STARKVILLE — Don’t try to tell Morgan William not to do something.
It also has become quite apparent after two games that you better bring plenty of help if you’re going to attempt to stop the freshman.
William showcased all of the facets of her game Sunday night, pouring in a game-high 29 points and a team-high six assists to lead the Mississippi State women’s basketball team to a 93-83 victory against Arkansas State before a crowd of 2,011 in the second round of the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament at Humphrey Coliseum.
“The kid has no fear,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “She has an unbelievable first step, and the second one behind it is pretty quick.”
Sophomore Breanna Richardson added 18 points as MSU (2-0) had five players score in double figures. The victory sets up game against the winner of tonight’s Seton Hall-West Virginia matchup on Thursday at time and site to be determined. After MSU’s game Sunday, MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin said the school has submitted a bid to play host to the next round and that it will find out tonight where the game will be played.
The location likely matters little to William, a 5-foot-5 point guard from Birmingham, Alabama, who improved on her 19-point showing in the season opener against Mercer with a versatile effort. William was 6 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range, and 13 of 16 from the free-throw line. She used her quickness to challenge the Red Wolves (1-1) on the press, in transition, and in half-court sets. She also had two steals and two rebounds in a team-high 31 minutes.
The 29 points were the fifth-most by a MSU freshman, and the most since Tysheka Grimes had 28 in 2007.
“Coach always says, ‘The ball doesn’t know how old you are,’ so I just go out and play,” William said. “If somebody stops me, which they rarely do, I just know I have to go and drive because coach always says nobody can stop me, so I try to drive and get the foul, or drive and dish it.”
Arkansas State coach Brian Boyer said news of William’s performances in an exhibition victory against Arkansas-Fort Smith and the win against Mercer made it difficult for his team to gauge her speed or the impact she was going to have on the game. William capitalized by using her ballhandling ability and speed to get into the lane and create shots for herself or for her teammates. She also kept the offense going in half-court sets with a knack for turning the corner with pace and switching from second to fifth gear in a step.
“Morgan William was really good,” Boyer said. “She created a lot and almost single-handedly changed the whole game.
“The comment on the radio was, ‘Trust me. She is really good.’ We probably just made her job a little tougher because people are going to see how good she really is, or she made her job tougher moving forward. We knew she was quick, but we didn’t expect her to take over the game like she did.”
Arkansas State, the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference, tried to offset William with a strong effort by junior guard Aundrea Gamble, who had a team-high 28 points. The Sun Belt Conference’s preseason Player of the Year was 11 of 19 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. She also used her height (5-9) to get into the lane and create shots against player-to-player defense. Unfortunately, Gamble had 10 turnovers to go with seven assists in a team-high 39 minutes. MSU forced 22 turnovers and had 12 steals that led to a 37-24 edge in points off turnovers.
Khadi Brown-Haywood (15 points), Hanna Qedan (14), and Amanda Lawson (12) also scored in double figures for the Red Wolves, who twice trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half. Arkansas State battled back and had three chances to cut the lead to four or five points but committed turnovers on each possession.
William made Arkansas State pay in one of those instances by draining a 3-pointer from the corner to kick the lead to 72-62 with 8 minutes, 45 seconds remaining. She followed that up by taking a charge on Gamble for a turnover and then hitting 1 of 2 free throws to make it an 11-point game. On that play, she showcased her ability to change gears by turning the corner against an extended player-to-player, 2-3 zone look and attacking the basket in one or two dribbles.
“I don’t really care how many points I score. I just want the ‘W’ at the end of the game,” William said. “I just go out there and do what coach says so I can stay on the floor.”
The only quibble Schaefer had with William was her decision to shoot the 3-pointer after he told her to “pull it.” For a lightning-quick point guard like William, “pull it” can mean a lot of things. In this case, she thought it meant shoot the ball, which she did and turned a possible “Oh-no moment” into a “good shot.”
“That’s the confidence that kid has got,” Schaefer said. “I am all for it. It is a great shot because it went in.”
Said William, “I pulled it. If I would have missed, he probably would have said, ‘Morgan, I told you pull it out,’ but he didn’t, so I am glad I made the shot.
“Coach told me if I have an open shot I have to make shots.”
Richardson also did her part to assert her will. The 6-1 forward, who started 31 of 36 games last season, came off the bench for the second game in a row and did most of her damage from the small forward, or three, position. Moved there to help give MSU a bigger lineup, Richardson attacked from the wing and had the best shooting night of her career (7 of 11 from the field) in a game when she attempts 10 or more shots.
“Bre played like I need Bre to play every night,” Schaefer said. “If we are going to have a chance to get into the top seven in our league, Breanna Richardson is going to have to play like she played tonight.”
Schaefer said Richardson had two plays of the game in the final five minutes. The first was an offensive rebound putback off her missed baseline drive. The second epitomized the evening, as William drove the lane to attract the defense and kicked the ball to Richardson, who drained a trey from the left wing.
Richardson said playing on the wing gives her an opportunity to be aggressive in a different way than she was last season when she spent most of her time on the low blocks.
“On dribble drives, when Mo(rgan) is coming and she dishes to me, I have a full head of steam, so I can kind of go anywhere I want,” Richardson said. “I think I did (attack the rim). Coach started calling a lot of plays for isolation, and his confidence in me gave me more confidence.”
Dominique Dillingham had 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot, and a steal in 29 minutes, while Victoria Vivians had 12 points before fouling out after 21 minutes and Chinwe Okorie had 10 points and six rebounds. Richardson paced MSU with nine rebounds and four steals.
MSU had a 57-18 edge in points off the bench that helped it overcome Arkansas State’s 52-34 advantage in points in the paint. The absence of senior center Martha Alwal contributed to that difference. MSU also played without senior guard Kendra Grant, but it welcomed Savannah Carter back to action. The senior guard had four turnovers in five minutes.
“I don’t think anybody understands the youth of this team and what we’re doing with that youth, what these kids are doing,” Schaefer said. “They are not scared. They are enjoying the moment, and I want them to enjoy the moment.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.