STARKVILLE — The look in Diamber Johnson’s eyes said it all.
Trailing by 15 points in an otherwise lackluster first-half performance by her team, the Mississippi State University senior point guard had seen enough. MSU had just turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions and looked like it was going to fall deeper into a hole.
That trajectory changed with one jump shot.
Johnson’s basket with 1 minute, 56 seconds remaining in the first half signaled the beginning of a comeback that had its twists and turns — and plenty of big shots. Johnson had most of them in a 27-point performance that helped spark MSU to a 62-57 victory against Auburn before a crowd of 1,088 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Johnson had 17 of her game-high total in the second half as MSU (13-6, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to take the lead and then overcame two five-point deficits in the final eight minutes to earn one of its biggest victories of the season.
“Coach Q (Franqua Bedell) and coach (Wanika) Owsley told me and looked at me and said, ‘This is your time. This is your chance right here. We’re not going to lose this game. Put us on you back and carry us,’ so that’s what I did,” Johnson said. “I still always try to get my teammates involved, but it came to a point I knew I could always get them the ball, but it is going to come off what you initiate. I just (realized) I am going to score or I am going to pass it, so I just switched my whole mind-set to get my team back in there.”
Two games ago, MSU coach Sharon Fanning-Otis thought Johnson could have been more aggressive on offense in a 68-51 loss at home to the University of Georgia. Johnson said she was trying to walk a fine line of not shooting too much and getting her teammates the ball in positions to score.
On Sunday, she crossed that line and dared anyone to try to stop her.
“That is something they have been harping on me throughout every game, taking over big games and not being scared of success,” Johnson said. “Shots are going to fall and shots aren’t. They just told me to take on that role and my team will follow, and that’s what I did tonight.”
Trailing 55-51 with 4:28 to play, Johnson scored on a drive and hit a jump shot to tie it at 55. She added another jumper at the 2:56 mark to give MSU the lead for good. Two free throws with 1:44 to play kicked MSU’s lead to 60-57 and set the stage for Johnson’s final gem, a baseball pass from deep in the backcourt to freshman center/forward Martha Alwal, who converted a leaner with 37.5 seconds to play that accounted for the final margin.
“I thought in the first half she kind of contained herself,” Auburn coach Nell Fortner said of Johnson. “That kid can get a shot whenever she wants one, and then she decided she wanted some shots in the second half, and we gave her a lot of open looks.”
The baseball pass wasn’t drawn up that way. Johnson initially went backward and lost control of the basketball. The move apparently triggered Auburn’s trapping defense to step up, which left Alwal alone for Johnson to deliver a strike.
“Diamber did a good job of leading the team,” Fanning-Otis said. “I saw the same look (in Diamber’s eyes) in the Ole Miss game.”
Johnson, who had a game-high 21 points Thursday in a victory at the University of Mississippi, was 10 of 17 from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Her shooting effort marked the first time this season she has shot 50 percent or better in consecutive games.
Freshman guard Kendra Grant also had a career-high 15 points, and Alwal had nine points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots to help MSU rally from its biggest deficit (15 points) in conference play since it came back from an 18-point hole to beat South Carolina 49-39 on March 5, 2009, in the SEC tournament. MSU rallied from a 16-point deficit earlier this season to beat Nevada 67-63 on Dec. 30, 2011, in the consolation game of the Reno-Tahoe Classic.
In the first half, Auburn used its size and length at the top of the key to try to contain Johnson and to limit her looks off high screens. Johnson picked her spots and was 4 of 5 from the field (2 of 2 on 3-pointers), but MSU couldn’t find its rhythm. The Lady Bulldogs committed 12 turnovers and allowed 15 offensive rebounds in a lifeless effort before Johnson provided a jolt. Not only did she hit that jump shot at the 1:56 mark, but she also split two defenders to hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to cut Auburn’s lead to 28-20.
From there, Johnson knew she had to take center stage. Prompted to take a more assertive role by assistant coaches Bedell and Owsley, Johnson responded and played with the urgency of a senior intent on helping her team get back to the NCAA tournament. MSU went 13-17 last season and missed the postseason one year after advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for first time in program history.
“She is just good,” Fortner said. “She can go to the hole and she can shoot the three. She is very dangerous offensively.”
The victory also helped MSU match its total for wins from last season and climb to sixth place in the SEC standings. The coaches and media picked the Lady Bulldogs 11th in the preseason polls.
Blanche Alverson led Auburn (10-10, 2-5) with 16 points, while Camille Glymph had 12 points. Chantel Hilliard tied a career high with 11 rebounds, but she played only 20 minutes after taking a blow that bloodied her face and forced her from the lineup. Jassany Williams also had 10 rebounds. The Tigers held a 45-32 rebounding edge, which included 24 offensive rebounds, but they committed 22 turnovers that helped the Lady Bulldogs earn a 22-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
“We lost our focus,” Fortner said. “We lost our focus and didn’t take care of the basketball. It was disappointing because I thought we had our chances.”
On the other hand, Fanning-Otis credited her players, especially Johnson, for taking another step in what she hopes is a “growth process” that is moving the program forward.
“Things may not be going well early, but it depends on how hard you keep playing,” Fanning-Otis said. “You do have to shake off things that aren’t going your way. As Diamber gets more mentally tough in those areas and stronger staying focused and playing the game, she is just going to become a better leader. She definitely had that look down the stretch.”
MSU will try to win its third SEC game in a row at 7 p.m. Thursday when it plays host to the University of Arkansas.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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