and Dominique is an extremely cerebral player. If she could put together a career of 6-for-8s (shooting), she could play for a long time.”
Dillingham said she tries to be smart on defense, especially with the new emphasis on limiting contact against offensive players. She said the key is trying to be in the right spot all of the time.
“We didn’t play well (on defense) against LSU and Vanderbilt, so that was a big focus,” Dillingham said. “We worked hard to keep the ball in front of us and made sure we didn’t foul them. Defense has been a real big emphasis in practice.”
Grant capitalized on the opening by hitting a 3-pointer off an assist from William to kick MSU’s lead to 50-42 with 8:21 to play. The Bulldogs led by at least seven the rest of the way.
Earlier in the game, Grant, who was 6 of 8 from the field, recorded the 100th 3-pointer of her career and moved into 10th in school history.
“I am glad KG brought her jump shot with her today,” Schaefer said. “We probably don’t win the game without it.”
Schaefer said MSU needs to develop a more consistent inside presence to give shooters like Grant and Vivians better looks. He said his goal was to play Alwal as much as he did to work the “rust” off her game. Alwal missed the first five games of the season recovering from back surgery. She entered the game averaging 7.1 ppg., which was less than half of her average (14.9 ppg.) last season and 5.6 rebounds per game, the lowest mark of her career.
“We do not have that inside presence right now, and it is really affecting how people are guarding us,” Schaefer said.
MSU was 21 of 56 from the field (37.5 percent). That percentage marked the fifth time in six league games MSU has shot less than 40.7 percent. In the 15 games before that, MSU was below that figure six times.
Alabama coach Kristy Curry liked her team’s fight and its energy, but she said the Crimson Tide weren’t able to make enough plays on offense down the stretch. Alabama was 13 of 43 from the field (30.2 percent). The 13 field goals were the team’s fewest in a game this season. The Crimson Tide also had 22 turnovers (third most in a game), which led to the Bulldogs have a 23-7 edge in points off turnovers. Alabama also committed 24 fouls, its second most in a game.
“I think we had six charges, and our game goal is always 13 turnovers, so if you take away those six (things might have been different),” Curry said. “I don’t think the pressure affected us. I thought it was some situations where we charged or overpenetrated. The bottom line is you can’t miss eight free throws and make eight baskets.”
MSU will travel to Oxford to take on Ole Miss on Thursday, while Alabama will play host to Auburn at 8 p.m. Thursday (Fox Sports South).
NOTES: The game was MSU’s annual “We Back Pat” game, which is held to fight Alzheimer’s Disease and honor longtime Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt. … The crowd was the eighth largest in school history, and the fifth time this season MSU has recorded one of the top-10 crowds in school history. It also marked the first time MSU has had back-to-back crowds of 4,500-plus. MSU had a crowd of 4,727 Thursday night against LSU. … MSU will hold its next Hail State Hoops Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Mize Pavilion. The cost is $12. Fans can RSVP by phone (662-325-0198) or e-mail ([email protected]).
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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