NEW ORLEANS — Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer received the fast start he wanted in his team’s first road game of the season Saturday afternoon.
No. 25 MSU scored 15 of the first 17 points and cruised to an 85-45 win at New Orleans behind 16 points from freshman Victoria Vivians and five players in double figures.
With the win, MSU improved to 6-0. The Bulldogs have won 12 straight in the series against the Privateers.
“I was proud of how we played in the second half,” Schaefer said. “I thought the press was good. We forced 28 turnovers. We only had 11 of those in the first half, but we really came out and set a tempo.”
Kayla Nevitt had a career-high 15 points. Dominique Dillingham had 10 of her 12 points in the second half, while Jerica James and Morgan William each added 10.
A 3-point play by VIvians helped MSU build an 11-2 lead. A layup by Ketara Chapel capped the game-opening 15-2 run as the Bulldogs held the Privateers to one field goal in the first nine-plus minutes.
The Bulldogs again used defensive pressure to piece together a 12-0 run for a 33-7 lead with 6 minutes, 47 seconds left in the half. That play included some strong play from Martha Alwal, who was playing in her first game this season.
A 3-pointer by Jerica James ran the MSU advantage to 41-21 at halftime.
“Kayla (Nevitt) and Victoria (Vivians) in the second half were really good,” Schaefer said. “Victoria and Dominique (Dillingham) put us on their backs to start the second half. Victoria made some shots early, and on the defensive end, she made some adjustments and that was good. Dominique always works hard on the defensive end and she made some shots.
“Overall, we have to keep working. We had some things exposed today, so we have to go the practice floor and keep working.”
MSU will play host to North Dakota State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Humphrey Coliseum. The contest will be broadcast online and via the WatchESPN app on SEC Network +.
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