Vivians, Dillingham, McCowan Earn SEC Honors
March 01, 2016 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Victoria Vivians claimed First Team All-SEC honors while Dominique Dillingham and Teaira McCowan also earned awards from league coaches on Tuesday.
Vivians became the second Bulldog to earn a first team nod under Vic Schaefer. Dillingham, a junior, was tabbed to the All-Defensive Team while McCowan claimed a place on the All-Freshman Team.
The trio earned the honors after helping Mississippi State finish the regular season 24-6 overall and 11-5 in SEC play. After being picked to finish third and fourth by media and coaches, respectively, in the preseason, the Bulldogs tied for second in the league standings, the best SEC finish in program history.
Vivians, a second team selection last season, ended the regular season second in the SEC in scoring at 16.7 ppg and sixth in league play at 15.4 ppg.
The Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 selection and candidate for the Naismith and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards has been outstanding down the stretch for MSU, averaging 17.3 ppg behind 50 percent shooting the last three games.
In Sunday's win against Alabama, Vivians became just the fifth Bulldog to reach 1,000-career points in two seasons.
Vivians finished the regular season scoring double figures in 26 of the team's 30 games, and she tallied 20-plus points in 10 of those contests.
Vivians, who was named a finalist for the Gillom Trophy on Monday, has also been a standout on the defensive end, pacing the team with 1.9 steals per game the season and 6.7 rebounds per game in league play.
Dillingham's stellar play on the defensive end earned her the first league honor of her career. The Spring, Texas, native, who consistently draws the opponent's top perimeter player, has collected 42 steals on the year, a 1.4 average.
Dillingham has also crashed the boards at a 3.9 rate for the year, but she has pulled down 4.6 rpg in league contests.
Where Dillingham has made her biggest impact is her ability to draw offensive fouls. She took three charges in Sunday's win against Alabama, putting her atop the team lead in the category with 47 on the season.
Dillingham has also provided another scoring option in league play, rating third on the Bulldogs with 9.4 ppg after a 17-point effort in the win against Alabama. She has scored 8.2 ppg for the season after averaging 5.7 ppg as a sophomore.
McCowan has enjoyed a phenomenal rookie campaign in the Maroon and White, averaging 6.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest.
The Brenham, Texas, native finished the regular season the league's top freshman on the boards with 172 rebounds. She claimed 92 offensive rebounds for the season and tied for fifth on the offensive glass in league play with 49, a 3.1 average.
McCowan finished her freshman season fifth in the SEC with 1.4 blocks per game. Her 41 swats placed her eighth in MSU single-season history and second all-time among Bulldog freshmen.
She has recorded a team-best five double-doubles this season and pulled down double-figure rebounds in seven contests.
The trio leads Mississippi State into this week's SEC Tournament in Jacksonville, Florida. The Bulldogs earned a bye into Friday's quarterfinal, where they will face either Ole Miss, Vanderbilt or Georgia at approximately 7:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
2016 SEC Coaches Awards
First Team All-SEC
Jessica Jackson, Arkansas
Shacobia Barbee, Georgia
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Alaina Coates, South Carolina
Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
Courtney Walker, Texas A&M
Second Team All-SEC
Ronni Williams, Florida
Tiaria Griffin, Georgia
Evelyn Akhator, Kentucky
Janee Thompson, Kentucky
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Jordan Frericks, Missouri
Jordan Jones, Texas A&M
Courtney Williams, Texas A&M
All-Freshman
Eleanna Christinaki, Florida
Caliya Robinson, Georgia
Maci Morris, Kentucky
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Cierra Porter, Missouri
Te'a Cooper, Tennessee
Anriel Howard, Texas A&M
All-Defensive
Simone Westbrook, Florida
Shacobia Barbee, Georgia
Dominique Dillingham, Mississippi State
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
Jordan Jones, Texas A&M
Coach of the Year: Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Player of the Year: A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
Freshman of the Year: Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Defensive Player of the Year: A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
6th Woman of the Year: Chelsea Jennings, Texas A&M
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Marjorie Butler, Georgia
