STARKVILLE — Vic Schaefer loves it when the Mississippi State women’s basketball team throws the first punch.
Whether it’s with an aggressive offense or a stingy defense, Schaefer takes pride in the Bulldogs’ ability to control tempo and to set the tone.
No. 10 MSU used a little bit of both to throw the first and second punches in the second quarter that made the difference in a 79-68 victory against No. 8 Texas before a crowd of 7,74 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“Our depth really showed today,” Schaefer said. “That is a heck of a quarter against a top-10 basketball team.”
MSU (4-0) outscored Texas (1-2) 26-9 in the second quarter thanks in part to solid play off the bench by Roshunda Johnson, Jazzmun Holmes, and Blair Schaefer that translated to a 42-25 halftime advantage.
MSU led 25-18 when Schaefer went to his bench. By the time he substituted again, MSU led by double figures and had built a lead that proved to be insurmountable.
Schaefer said Johnson provides another shooter/scorer on the wing who can balance the floor. He said Holmes, a sophomore point guard, gained confidence from running the team in the offseason when junior point guard Morgan William recovered from offseason surgery on her leg.
Players like Schaefer and McCowan can bolster the Bulldogs’ post play and perimeter shooting, while senior forward Ketara Chapel can contribute in a variety of ways.
MSU’s 18-7 edge in points off the bench proved to be the difference.
“It started with Jazzmun Holmes,” Schaefer said. “I thought she came off the bench at point and was really confident. She got her hands on a couple of balls. … Then I thought Blair and Ro were fabulous. They created spacing on the floor, and Ro made a couple of big shots.”
Schaefer said the experience of the reserves enabled the Bulldogs to go to a matchup defense that held the Longhorns without a field goal.
“We were just denying everything and pressuring the ball,” junior guard Victoria Vivians said. “Pressuring the ball is equal to a turnover.”
Texas coach Karen Aston said MSU fed off the crowd and its energy in the second quarter to build a cushion the Longhorns only managed to cut to nine twice late in the fourth quarter.
“They were tougher than we were,” Aston said. “There were way too many 50-50 balls in that quarter that we lost, way too many turnovers, and way too many offensive rebounds.”
Texas committed 15 of its 24 turnovers in the first half. Brooke McCarty’s drive with 9 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the second quarter was the Longhorns’ only field (1 of 9) in the 10-minute period.
MSU countered with a 10-of-21 effort in the quarter that included aggressive moves to the basket by Dominique Dillingham (10 points) and Vivians (19). Johnson, who entered the game with Holmes and Schaefer at the 6:56 mark, had seven of her nine points in the quarter. Holmes had three steals in less than three minutes. She converted one into a tough layup in which she beat a defender to the ball and took it hard to the rim. She also assisted on a layup by Vivians.
“I thought we were playing really well defensively,” Aston said. “Our detail was pretty good, but it was a stretch where they got a lot of loose balls and a lot of offensive rebounds that sort of deflated our team.”
MSU capitalized on what Aston called Texas’ “disjointed” play in the quarter in an atmosphere Schaefer said was like an NCAA tournament game. The second-biggest crowd in program history — and the fourth crowd of more than 7,000 in the last three seasons — saw a total team effort in which seven of the 10 Bulldogs who played scored.
“We had so many kids step up today,” Schaefer said. “Jazzmun Holmes, Roshunda Johnson, Blair coming off the bench playing some really quality minutes to give (William and Vivians) a blow and to give Dominique a blow. Teaira McCowan goes 3-for-3 (from the field), so I am really proud. I am proud we were able to do this on national TV and in front of the country and show everyone what StarkVegas and women’s basketball is all about.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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