COLUMBIA, S.C. — The blocked shot could have been a silencer.
Unfazed she was giving up four inches to South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson, Breanna Richardson made an aggressive move to the basket only to see the 6-foot-5 Wilson block her shot.
Instead of letting the play affect her game, Richardson stayed on the offensive in the second quarter and delivered some of her best play as a Bulldog. Richardson scored six of her 12 points and added an assist and had a steal in the period to help the No. 4 Mississippi State women’s basketball team open a seven-point halftime lead.
Unfortunately, No. 5 South Carolina rallied in the second half and hung on for a 64-61 victory before a crowd of 13,120 at Colonial Life Arena.
The loss didn’t take away from Richardson’s contributions in 29 minutes. The senior forward from Conyers, Georgia, was part of a frontcourt effort that helped MSU (20-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) grab 19 offensive rebounds, which matched the most South Carolina (17-1, 7-0) has allowed this season. MSU also joined Texas and Georgia as the only teams to outrebound South Carolina (34-33) this season.
“I knew coming in A’ja Wilson had a couple of inches on me,” Richardson said. “I just knew I had to knock down open shots and (take advantage) when I had my opportunity. She got me a couple of times, but I just tried to keep attacking and be aggressive.”
Richardson responded after the blocked shot by feeding Morgan William for a jump shot off the half-court weave. She then took the ball hard to the basket and absorbed contact from Wilson to convert the layup. She wasn’t able to complete the three-point play.
Richardson then hit a jump shot off a pass from Dominique Dillingham and then fed Dillingham for a 3-pointer. She capped her scoring in the quarter by confidently jab stepping her defender and then regrouping without hesitation to hit a jump shot.
Richardson added a strong offensive rebound putback in the third quarter and a jumper with 1 minute, 25 seconds remaining in the game to cut South Carolina’s lead to 60-59. She finished with seven rebounds (four offensive), two assists, four turnovers, and one steal.
“She was tremendous,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “She was a competitor. She was tough. I thought her competitive spirit and her toughness was really, really special.”
Bulldogs go to the boards
Schaefer is fond of saying he wants his teams to throw the first punch.
The Bulldogs heeded Schaefer’s call by throwing the first, second, third, and fourth — all on the first possession.
MSU had four offensive rebounds on the opening possession, including two by Chinwe Okorie, before Okorie converted the second for the first score of the game at the 8:47 mark. In all, MSU had nine offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes. That total matched the output the Bulldogs had in two games earlier this season.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” Schaefer said. “We had 19 offensive boards and held them to nine. The two biggest teams in the league — them and Tennessee — we have really gone in there and competed hard. I thought we did it from the tip.”
NCAA reveals top 16 seeds
MSU earned a No. 1 seed Monday night when the NCAA revealed its projections for the top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament. The top 16 seeds earn the chance to play host to the first and second rounds.
Connecticut, Baylor, and South Carolina are the other No. 1 seeds. Florida State, Washington, Notre Dame, and Oregon State are the No. 2 seeds.
Last season, MSU earned a No. 5 seed but wound up playing at Humphrey Coliseum after Michigan State, the No. 4 seed in that bracket, couldn’t serve as a host school due to a scheduling conflict with its home arena. MSU beat Chattanooga and Michigan State in the first two rounds to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history. MSU lost to eventual national champion Connecticut.
Prior to the MSU-South Carolina game, ESPN.com’s Charlie Creme, who compiles “Bracketology,” his best guess of the teams that will be named to the NCAA tournament, listed South Carolina as the third No. 1 seed and MSU as the fourth No. 1 seed. Creme wrote, “The Bulldogs’ rise since Vic Schaefer took over has been steady and sure. Now they are the only undefeated club other than UConn heading into Monday’s showdown with South Carolina. The schedule for the next two weeks remains challenging — Texas A&M, at Auburn, Missouri — so holding on to this spot isn’t solely determined by what happens in Columbia on Big Monday.
MSU entered the game No. 4 in the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The NCAA tournament selection committee uses the RPI to determine the at-large teams that receive bids to the 64-team field. RPI also is used as a way for the NCAA to compare the strength of teams.
Key contributions off the bench
MSU has relied on its depth all season.
Monday was no different as the Bulldogs outscored the Gamecocks 20-3 off the bench. The total included eight points from junior guard Roshunda Johnson, 10 points from sophomore center Teaira McCowan (on 5-for-5 shooting), and two points by redshirt freshman Zion Campbell.
Campbell had only played five minutes and scored two points in three SEC games this season. She was pressed into service after McCowan and Okorie fouled out in the fourth quarter. The 6-3 center responded, though, as did Johnson, by taking a pass from William and scoring on the block to cut South Carolina’s lead to 58-57 with 1:52 to go. It was her only shot attempt in four minutes.
“You talk about green, and to be in that environment, she did fine,” Schaefer said. “I was proud of her.”
Schaefer was equally proud of Johnson, who is on her way back to 100 percent after working through an ankle injury. The Oklahoma State transfer showed her dual-threat ability by going strong to her left hand and converting a three-point play in the third quarter. She added a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 51.
“I thought Ro did some good things coming off the bench for us and gave us a blow,” Schaefer said.
This and that
Okorie fouled out for the third time this season. She played only 15 minutes. She still managed 10 rebounds (seven offensive) and had four points. It is the third time Okorie has played 15 minutes or less in a SEC game. McCowan fouled out for the second time. … The crowd of 13,120 was South Carolina’s second-largest of the season. The Gamecocks entered the game as the leader in average attendance (12,076). South Carolina is the only team averaging more than 10,000 for its home games. … The Gamecocks, who are 10-0 at home this season, improved to 110-26 at home under coach Dawn Staley. The win also was Gamecocks’ ninth in a row in the series. The three-point final margin was the closest in that span. … MSU extended its streak of holding opponents below 65 points to nine-straight games. The Bulldogs slipped to 92-22 under Schaefer when they do that. … South Carolina allowed more than 60 points to MSU for only the second time in 12 meetings with Staley as its coach. The Gamecocks are 9-3 in that stretch.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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