STARKVILLE — It doesn’t matter whether you prefer the term shooter or scorer. Let’s agree those players are a different breed.
When asked to describe their craft, some will shrug their shoulders and attribute their success to hours of practice in the gym, while others will say that they been blessed with a gift.
So how does it feel to be in one of those “zones” when everything you send toward the rim goes in?
Victoria Vivians doesn’t really know. If she did, she wouldn’t tell you because she isn’t going to divulge the secret.
There’s no secret that the Mississippi State sophomore was back in her element Saturday, scoring a game-high 22 points to lead four players in double figures in the No. 10 Mississippi State women’s basketball team’s 107-43 victory against Grambling State before a crowd of 3,472 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Teaira McCowan had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Chinwe Okorie added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Morgan William had 12 points, four assists, and two steals on a day 12 of the 13 Bulldogs who played scored.
“It’s great to see Victoria knocking down shots,” said MSU coach Vic Schaefer, whose team improved to 2-0. “We certainly need that. I think everybody in the county understands the importance of her having the ability to knock down shots. At one point, I think she hit four in a row, and three of them were from the same spot on the floor.”
Vivians, who led MSU in scoring last season at 14.9 points per game, had eight points in 23 foul-plagued minutes in a season-opening 68-47 victory against Samford on Nov. 13. Vivians started slowly Saturday, going 0-for-6 from the field (0-for-3 from 3-point range) in 11 minutes.
But just like former Detroit Pistons great Vinnie “the Microwave” Johnson, Vivians showed she, too, can heat up in a hurry. The exciting thing about Vivians’ scoring against Grambling State (1-3) was that it came from a variety of places. She lit her hot hand by hitting a pair of pull-up jump shots off half-court weaves from nearly the same spot. The mid-range makes gave her the confidence to go deeper, which shouldn’t be surprising because the former Scott Central High School standout has range to Carthage. Vivians drained a 3-pointer from Dominique Dillingham at the 5-minute, 7-second mark of the third quarter to push MSU’s lead to 61-28. Dillingham provided another assist n a 3-pointer later in the quarter before Jazzmun Holmes had one of her eight assists on a Vivians trey that closed the quarter.
“I felt better,” Vivians said. “I took my time on shots and didn’t rush so many. I took good shots.”
Vivians felt she might have rushed too many of her shots against Samford, which accounted for her 4-for-14 shooting.
Schaefer acknowledged Vivians gets “that look” in her eye and plays with a confidence you can sense from her body language. As much as he has become accustomed to watching Vivians drain shots from distance, he praised her for taking smart shots that came within the offense.
“There is nobody happier than the head coach seeing Tori make shots because I need her to make shots and our team needs her to make shots,” Schaefer said. “When she (makes shots), that is why she is on the Wooden Watch list (for the nation’s top player).”
William has only played with Vivians for a little more than one year, but she, too, notices a difference when Vivians finds her stroke. She saw that look from her classmate Saturday.
“I can see when she is on because coach starts calling plays for her, but when I pass it to her I just know when she is going to make it because she will follow through and she will run back and look at me like, ‘I see you. I got you,” William said. “After passing it to her so many times, I just know when she is going to make or miss it. I just see it in her eyes.”
In the preseason, Vivians said she worked hard on her ballhandling to become a more versatile offensive player. Those skills were more on display against the Tigers, as she moved off the ball and attempted to create shots for herself. She said she is more confident in that area, and hopes not to only be a shooter who is one-dimensional.
Schaefer also praised the Bulldogs for being aggressive rebounding to the tune of a 57-27 advantage. Thirty-four of the rebounds came on the offensive end, with McCowan leading the way with nine and Okorie adding six. Grambling State had only one player taller than 6-foot.
Schaefer also was pleased with his team’s ability to force 29 turnovers, which led to a 40-2 edge in that category. MSU countered that with 25 assists and only nine turnovers. Nine players had assists. The Bulldogs also took eight charges.
“I was glad to see us come out and execute,” Schaefer said.
MSU will play host to Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m. Tuesday. It also will play host to Norfolk State at 6 p.m.
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 40 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 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
