By Adam Minichino

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STARKVILLE — Victoria Vivians leads the Mississippi State women’s basketball team in scoring, steals, and minutes per game.

Teaira McCowan paces the Bulldogs in rebounding in her first season in Starkville.

Morgan William leads MSU and is third in the Southeastern Conference in assists.

There’s no denying MSU wouldn’t be No. 7 in the nation without the contributions of Vivians (18.3 points per game), McCowan (7.1 rebounds per game), or William (5.3 assists per game). But you’d be hard-pressed to find a more valuable player on MSU’s roster than Dominique Dillingham. The 5-foot-9 junior guard showcased her versatility Thursday in a 60-45 victory against Auburn at Humphrey Coliseum. In addition to holding Brandy Montgomery, who entered the game as the SEC’s leading scorer, below her scoring average, Dillingham shared point guard responsibilities with William and played a key role in helping the Bulldogs break the Tigers’ three-quarter court and half-court pressure defense.

“I don’t think there is any doubt I don’t want to play without her. Ever,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “We have talked about in recruiting who is going to be my next Dominique? I know you want the next All-American or the next top-50 player, but Dominique is going to be the hardest person to replace in 2017 on our team.”

Fortunately, Schaefer and the Bulldogs will have Dillingham around for the rest of this season and in 2016-17. MSU (15-1, 2-0 SEC) will look to Dillingham at 2 p.m. today when it plays host to Arkansas (6-9, 1-1) at Humphrey Coliseum.

None of Dillingham’s numbers sparkle. The Spring, Texas, native is averaging 7.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in 26.8 minutes. MSU doesn’t list charges taken on its official statistics, but Dillingham ranks with Blair Schaefer as one of the team leaders in that category.

But looking only at the numbers when trying to determine Dillingham’s worth to the Bulldogs isn’t the right way to go. Whether it’s checking the other team’s best player, hitting big shots, taking charges, hustling for loose balls, or playing multiple positions in a game, Dillingham is the heart that fuels the Bulldogs.

“She is just a basketball player,” Schaefer said. “She honors the game the way it is supposed to be honored and played.”

That is a pretty heady statement from someone who has been in basketball as long as Schaefer, whose nickname is the “Secretary of Defense.” That moniker helps explain why Schaefer loves the way Dillingham plays the game so much. The last two years, Schaefer has said repeatedly that Dillingham plays the game with an intensity and a fire that is unmatched. He knows the other Bulldogs appreciate Dillingham’s tenacity, which is why she was elected captain prior to the team’s season opener. She joins William, who was named captain in the preseason, in that role.

“There is no question the rest of her team picks up on how and what she is about,” Schaefer said. “I think that is part of our personality as a team, and she leads that personality. Leadership wise, she and Morgan are still growing and filling in that role, but there is no question that her teammates have a respect for her because of how she plays the game and her toughness and her competitiveness.”

Dillingham usually carries those traits onto the floor armed only with a white headband. A telling sign Dillingham is having a good game is how many times she has to retrieve the headband from Yasma Smith, one of the team’s managers.

“It was probably somewhere on the sideline, but Ya-Ya usually tracks it down for me,” Dillingham said.

Against Auburn, Dillingham dared to play a few minutes without the headband, but she didn’t have time to get it back because she had to take the basketball out of bounds with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the second quarter. She even took MSU’s next shot, a missed shot in the lane on a strong move to the basket. That attempt showed a growing confidence Dillingham is playing with on offense. It also is reflected in her statistics, as she has increased her scoring average 1.4 ppg. compared to this point last season.

In the third quarter, one sequence epitomized Dillingham’s gritty play. With MSU leading 36-26, Dillingham attacked the basket and scored on a runner. She went down hard on the move, though, and was noticeably hobbled as she moved back down the floor. A fan hollered, “Hang in there, Dom” as she put both of her hands over her head and walked a little bent at the waist during a brief stoppage of play. She didn’t come out of the game.

The temporary loss of the headband didn’t stop Dillingham from holding Montgomery to 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 15 points, which was 3.4 points shy of her season average.

Dillingham’s 40-minute effort against Auburn was her first of the season. As a freshman, she played 35 minutes or more seven times. Last season, when MSU won a program-record 27 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010, Dillingham achieved that feat 16 times. With 14 regular-season games remaining, Dillingham has a chance to shatter that mark.

“I think she wants to play 40 minutes,” Schaefer said.

With Vivians, William, Jazzmun Holmes, Blair Schaefer, Kayla Nevitt, Roshunda Johnson, who is sitting out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, and recruit Jacaira “Iggy” Allen expected to be in the backcourt next season, Dillingham will have plenty of suitors for her role. This season, coach Schaefer said he doesn’t want Dillingham to become the team’s backup point guard, even though she shouldered some of that responsibility against Auburn. Schaefer said he is confident Holmes, who he said is “getting better every day,” will be able to help the team, but he also can rely on Dillingham if the Bulldogs are in a pinch.

If pressed into service, Dillingham likely also would play forward or center. Given her penchant for diving on the floor and taking charges, there is no doubt Dillingham would be able to hold her own in those roles with or without a headband.

“Dominique is comfortable at any position,” Schaefer said. “She loves the game. … She is ultra competitive. She is competitive in the classroom. That is the kid that we are going to have the hardest time replacing in two years.”

Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor

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