STARKVILLE — No. 600 for Sharon Fanning-Otis proved Wednesday to be another step in the right direction for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.

Led by the attacking nature of senior Diamber Johnson (game-high 22 points), MSU defeated the University of South Alabama 63-47 for its third straight win before a crowd of 688 at Humphrey Coliseum.

In the process, Fanning-Otis became one of 14 active Division I coaches with 600 or more victories. A former coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Kentucky, Fanning-Otis is 600-445 in 36 seasons, and 273-217 in 17 seasons at MSU. She is the Lady Bulldogs’ all-time leader in wins.

“When you achieve records such as this, it is an important day,” Fanning-Otis said. “To be able to do that with such a wonderful group of young ladies is what makes this really special. Hopefully, there will be many, many more wins this season.”

Johnson made sure MSU had plenty to celebrate. The 5-foot-7 point guard from Pontotoc missed her first four shots, including three from the perimeter, and then adjusted. Instead of relying on jump shots, she challenged the defense and took the ball to the rim. Her duck-under move and finish with the left hand gave MSU the lead for good at 8-7 with 13 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the first half. She followed that with another basket from the block that was part of a 19-0 run that erased a five-point deficit and helped MSU improve to 6-1. MSU held USA (5-2) scoreless for 9 minutes, 26 seconds.

“We were really doing a good job of getting to the paint,” Johnson said. “We pretty much lived in the paint in the first half. Our shots were falling and we were rebounding better. It was a really good stretch there and gave us the separation we needed for the rest of the game.”

Fanning-Otis praised Johnson for going “North-South” as opposed to “East-West.” Last season, Johnson’s first as the team’s lead point guard, Fanning-Otis stressed her floor general needed to be more aggressive and to break down defenses to get to the foul line. She felt Johnson’s ability to get to the basket also would enable her to draw defenders and to find teammates for open shots.

“I think she had that mind-set from the get-to she was going to go North-South,” Fanning-Otis said. “We pretty much lived in the paint in the first half. Our shots were falling and we were rebounding better. It was a really good stretch there and gave us the separation we needed for the rest of the game.”

Fanning-Otis praised Johnson for going “North-South” as opposed to “East-West.” Last season, Johnson’s first as the team’s lead point guard, Fanning-Otis stressed her floor general needed to be more aggressive and to break down defenses to get to the foul line. She felt Johnson’s ability to get to the basket would help her get to the free-throw line and would enable her to draw defenders and to find teammates for open shots.

“I think she has this mind-set from the get-to that she was going to go North-South,” Fanning-Otis said. “We said that at halftime that you have to continue to go toward the rim. That shows a lot of growth on her part to be able to do that and to be able to take control and to do what has to be done to win a ballgame. I was very proud of her leadership in that aspect. She dug down to get what we needed.”

Johnson played with that mind-set at the tail end of last season, scoring in double figures in MSU’s final eight games. On Wednesday, she hit career-highs for free throws made (nine) and attempted (10). Even though she was 4 of 4 in the final 1:04 when the outcome was decided, Johnson attacked the basket more after her opening stretch to offset a 6-of-21 shooting effort. She also handed out three assists (two turnovers) in 39 minutes.

“My shots weren’t falling and instead of just trying to shoot the ball I knew I was going to have to get the ball to the bucket,” Johnson said. “Once I saw a few, I knew it was going to help me out. I was just trying to create and get to the hole better.”

Entering the game, Johnson was the team leader in scoring at 16.2 points per game despite a shooting percentage of 35.9 percent, including a 15-percent mark (3 of 20 from 3-point range). Johnson was 1 of 8 from 3-point range against USA, and with shooters like Porsha Porter and Kendra Grant on the wings and with post players like Catina Bett (season-highs of 11 points, eight rebounds, and 29 minutes), Ashley Brown, and Martha Alwal (eight rebounds) as inside options, Johnson knows she can make things happen if she gets into the lane and draws defenses to her. She said she feels more at ease doing that after spending most of her career as a two-guard, and she hopes to continue her aggressive, attacking style of play.

“Every year they have been hounding me, hounding me about getting to the paint,” Johnson said. “I have struggled with it, but every year I get more comfortable. This year, I guess I just finally have that mentality. I am not going to go down there if I know I am going to have a turnover or I am not going to be able to create something, but if I see something is open and my mind is on it, that is what I am going to do to help my team.”

Johnson also said it was satisfying to be a part of a milestone victory for Fanning-Otis, especially after playing key roles for the past three seasons. In 2009-10, Johnson was a top reserve on the MSU team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. But she knows one victory — even one as big as No. 600 — won’t assure MSU a trip back to the NCAA tournament, so there is plenty of work left for her and her teammates to do to make sure the team keeps going in the right direction.

“It is special, but maybe I am looking at the bigger picture with more games to come and what we need to get,” Johnson said. “I have been here for four years and I have helped her to get to this point. It is great to know I was a part of it in a big way.”

MSU will play host to Tulane at 2 p.m. Sunday.

 

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.