Mississippi State
18-0 (3-0SEC)
Arkansas
10-5 (0-3SEC)
Vivians' 21 Points Rallies No. 14/15 MSU To First 3-0 SEC Start
January 09, 2015 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 14/15 Mississippi State ended the game on a 21-3 run to keep its perfect season intact in women's basketball action Thursday night.
Holding Arkansas to 13.8 percent shooting (4 of 29) from the field in the second half, the Bulldogs rallied past the Razorbacks 72-57 in a Southeastern Conference game at the Humphrey Coliseum.
MSU improved to 18-0 overall and 3-0 in league play. The Bulldogs are 3-0 in conference play for the first time in program history. MSU won for the fourth time this season when trailing at halftime, with three of those wins coming by double figures.
“It was heck of a basketball game,” MSU head coach Vic Schaefer said. “The score was not indicative of how close that game was. We were down 54-51 and they scored three points the rest of the way. I have no explanation for allowing 60.9 percent shooting in the first half and allowing 13.8 percent shooting in the second half other than we had a different commitment, different passion coming out of the locker room.”
Arkansas (10-5 overall, 0-3 SEC) started strong and held the better of the activity throughout the first half. The hot shooting sent the Razorbacks out to a 15-7 advantage. The Bulldogs were back within three on a Savannah Carter 3-point basket and back within one after Carter split a pair of free throws.
MSU shot 41.4 percent from the field in the opening half but could not pull even until two free throws by Kendra Grant tied the game 37-37 with four seconds left before halftime. A three-quarters court shot by Calli Berna, however, ended the half and gave Arkansas a 40-37 lead.
“We had to refocus at the half,” Schaefer said. “The players decided it was time to regroup and do a better job on the defensive end. There is no question for anyone who watched the game the best defensive player on the floor for either team was Dominique Dillingham.
“Dominique had five steals and seven rebounds and made a big shot. Morgan William energizes the whole building. It is great that she gets to learn from (Jerica James). When she comes in, she knows what needs to be altered or fixed, or what needs to stay the same. Victoria Vivians decided she had enough at halftime. She wasn't at her best offensively or defensively in the first half but she took over in the second half.”
Arkansas extended the lead to six at 49-43 with 16:03 left, but MSU's defense stiffened and held the Razorbacks to two field goals the rest of the half.
Vivians kept MSU within striking distance to open the second half, scoring the Bulldogs' first nine points of the stanza. The Carthage, Miss., native tallied 15 of her SEC-best 21 points over the final 20 minutes.
A 3-pointer by William gave the Bulldogs a 52-51 lead with 11:27 left. Minutes later, two free throws by Vivians gave the Bulldogs the lead for good at 56-55 with 6:20 left.
“It was a great basketball game,” Schaefer said. “They had us on our heels the first 25, 30 minutes of the game. We were prepared for this. Glad they are out of our way. Arkansas was very focused and very smart.
“It was Thursday night at 8 o'clock with freezing temperatures outside and we had another great crowd. Our crowd really helped us when we needed a lift. We are thankful for everybody coming out. It is a testament to the way these girls play. Our fans come out for that reason. I am awfully proud to be their coach.”
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 22 of 54 shots from the field (40.7 percent), 6 of 18 shots from 3-point range (33.3 percent) and 22 of 29 shots from the foul line (75.9 percent). The Razorbacks hit 18 of 52 shots from the field (34.6 percent), 3 of 12 shots from 3-point range (25.0 percent) and 18 of 21 shots from the foul line (85.7 percent).
MSU held a 41-34 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 12 assists and 12 turnovers, while the Razorbacks had six assists and 16 turnovers.
Vivians' 21 points led the way, while William and Breanna Richardson each added 11 points. Richardson also had a team-high eight rebounds. William had four assists. For Vivians, it was her sixth game overall and first in conference play of 20 or more points.
Dillingham ended the night with five steals, one off her career high set against Western Kentucky in the Preseason WNIT championship game.
Arkansas received 16 points from Kelsey Brooks, 12 points from Berna and 10 points from Melissa Wolff.
MSU returns to the road for a Sunday contest at Vanderbilt. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. online and via the WatchESPN app on SEC Network +.
