STARKVILLE — Dominique Dillingham didn’t need any ice for her elbow or shoulders in the post-game media room.
Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer asked the senior guard if she needed either one prior to his opening comments about his fifth-ranked team’s 70-53 victory against Missouri on Sunday afternoon.
Schaefer asked the light-hearted question because Dillingham usually doesn’t lead the Bulldogs in scoring or shots attempted. But this day was different — super, in fact — in many ways for a white-out crowd of 5,792 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Not only did Dillingham score a career- and game-high 24 points, but classmate Breanna Richardson also had 13 points to reach 1,000 for her career.
It was fitting timing because those efforts propelled the senior class of Dillingham, Richardson, Ketara Chapel, and Chinwe Okorie, which is the winningest class in program history, to its 100th victory (100-30).
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these two,” Schaefer said of Dillingham and Richardson. “They knew how Missouri was probably going to guard us. For us to get where we want to get to, these two have got to step up and be able to make shots and make plays.”
Dillingham did her part by going 9 of 17 from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Her performance eclipsed her previous career high of 21 points set against Missouri on Jan. 26, 2014. She also was 5 of 9 from 3-point range in that game. The 17 shots were the most she has attempted in a game at MSU. It was only the second time this season she has attempted more than 10 in a game.
“They kind of sag off (her and Richardson) and they kind of sag off the four players, so it is just taking my shot and having confidence when I am wide open to take the shot,” Dillingham said.
Dillingham’s afternoon was even more impressive because she played a season-high 39 minutes and guarded sophomore Sophie Cunningham, who entered the game averaging a team-best 16.1 points per game. Cunningham, who at 6-foot-1 has four inches on Dillingham, made life difficult by moving without the ball and creating shots in a 19-point, nine-rebound effort. She fouled out with 3 minutes, 59 seconds remaining.
“She is scrappy, so you just have to have a lot of poise and body control because she is good at getting offensive fouls,” Cunningham said of Dillingham.
Dillingham had three 3-pointers as part of a 13-point second quarter that helped the Bulldogs (23-1, 9-1 SEC) build a double-digit lead. But her afternoon wasn’t always easy, as she banged into the 6-5 Okorie at the top of the key trying to keep up with Cunningham.
It was all in a typical day’s work for Dillingham, who appeared to be limping late in the second quarter.
“It is not surprising,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said of Dillingham’s effort. “(She is a) very good player. I have said that for many years now. She is a just one of those blue-collar kids that whatever a team needs on any given night (she will do it). She just plays with so much toughness and heart and passion.”
Schaefer recognized how important Dillingham would be to the Bulldogs when he recruited her. She arrived as a freshman and immediately made an impact, earning a spot in the starting lineup with a gritty approach that included taking charges and playing lock-down defense.
Scoring often has been an added bonus for Dillingham. Entering this season, the 8.8 ppg. she averaged as a freshman was the highest total of her career. This season, she looked to be on track to do even better. In her first seven games, she was 20 of 41 from the field, which was even more impressive considering she shot a career-best 36.8 percent from the field as a junior. But Dillingham missed the next six games after having knee surgery. Since then, she has been working to regain her rhythm and shooting stroke.
“There have been a couple of weeks in a row where she hasn’t shot it 17 total in her career,” said Schaefer, who chastised Dillingham after she didn’t attempt a shot in 28 minutes in a victory at Arkansas. “But the kid has worked hard. She has been in the gym. She has been working in the dark as we say. She answers the bell.
“I don’t think it is smart not to guard Dominique Dillingham anymore.”
Schaefer’s confidence in Dillingham is unmatched. On Jan. 5, 2016, Schaefer said at a MSU women’s basketball luncheon, “If we get 12 points a game from Dominique Dillingham, we might not lose again.” More than a year later, Schaefer’s confidence in Dillingham has gotten stronger.
“It makes us unguardable, in my opinion,” Schaefer said when asked what dimension Dillingham provides when she scores like she did Sunday. “You just can’t help off her. You can’t lose her. You (have to) think about her. I like her confidence. She is looking for her shot. Hey, she probably missed three in the lane, short jumpers. I like her court presence and her savvy. She has a lot of confidence offensively, and she ain’t taking any plays off on defense, either. I think she makes us really a different team when she is hooked up.”
Dillingham also was “hooked up” on the defensive end. She forced Cunningham into five turnovers and played stingy defense without committing a foul until the 6:58 mark of the fourth quarter. Later in the quarter, Dillingham had one of her two blocked shots on a drive by Cunningham. It almost sounded like Dillingham unleashed a little yell afterward. Cunningham, though, responded on the next play by using a fake to gain separation to catch the inbounds pass and drain a short jump shot.
Dillingham clapped her hands in frustration and then returned to work to complete her first 20-plus point game of the season, and the 11th for the Bulldogs. Fittingly, she received a hug from Schaefer when Richardson replaced her with 41.2 seconds remaining.
“Dominique had her hands full with Sophie because that kid is a player,” Schaefer said. “She is basketball in motion. To go out and get 24 and have to guard the other team’s best player like she did — she forced her into five turnovers — I am pretty sure she is going to sleep pretty good.”
Dillingham acknowledged it is tiring guarding the best player on the other team, but she said she is in shape, so it shouldn’t affect her. Dillingham’s comment wasn’t surprising because it epitomizes the selfless attitude and work ethic fans in Starkville have come to love from her and her teammates. On this day, it was fitting those fans had one more chance to thank Dillingham and the rest of the seniors for everything they have done to transform the Bulldogs into a top-five program.
“I am just so happy for them,” Schaefer said. “They believed when it wasn’t easy to believe. They trusted us four years ago. They had to trust our vision. Man, have they made their own story and their own legacy at Mississippi State, and they continue to build on it.”
Said Dillingham, “You have to start somewhere. I am glad the four of us believed in our coaches and the university. It is amazing how the program has evolved over these four years. It is amazing to see how everything has come together. I am going to love watch it grow from here.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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