JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When it comes to defense, Vic Schaefer’s voice can pierce through the loudest gym.
On this occasion, though, Dominique Dillingham didn’t need the Mississippi State women’s basketball coach to remind her to pick it up on defense. Still, Schaefer’s voice could be heard clearly across the court during a stoppage in play.
“C’mon Dominique,” Schaefer said to his junior guard, who had been a step slow contesting a jump shot by Vanderbilt’s Rachel Bell on the previous possession.
It didn’t matter to Dillingham that MSU had a 15-point lead with less than five minutes to go when Bell hit the jumper with the shot clock running down. To Dillingham, any basket against her or her team is something she takes personally, which is why she heard Schaefer even before he said the words. That’s why Dillingham is the driving force behind the Bulldogs’ defensive identity.
“In my head, I was mad she scored on me, too,” Dillingham said. “I am thinking just like him. I don’t want to get scored on, either.”
Dillingham showcased the importance of that mentality Friday by making a steal that sparked a game-changing run in No. 16 and third-seeded MSU’s 63-46 victory against Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Veterans Memorial Arena.
The victory pushed MSU (25-6) into the semifinals of the event for the fourth time, and the first since 2010, to face seventh-seeded Tennessee, which defeated No. 15 and second-seeded Texas A&M 70-60.
MSU advanced thanks in large part to Dillingham, who led a balanced scoring effort with 12 points. After going 0-for-5 from the field in the first half, Dillingham was 6-for-8 in the final 20 minutes to help MSU beat Vanderbilt for the second time in nine days. Teaira McCowan added 11 points, five steals, and three blocked shots, Victoria Vivians had 10 points, and Breanna Richardson had eight points to help MSU move within two wins of the program-record mark of 27 it set last season.
If MSU is to improve upon that mark, Dillingham will need more efforts like the one she turned in Friday night. While her performance on offense in the second half helped the Bulldogs pull away, Dillingham delivered her biggest contribution on defense. Leading 33-30, Dillingham made a steal just inside the half-court line and fed Jazzmun Holmes for a layup that started an 11-2 run that stretched from the end of the third quarter into the fourth quarter. The spurt helped MSU bring clarity to a game that featured 48 fouls and 41 turnovers.
MSU’s defense played a big role in a game Schaefer called “ugly.” The Bulldogs limited the Commodores to a season-low 12 field goals (12 of 37) and 32.4-percent shooting from the field. Vanderbilt also committed 27 turnovers, its second-highest total of the season.
Dillingham has been at the heart of defensive efforts like that for the past two-and-a-half seasons. At 5-foot-9, Dillingham isn’t the fastest or the strongest player on the court, but she will battle you each time to show you she is the toughest.
“If you don’t have a player like Dom, it is hard to do what I want to do,” said Schaefer, whose nickname is the “Secretary of Defense.” “We talk all of the time in recruiting meetings, ‘Where is the next McDonald’s All-American or the next top-50 recruit we’re going to recruit?’, but I want to know where the next Dominique Dillingham is. I have her one more year and then I got to have somebody else playing that role.
“You can’t put a value on her role. If I don’t have her, my team isn’t like it is. If we don’t have Dominique doing what she does, we probably don’t have the defensive team we have. Her impact on her team, you can’t put a value on it.”
Schaefer said Dillingham’s intelligence mixes well with her physicality and her toughness. He said Dillingham isn’t afraid of contact, which allows her to hold her own with bigger players. Her willingness to help teammates on defense by taking charges also provides an example for everyone to follow.
Dillingham said she learned a defensive mentality growing up. She has said several times she wasn’t the most gifted offensive player, so she used her determination to excel on defense. She also has relied on knee pads to keep her in the game. She said Friday night that her grandfather, Robert “Bob” Serres, wouldn’t let her play basketball if she didn’t have her knee pads.
“I was always banging my knees,” Dillingham said.
Dillingham’s ability to embrace playing defense has helped elevate MSU into one of the nation’s top programs. It entered the game against Vanderbilt fourth in the SEC and 13th nationally in turnovers forced per game (21.4). The victory marked the 18th time the Bulldogs have held an opponent under 40-percent shooting from the field.
“We have been really focusing in practice on getting rotations right and trying to keep the ball in front of us,” Dillingham said. “I think we have been really working on defense. I think we are really focused and locked in.”
MSU has won four games in a row since an 83-60 loss to then-No. 16 Kentucky on Feb. 18. Since then, MSU hasn’t allowed an opponent to score more than 61 points. Schaefer said the Bulldogs haven’t changed anything on defense and have been pretty locked in all season. He said the one of the biggest changes he has been trying to make is to get Dillingham to be more of an offensive player. It appears to be working because Dillingham is averaging 13.2 points per game in her last four outings. Her effort against Vanderbilt helped her score in double figures for the fourth-straight game for the second time in her career. She also did it early in her freshman season.
“We are adding the offense to it,” Schaefer said. “She goes 0-for-5 (in the first half) and then 6-for-8 in the second half. You make that and then the kid has a chance maybe to play a long time, not just in the next year and a half.
“That is the piece I have been needing her to do. I have basically had to just tell her you’re going to do it or else. There wasn’t any sweet talking. I told her, ‘We have got to have it.’ It didn’t come early in the season, but it has come here lately, and it makes our team a lot better.”
With Dillingham, Schaefer has the comfort to know his teams will be strong defensively. Dillingham has accepted the responsibility of being a charge-taker and a defensive leader. She said she enjoys the role because playing defense always has come naturally and that she feels she is a physical player.
“I feel it because when coach is talking about defense and focusing, he comes to me,” Dillingham said. “I love defense. I take it head on. I love being in charge of it.
“With us, it starts with defense. The game was going back and forth for a while and then we really locked in on defense. I think that is what got us going. Just like (Schaefer) said, the steal I got on the sideline got a fast break and got two points up. I think that really started us. Once we got the defense going, it was over with. We’re really good when we’re playing really good defense.”
For a coach like Schaefer who has spent more than 30 years stressing the importance of defense, those are words he would love to hear from all of his players. Hearing Dillingham say them re-affirms her value to the Bulldogs.
But that doesn’t mean he will stop giving her reminders when something goes wrong, even if MSU is leading by double digits down the stretch.
“I don’t have to say that to Dom, but I want her to know I am paying attention,” Schaefer said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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