DALLAS — Leave it to Vic Schaefer to add a new word to the vocabulary of a history-making season.
If you thought you had heard it all from the “Secretary of Defense,” think again because Schaefer and his Mississippi State women’s basketball team produced a defensive effort for the ages by messing with Connecticut’s “sprockets.”
While Morgan William’s buzzer-beater in overtime provided the 66-64 margin of victory in the national semifinals at American Airlines Center, MSU’s defense against the four-time reigning national champion was just as huge.
MSU (34-4) held UConn (36-1) to its third-lowest field goal shooting percentage of the season (43.5 percent, 20-for-46). The Bulldogs also forced 17 turnovers to become the third team this season (South Carolina, 66; Tulane, 63) to hold the Huskies to under 70 points.
“They are a machine offensively,” Schaefer said. “If you don’t put something in the sprocket to jam it up, it just keeps rolling, so you’ve got to do some things to make them do some things they don’t want to do.”
One of the objectives was to try to contain junior forward Gabby Williams, a second-team Associated Press All-American. Williams, who is 5-foot-11, had a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists (five turnovers), four blocked shots, and two steals, but MSU limited her effectiveness in the high post with centers Teaira McCowan, a 6-7 sophomore, and Chinwe Okorie, a 6-5 senior.
Schaefer praised McCowan, who played only three minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls. McCowan finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and two steals in 25 minutes.
“I thought that was a big matchup,” Schaefer said. “Here is the thing about Teaira. If you give her some challenge that you tell her, ‘It may be a big challenge, you may not be able to do it. I’m going to give you a chance. If you can’t, I’m going to have to put somebody else.’
“She embraces that moment. I was proud of her. You’re putting length up there. She got drove on a couple times. We knew there’d be some heartache with that. We also knew that might be the best thing in the long run to help us put a kink in the sprocket.”
MSU’s defense put enough kink in the sprocket to win or tie the turnover battle for the 33rd time this season. The Bulldogs are 106-25 under Schaefer when they win the turnover battle.
The result Friday was a little sweeter: It snapped UConn’s 111-game winning streak. The last time UConn lost was an 88-86 setback to Stanford in 2014.
“They were really aggressive,” said UConn sophomore forward Napheesa Collier, a first-team AP All-American. “We weren’t ready for it, and it put us on our heels.”
Said UConn sophomore forward Katie Lou Samuelson, another first-team AP All-American, “Their defense was great and taking away our first, second, and even third options at times. I think they did a really great job.”
Two plays in the fourth quarter best captured MSU’s defense. Leading 50-48, Schaefer yelled, “C’mon Mo. C’mon Mo” to encourage Morgan William to get up on freshman guard Crystal Dangerfield and pressure her. William obliged and was enough of a nuisance that Dangerfield lost the ball out of bounds. Schaefer turned and smiled following the miscue and walked back toward his bench.
McCowan was involved in the other sequence when she overplayed a pass in the post and knocked it away. She collected the loose ball and went in for a layup, but she lost her steps and went down and missed the layup.
Still, MSU was in passing lanes, beat UConn to the spot, and limited it to four fast-break points. MSU also won the points in the paint (28-20).
“We got 21 more shots for the game, we forced 17 turnovers, and they’re averaging 25 assists, and they only had 11,” Schaefer said. “Our strategy was you can’t let them do what they want to do. Bottom line.
“There’s not a lot of teams across the country that play that way. … There’s not a lot of teams that are out there doing what we do defensively, trying to push you out, guard, all that. It’s just the way it is. But that’s how we play. I had two different plans. I asked the girls, I said, ‘What do y’all want to do? I’m behind you. Whatever y’all think, we’ll do it. But I got two plans, you tell me what you want.’
“Coach, we want to go get ’em. OK, we’re going to go get ’em, then all of us have to go get ’em. It’s not four and there’s a fifth for pressure release. That’s what we call it if one doesn’t do their job. You saw my big five player come over the top and get a couple hands on a couple balls and steals, deflections.
“That plays kind of into what we do. We just had to do it. Our kids were special on that end, forcing 17 turnovers, 21 more shots. That’s probably the two stats of the game.”
Auriemma and his players agreed MSU’s defense was a deciding factor.
“They played really hard,” UConn senior guard Saniya Chong said. “Throughout the whole game they challenged us. They fought us. It was basically a war zone out there from start to finish.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
