STARKVILLE — Vic Schaefer lost it.
Racing off the sideline with the thunderous thump of his dress shoes crashing into the hardwood floor beneath him, Schaefer threw high fives that mimicked haymakers as Mississippi State celebrated a three-point fourth quarter lead over Texas A&M Sunday.
In unison, the 8,400 fans in attendance collectively exploded in approval as the fiery eighth-year head coach and his youthful No. 8-ranked MSU squad (22-3, 10-1 SEC) downed the visiting No. 16 Aggies (18-5, 6-3 SEC) 69-57.
“We believed in these days, like today,” Schaefer said of his mindset when he left Texas A&M for Starkville in 2012.
With a collection of pink pom poms enveloping Humphrey Coliseum as MSU celebrated breast cancer awareness day, the wiry plastic was left mostly at bay through the game’s opening 20 minutes as the Bulldogs slogged through the first half Sunday.
Normally sure-handed senior guard Jordan Danberry fell silent from the floor, going scoreless in the opening two frames for the second-straight game and was benched for nearly 12 minutes in the second half.
Sophomore center Jessika Carter also continued her recent inability to stay on the floor, collecting two fouls in the first half for the fifth time in seven contests — forcing junior college transfer Yemiyah Morris into nine major minutes in which she totaled two points and five rebounds.
While Carter and Danberry struggled to find their footing, freshman guard Rickea Jackson balanced the Bulldogs’ fleeting chance at victory. Scoring 14 of her game-high 21 points in the first half, Jackson earned her third 20-point outing in four contests and collected 10 rebounds for her second career double-double.
“I just knew I had to attack them,” she said.
Despite Jackson’s efforts the Bulldogs combined for six of their 11 turnovers in the second quarter as the Aggies outscored their hosts 26-14 in the frame.
Leaving the locker room out of the break, Schaefer’s bunch showed signs of life as the pink pom poms began flailing around Humphrey Coliseum.
Sophomore forward Xaria Wiggins gave MSU hope early as she drained two third quarter 3-pointers to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance.
Freshman guard Jayla Hemingway — whose playing time has been mostly limited to the waning minutes of blowouts this year — recorded just her 13th field goal of the season to pull the Bulldogs within two points with 9:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Finally, it was sophomore guard Myah Taylor that anchored the Bulldogs’ herculean comeback effort.
Flashing a shifty first step and an ability to beat her defender off the dribble, Taylor recorded 16 points over the game’s final 12 minutes and didn’t record a turnover in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
“The energy from everybody — the bench, the fans, everything — it all just ties into that moment, that one play,” Taylor said. “So I just fed off of it and I knew my team needed that so I did whatever I had to do to get the win.”
“I saw a kid with a presence tonight on the floor,” Schaefer added. “It isn’t easy, but she was special tonight.”
Now having won seven-straight games against his former employer and mentor in Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, Schaefer took his time meandering off the floor at Humphrey Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
With Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” echoing throughout The Hump, the one-time Aggie who has since traded shades of maroon made the rounds down the baseline and up the sideline, shaking hands with those MSU fans that remained in their courtside seats.
Behind Schaefer, the 5-foot-7 Taylor was lifted airborn by a collection of teammates near the scorer’s table in an attempt to carry her off the court.
On a day in which the Bulldogs were, in Schaefer’s words, “taken to the woodshed,” MSU added another line to its NCAA Tournament resume and reminded onlookers of their place amongst the SEC’s elite.
“I thought you could not kill our will tonight,” Schaefer said, choking up with each ensuing word. “As bad as it got, I just know that they tried to kill our will — and they certainly had us on the chopping block — but at the end of the day we kept getting off the chopping block and wouldn’t let them kill our will — and that is the sign of a great team. I’m not saying they’re great right now, but man they’re trying to grow up.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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