Vivians, McCowan, William Earn AP All-America Honors
March 26, 2018 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After punching their ticket to a second-straight Final Four, Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians, Teaira McCowan and Morgan William garnered All-America accolades from the Associated Press on Monday.
Vivians became the first MSU player since LaToya Thomas in 2003 to garner first-team honors from AP. McCowan was tabbed to the third team, while William was an honorable mention for the second-straight year.
Vivians, a three-time All-America selection, was named Co-Most Outstanding Player along with McCowan in Kansas City. The Carthage, Miss., native averaged 19.0 ppg and shot 53.6-percent from the field and 50-percent from 3-point range in the Bulldogs' Sweet 16 win against NC State and Elite Eight victory against UCLA.
She tallied 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting against the Bruins to put her season scoring average at 19.6 ppg. The contest was her 18th 20-point game of the year, and the 36th time in 37 games she has reached double figures.
Vivians has posted the best shooting numbers of her career, knocking down 48.5 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line.
She has scored a career-best 727 points this season, fourth-most in school history behind only Thomas. Her 276 made field goals also rate fourth in program annals. Vivians also passed Tan White for second at State in career scoring with 2,481 points.
Sunday's 24-point performance against a ninth-ranked Bruins squad put her averaging 21.7 ppg against ranked opponents this season, 18.2 ppg for her career.
McCowan had a record-setting two games in Kansas City, averaging 23.5 ppg and 18.0 rpg while shooting 69.2 percent from the floor and 84.6 percent from the line. In Friday's 24-point, 15-rebound effort against the Wolfpack, McCowan made all 11 of her field goal attempts, setting an NCAA Regional round record and tying the NCAA Tournament record.
She tallied 23 points and 21 rebounds against UCLA in the Elite Eight, her fourth 20-point, 20-rebound game of the season. The 21 rebounds were the most ever in an NCAA Regional round.
In addition to averaging 18.1 ppg this season, McCowan has pulled down 13.6 rebounds per game, second-most in the country. She averages 6.0 offensive rebounds per game, tops in the Division I ranks.
McCowan has collected 502 rebounds this year, the second-most in SEC history, but the most by a league player since NCAA records began with the 1981-82 season.
The Brenham, Texas, native corralled her school-record 26th and 27th double-doubles of the year in Kansas City, putting her second at MSU for her career with 37.
In her All-American season, McCowan has scored double figures 30 times, including 14 20-point outings, five 30-point efforts and a 41-point showing. She has also collected 10-plus rebounds in 33 of the Bulldogs' 37 games.
William has averaged 8.2 ppg and shot 40.8 percent from the field and a school-record 86.4 percent from the line this season, but she has been outstanding at setting up her teammates for success, dishing an SEC third-most 4.6 assists per game while tallying a 4.1 assist/turnover ratio that is second in the nation.
The Birmingham, Ala., native has once again turned up the offense in March, averaging 15.0 points and shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 60 percent from the arc and a perfect 11-for-11 at the stripe in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight victories. She has collected double-figure points in five of her last six games.
Through four NCAA Tournament games, William has scored at a 14.0 clip and made 89.5 percent from the charity stripe while dishing 17 assists against just five turnovers.
William is on pace to set the school's season free-throw percentage record for the third time in her four seasons, and she pulled into second in program history in career free throws made (526) while topping State in career free-throw percentage (84.7 percent).
In addition to a second-straight Final Four, the trio has helped guide the Bulldogs to a school-record 36-1 record and the program's first SEC regular-season championship.
Vic Schaefer's squad went 30-0 in the regular season, the first SEC team to do so in 20 years, and reeled off the second-best win streak in league history with 32-straight victories.
Mississippi State takes on fellow No. 1 seed Louisville in Friday's national semifinal from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Vivians became the first MSU player since LaToya Thomas in 2003 to garner first-team honors from AP. McCowan was tabbed to the third team, while William was an honorable mention for the second-straight year.
Vivians, a three-time All-America selection, was named Co-Most Outstanding Player along with McCowan in Kansas City. The Carthage, Miss., native averaged 19.0 ppg and shot 53.6-percent from the field and 50-percent from 3-point range in the Bulldogs' Sweet 16 win against NC State and Elite Eight victory against UCLA.
She tallied 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting against the Bruins to put her season scoring average at 19.6 ppg. The contest was her 18th 20-point game of the year, and the 36th time in 37 games she has reached double figures.
Vivians has posted the best shooting numbers of her career, knocking down 48.5 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line.
She has scored a career-best 727 points this season, fourth-most in school history behind only Thomas. Her 276 made field goals also rate fourth in program annals. Vivians also passed Tan White for second at State in career scoring with 2,481 points.
Sunday's 24-point performance against a ninth-ranked Bruins squad put her averaging 21.7 ppg against ranked opponents this season, 18.2 ppg for her career.
McCowan had a record-setting two games in Kansas City, averaging 23.5 ppg and 18.0 rpg while shooting 69.2 percent from the floor and 84.6 percent from the line. In Friday's 24-point, 15-rebound effort against the Wolfpack, McCowan made all 11 of her field goal attempts, setting an NCAA Regional round record and tying the NCAA Tournament record.
She tallied 23 points and 21 rebounds against UCLA in the Elite Eight, her fourth 20-point, 20-rebound game of the season. The 21 rebounds were the most ever in an NCAA Regional round.
In addition to averaging 18.1 ppg this season, McCowan has pulled down 13.6 rebounds per game, second-most in the country. She averages 6.0 offensive rebounds per game, tops in the Division I ranks.
McCowan has collected 502 rebounds this year, the second-most in SEC history, but the most by a league player since NCAA records began with the 1981-82 season.
The Brenham, Texas, native corralled her school-record 26th and 27th double-doubles of the year in Kansas City, putting her second at MSU for her career with 37.
In her All-American season, McCowan has scored double figures 30 times, including 14 20-point outings, five 30-point efforts and a 41-point showing. She has also collected 10-plus rebounds in 33 of the Bulldogs' 37 games.
William has averaged 8.2 ppg and shot 40.8 percent from the field and a school-record 86.4 percent from the line this season, but she has been outstanding at setting up her teammates for success, dishing an SEC third-most 4.6 assists per game while tallying a 4.1 assist/turnover ratio that is second in the nation.
The Birmingham, Ala., native has once again turned up the offense in March, averaging 15.0 points and shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 60 percent from the arc and a perfect 11-for-11 at the stripe in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight victories. She has collected double-figure points in five of her last six games.
Through four NCAA Tournament games, William has scored at a 14.0 clip and made 89.5 percent from the charity stripe while dishing 17 assists against just five turnovers.
William is on pace to set the school's season free-throw percentage record for the third time in her four seasons, and she pulled into second in program history in career free throws made (526) while topping State in career free-throw percentage (84.7 percent).
In addition to a second-straight Final Four, the trio has helped guide the Bulldogs to a school-record 36-1 record and the program's first SEC regular-season championship.
Vic Schaefer's squad went 30-0 in the regular season, the first SEC team to do so in 20 years, and reeled off the second-best win streak in league history with 32-straight victories.
Mississippi State takes on fellow No. 1 seed Louisville in Friday's national semifinal from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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