JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There is a new destination in the paint in Starkville: Mount Chinwe.
Fans of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team have come to know the meaning out of Mount Schaefer. For those who don’t know, Mount Schaefer is the name for the steps inside Humphrey Coliseum. Those steps serve as a mountain the players have to run in practice when they make a mistake, or MSU coach Vic Schaefer doesn’t like the energy level.
After Saturday night’s effort, junior Chinwe Okorie has earned a special name for her place in the middle of the lane.
The 6-foot-5 center had a team-high 11 rebounds and was a key component in a stifling defense that helped No. 16 and third-seeded MSU beat seventh-seeded Tennessee 58-48 in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Veterans Memorial Arena.
“You needed her tonight,” Schaefer said. “Last night (against Vanderbilt) it was Teaira (McCowan). Tonight it was Chinwe. Chinwe was a monster in there rebounding.”
With Victoria Vivians scoring a game-high 30 points, Okorie led a rebounding effort that helped MSU (26-6) win the backboards 45-42, even though Tennessee (19-13) had 20 offensive rebounds. It marked the sixth time this season Tennessee has been outrebounded, and the second time this season by MSU. The Bulldogs had a plus-four edge in rebounds in a 65-63 overtime victory on Jan. 28 in Starkville.
MSU did it again Saturday with Vivians grabbing nine rebounds and Breanna Richardson adding six points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes.
Okorie said she was focused on rebounding and defense in the rematch against Tennessee. She said it wasn’t easy battling against 6-6 center Mercedes Russell, 6-3 center Nia Moore, and 6-2 forward Bashaara Graves on the low block, but she said she stayed focused and knew she had a job to do.
“I respect them a lot for the name they have had over the years,” Okorie said. “Grabbing the rebounds was hard work.
“I had to be tough. Coach (Johnnie) Harris said, ‘Don’t let her go in there and take you out of your game. You’re strong. You have worked hard for this. You work hard every day in practice. Go out and do it. Do it the way you do it in practice, and do it even better than you do it in practice.’ ”
Okorie and McCowan, a 6-7 freshman who played only eight minutes due to foul trouble, are an imposing duo to try to scale or get around to secure a rebound. On numerous occasions, Okorie snared rebounds in mountainous fashion in the paint, especially in the second half when the Lady Volunteers attempted to rally.
“You recruit those because that’s what gives you a chance to beat Tennessee,” Schaefer said. “I can’t beat Tennessee with 6-2 and 6-3 post players, but I can with a Chinwe and a T. That is what you have to have if you’re going to go to the next level.”
Okorie credited teammates Morgan William (12 points) and Dominique Dillingham, who had to leave the game in the third quarter after tweaking her left ankle, for motivating her with their gritty play. She said seeing them shake off bumps and bruises inspired her to keep pushing and to keep grabbing rebounds.
“If my teammates can do this, I can do this,” Okorie said. “I don’t want to say it is sucking energy from them, but I think it is contagious. It just kept me going and us going. People were tired, but people were saying, ‘Steal my energy.’ We just believed in each other and trusted in each other.”
Okorie also said she drew strength from Vivians, who had her second 30-point game of the season, and the third of her career. Vivians hit a variety of highlight-reel shots, including a dagger 3-pointer that came when she sprinted inbounds to get her entry pass back and an off-balance layup in which she appeared to be falling down.
With Vivians raining jump shots and hitting acrobatic moves, Okorie said it was easy to be a mountain in the middle.
“Victoria came out and played like she is supposed to play,” Okorie said. “She not only was hitting shots, but she also was grabbing rebounds and she was playing great defense. She was everywhere on the court. That is how we want her to play. That is how we expect her to play. Her coming out and taking over the game just made it easier for us.”
The combination of Okorie and Vivians, who were key components of two different recruiting classes, made it possible for Schaefer to savor a second-straight victory against Tennessee. This one was even bigger because it secured MSU’s second trip to a SEC tournament final. In the process, it held Tennessee to its lowest point total in the 38-game history of the series. It also was the third time the Lady Volunteers have scored 53 or fewer points this season.
“I am proud,” Schaefer said. “The kids are so tough and competitive. They just get it in their mind that they know how to do something and they know it is important to do it. We’re just a grind-it-out basketball team. We are a 1-0 or a 2-1 team. We’re going to grind it out. That is just who we are. Every possession is a grind, hopefully, for our opponent. That is what we want to do. We want to make you bleed to score.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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