Junior Victoria Vivians was picked First Team All-SEC by league coaches Thursday, while teammates Dominique Dillingham and Morgan William were second-team selections. State was picked to finish second.
SEC Coaches Tab MSU Second; Vivians, Dillingham, William Earn All-SEC Honors
November 03, 2016 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Southeastern Conference coaches agreed with the media and predicted No. 10 Mississippi State women's basketball to finish second in the league this season. The coaches also tabbed junior Victoria Vivians First Team All-SEC, while fellow junior Morgan William and senior Dominique Dillingham were picked to the second team.
The honors come as Mississippi State opens the 2016-17 slate Thursday night against Arkansas-Fort Smith. Tip for the exhibition contest is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network +.
The Bulldogs return all five starters and nine letterwinners from last year's squad that won a program-best 28 games, notched the school SEC wins record for the second-straight year with 11 and claimed the highest league finish with a tie for second.
Schaefer's 2015-16 edition tallied its first two wins against Tennessee, with the second earning the program its second appearance in the SEC Tournament championship game. MSU went on to host the NCAA first and second rounds for the first time, defeating Chattanooga and Michigan State to punch the Bulldogs' second Sweet 16 berth.
Vivians leads a Mississippi State roster that returns 90 percent of its scoring and 89 percent of its rebounding from that record-setting squad.
The Carthage, Miss., native is the SEC's top returning scorer from a year ago after averaging a league second-most 17.1 ppg. The WBCA All-America Honorable Mention and first team All-SEC performer ranked third in the conference with 2.2 3-pointers per game, and defensively ranked 20th in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and 11th in steals (1.7 spg).
Against SEC competition, she finished sixth in scoring with 15.6 ppg while averaging 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals.
Vivians capped the year being named to the SEC All-Tournament Team after averaging 22.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in three-game run. In the NCAA Tournament she scored at a 16.3 clip, including 24 points in State's second-round win against the Spartans.
Dillingham earned the preseason honor following a stellar junior campaign that saw her claim SEC All-Defensive Team and Associated Press All-SEC Honorable Mention laurels. The Spring, Texas, finished 2015-16 third on the team with a career-best 7.9 ppg. She also shot a personal-high 36.8-percent from the field and 79.7-percent from the free-throw line.
The league leader in minutes played with 38.4 mpg, Dillingham again made her mark on the defensive end of the floor, topping the team with 52 charges taken and rating second behind Vivians in steals with 56. She enters her final year in the Maroon & White the SEC's leading active player in career swipes with 182.
Like Dillingham, William also posted a career-best year in 2015-16, averaging a team second-most 9.7 ppg. The Birmingham, Ala., native also set the school single-season free-throw record with 84.4 percent, breaking her own record set during her first year on campus.
William finished second in the SEC last season with 176 assists, a total that placed her runner-up in MSU single-season annals.
She was also impressive in league play, scoring at a 10.9 per-game clip while ranking second in assists (5.0 apg) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.6).
South Carolina was picked just ahead of the Bulldogs. Tennessee was picked third, followed by Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, Missouri, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss.
After Thursday's exhibition, Mississippi State officially opens the campaign at the Maine Tipoff Tournament against Villanova on Nov. 11.
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.hailstate.com/tickets, by phone at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Tennessee
4. Florida
5. Kentucky
6. Auburn
7. Missouri
8. Texas A&M
9. Vanderbilt
10. Arkansas
11. LSU
12. Georgia
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
Player of the Year
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
First Team All-SEC
Jessica Jackson, Arkansas
Ronni Williams, Florida
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
Alaina Coates, South Carolina
Diamond DeShields, Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Brandy Montgomery, Auburn
Elenna Christinaki, Florida
Shandricka Sessom, Ole Miss
Dominique Dillingham, Mississippi State
Morgan William, Mississippi State
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Marqu'es Webb, Vanderbilt
The honors come as Mississippi State opens the 2016-17 slate Thursday night against Arkansas-Fort Smith. Tip for the exhibition contest is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network +.
The Bulldogs return all five starters and nine letterwinners from last year's squad that won a program-best 28 games, notched the school SEC wins record for the second-straight year with 11 and claimed the highest league finish with a tie for second.
Schaefer's 2015-16 edition tallied its first two wins against Tennessee, with the second earning the program its second appearance in the SEC Tournament championship game. MSU went on to host the NCAA first and second rounds for the first time, defeating Chattanooga and Michigan State to punch the Bulldogs' second Sweet 16 berth.
Vivians leads a Mississippi State roster that returns 90 percent of its scoring and 89 percent of its rebounding from that record-setting squad.
The Carthage, Miss., native is the SEC's top returning scorer from a year ago after averaging a league second-most 17.1 ppg. The WBCA All-America Honorable Mention and first team All-SEC performer ranked third in the conference with 2.2 3-pointers per game, and defensively ranked 20th in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and 11th in steals (1.7 spg).
Against SEC competition, she finished sixth in scoring with 15.6 ppg while averaging 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals.
Vivians capped the year being named to the SEC All-Tournament Team after averaging 22.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in three-game run. In the NCAA Tournament she scored at a 16.3 clip, including 24 points in State's second-round win against the Spartans.
Dillingham earned the preseason honor following a stellar junior campaign that saw her claim SEC All-Defensive Team and Associated Press All-SEC Honorable Mention laurels. The Spring, Texas, finished 2015-16 third on the team with a career-best 7.9 ppg. She also shot a personal-high 36.8-percent from the field and 79.7-percent from the free-throw line.
The league leader in minutes played with 38.4 mpg, Dillingham again made her mark on the defensive end of the floor, topping the team with 52 charges taken and rating second behind Vivians in steals with 56. She enters her final year in the Maroon & White the SEC's leading active player in career swipes with 182.
Like Dillingham, William also posted a career-best year in 2015-16, averaging a team second-most 9.7 ppg. The Birmingham, Ala., native also set the school single-season free-throw record with 84.4 percent, breaking her own record set during her first year on campus.
William finished second in the SEC last season with 176 assists, a total that placed her runner-up in MSU single-season annals.
She was also impressive in league play, scoring at a 10.9 per-game clip while ranking second in assists (5.0 apg) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.6).
South Carolina was picked just ahead of the Bulldogs. Tennessee was picked third, followed by Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, Missouri, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss.
After Thursday's exhibition, Mississippi State officially opens the campaign at the Maine Tipoff Tournament against Villanova on Nov. 11.
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.hailstate.com/tickets, by phone at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Tennessee
4. Florida
5. Kentucky
6. Auburn
7. Missouri
8. Texas A&M
9. Vanderbilt
10. Arkansas
11. LSU
12. Georgia
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
Player of the Year
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
First Team All-SEC
Jessica Jackson, Arkansas
Ronni Williams, Florida
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
Alaina Coates, South Carolina
Diamond DeShields, Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Brandy Montgomery, Auburn
Elenna Christinaki, Florida
Shandricka Sessom, Ole Miss
Dominique Dillingham, Mississippi State
Morgan William, Mississippi State
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Marqu'es Webb, Vanderbilt
Players Mentioned
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