STARKVILLE — Control has been an elusive intangible for Breanna Richardson in her time in Starkville.
Richardson’s skills, size, and strength make her one of the most talented players on the Mississippi State women’s basketball team. But the 6-foot-1 forward has searched to find consistency throughout her four seasons in Starkville. As a freshman, she scored in double figures 18 times, only to see that number slip to 15 as a sophomore and to seven last season.
This season, Richardson appears to have found her comfort zone. As a result, Richardson is playing a little slower and with a greater purpose for one of eight remaining undefeated teams in the nation.
Richardson poured in a career-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help No. 5 MSU rout Northwestern State 106-30 before a crowd of 6,352 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I think she is attacking the rim and she is under control,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “She is not trying to do too much. The 25 minutes and no turnovers is when I know she is really doing a good job and affecting the game. She gets ahead of herself sometimes and will kick one out of have one go off her little toe. Tonight, we ran a couple of things for her where she could get to the rim, and she did. She didn’t settle. I thought she attacked the glass.”
Richardson had a career-best 10 field goals on 12 attempts. She also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out two assists, made two steals, and tied her career high with two blocked shots. Richardson has only had one game where she has logged more minutes — 26 against Tennessee on Jan. 16, 2014 — and not committed a turnover.
“I guess it just comes with experience and learning from the past, just knowing when to attack and when not to and knowing when to go get my shot and to set my teammates up,” said Richardson, who raised her field goal shooting percentage to a program-best 61.8 percent. “For the most part, it is just reading the defense and seeing what they are giving me and playing with it.”
Richardson has acknowledged the ups and downs she has had in her career. As a forward who handles the basketball a lot in Schaefer’s system, she has worked hard to cut down her turnovers. The turnovers have come down from a career-high 97 as a freshman, but Richardson’s minutes also have come down each year. This season, she is one of 10 players who are averaging 13 minutes or more. She is fourth on the team in minutes played (279) and has committed only 23 turnovers.
Richardson said “slower” isn’t the right word to describe the change that is evident in her game. She said “taking her time” is a better way to describe a season to date that has seen her have four games without a turnover and score in double figures six times. The four games without a turnover matches the mark she set in 34 games in 2014-15.
“Sometimes I actually just rush stuff,” Richardson said. “I see it, but if I just slow down just a little bit I probably would get the whole play.”
Victoria Vivians paced MSU (14-0) with 22 points to lead five Bulldogs in double figures. Teaira McCowan added 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Blair Schaefer had 13 points, and Ameshya Williams had 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots to help the Bulldogs close their non-conference schedule 14-0 for the second time in three seasons and get off to the second-best start in the history of the program.
The 76-point margin of victory was the second-biggest in program history. MSU defeated Judson College 117-35 on Feb. 24, 1986.
Schaefer praised the play of Richardson and Vivians. He said the senior forward and the junior guard played “very much under control” and helped to set the tone for the Bulldogs, who played without Roshunda Johnson (left leg) and Ketara Chapel (illness). He hopes the effort sets the stage for MSU’s Southeastern Conference opener against LSU at 2 p.m. Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I thought these two (Richardson and Vivians) were really good most of the night, and did it at both ends,” Schaefer said. “This team is confident. I think they would tell you they are confident. Their teammates are confident, and that is a result of a 14-game schedule where we have played three games at home against a really good schedule.
“I am confident in them because of that. I have seen how they prepare and they go into a ballgame, and they love to play the game.”
NOTES: The crowd was the seventh-best in program history. … MSU shot 52.7 percent from the field, its second-best mark of the season, and the sixth time it has eclipsed the 50-percent mark. … Northwestern State’s 13 points were the fewest MSU has allowed in a first half this season. The Lady Demons shot 20.3 percent from the field, the Bulldogs’ best mark this season. They also forced a season-most turnovers (32) and recorded season highs in assists (23) and tied the season high for steals (15). … Individually, the 11 healthy Bulldogs set or tied 13 individual career highs. In addition to Richardson’s exploits, Vivians tied a career high with five steals. Williams set career highs with five field goals and nine field goal attempts en route to tying her career high. She also tied her career high with three blocked shots. Jacaira “Iggy” Allen had career highs of three free throws and four free throw attempts. She also had career highs with three assists and three steals. McCowan tied a career high with eight free throw attempts. … The Bulldogs topped the 100-point mark for the second time this season and the 32nd in program history.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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