OXFORD — The numbers continue to pile up at a dizzying pace for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
On Sunday, Teaira McCowan made sure to add an exclamation point to the
latest additions to the Bulldogs’ best regular season to date.
McCowan made her impact felt in every facet, scoring 17 points, grabbing 18 rebounds, and blocking three shots to propel No. 4 MSU to a 66-44 victory against Ole Miss before a crowd of 4,634 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. The 44 points is the second-lowest total MSU has allowed in the 93-game series.
Dominique Dillingham had 12 points, and Victoria Vivians added 11 to help No. 4 MSU improve to 25-1 and 11-1 in the Southeastern Conference. With the win, MSU equaled the program mark for regular-season SEC wins set in 2014-15 and 2015-16. MSU can break that record at 7 p.m. Thursday when it plays host to Georgia at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I am really proud of my basketball team,” Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. “I am really proud of our energy and effort, especially that second quarter. I thought we really won the hustle points, which we take great pride in. I thought that was a big difference in the game.”
MSU used a 24-4 second quarter to gain separation in a game in which both teams shot less than 37 percent from the field. The teams attempted 43 free throws and committed 46 fouls.
McCowan took center stage in the second 10 minutes by doing a little bit of everything. In addition to scoring nine points, she swatted a drive by Erika Sisk out of bounds.
“It was almost to the sixth row, so I am pretty proud of that one,” said McCowan, who was 7 of 11 from the field and had five offensive rebounds in a career-high 31 minutes. The 11 shot attempts tied for the second most she has had in a game.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore also was pleased with her ability to get into the passing lanes to disrupt Ole Miss’ offense. She followed her blocked shot by deflecting an inbounds pass off Sisk for one of the Rebels’ 21 turnovers. Later in the quarter, she scored on a layup off a pass from Ketara Chapel. She then made a steal and didn’t hesitate to get on the floor to try to corral the loose ball.
“Teaira was really phenomenal all day, but especially in the first half,” Schaefer said. “Her and Ketara really came off the bench and did a nice job in the first half.”
MSU’s ability to get McCowan and senior center Chinwe Okorie was a marked difference from the first meeting against Ole Miss, a 73-62 win on Jan. 16 in Starkville. In that game, Ole Miss (15-10, 4-8) used Taylor Manuel and Shelby Gibson to move McCowan and Okorie off the low block. The Rebels also sloughed off on defense in front of the Bulldogs’ centers to make it even tougher to feed the post.
On Sunday, though, McCowan and Okorie were able to get deep into the lane and hold their position. The Bulldogs also used lob passes to play to the height of McCowan and Okorie, who is 6-5.
Still, McCowan said she had to deal with having her jersey pulled in an attempt to prevent her from getting to her spot on the court. She kept her cool despite the physical play, which also included a flagrant foul by Shandricka Sessom on a push in McCowan’s back.
“I was proud of her T in her moment where she got tangled up and they had their whatever it was down there,” Schaefer said.
Despite notching a career-high rebounding total, McCowan smiled and said she still enjoys blocking she more than rebounding. That comment was similar to the one McCowan made when after she preferred scoring over blocking shots following a career-high 25-point performance in an 82-49 victory against Florida on Jan. 12 in Starkville.
“I still like to block shots just because I can block them and look at them like, ‘Don’t try it again,’ ” said McCowan, who had nine points in the second quarter.
Dillingham, who guarded Sessom and held her to 0-for-8 shooting and three points, said McCowan has worked hard in practice to become a more consistent contributor.
“I think it just starts in practice,” Dillingham said. “She has a good mind-set in practice. She has grown a lot in one year. I think she is taking it on to the floor. She is getting where she wants to be. She is getting people deep in the lane. She is rebounding like crazy. Nobody can stop her from getting the ball. I think her game has grown tremendously and she is getting more and more confident in herself.”
That’s good news for Schaefer, who understands MSU is in a unique position with McCowan and Okorie. South Carolina and Baylor are the nation’s only two teams that have the size to match up against MSU at center, so Schaefer wants the Bulldogs to continue to use that to their advantage. At times Sunday, MSU showed a greater willingness to feed the post. It also delivered more lob passes that enabled McCowan and Okorie to move off contact and to make plays on the ball at the rim.
“I think her and Chinwe allow us to separate ourselves and really be an elite team,” Schaefer said. “When you have two aircraft carriers like we have, and those kids are averaging what they’re averaging and shooting at the percentage they’re shooting at, it really allows us to be special. At the five, we went 10-for-14 with 22 rebounds. That is a pretty good number. If we are going to be the team we strive to be and go where we want to go, we have got to get inside play out of those two.”
Another number Schaefer liked was the 24-4 margin in the second quarter. Ole Miss was 1 of 10 from the field with eight turnovers in that stretch. The Rebels went the final 9:28 of the quarter without a field goal and trailed 41-18 at halftime. It marked the second time this season the Rebels made only one field goal in a quarter. Ole Miss was 1 of 11 in the third quarter of a 69-44 victory against Wisconsin on Nov. 26, 2016, in Las Vegas.
Ole Miss’ second quarter was part of a season-low scoring output and a season-low shooting percentage (16 of 54, 29.6 percent). MSU’s defense helped it earn its seventh-straight victory in the series and its largest margin of victory in Oxford, topping a 21-point victory in 2002.
“I like it a lot more,” said Schaefer, when asked if her preferred 24-4 over a 26-9 scoring margin MSU has had against Texas, Texas A&M, and Alabama. “You know me, I’m all about not letting anybody score, so four points in the Southeastern Conference, you’re guarding people. You’re doing something.”
Schaefer felt McCowan played an integral role in the second quarter. He said the 6-foot-7 sophomore center was there to provide help defense and stop penetration and force the ballhandlers to change course.
“She had a great impact on the game,” Schaefer said.
Ole Miss coach Matt Insell called McCowan “a load” and credited MSU for its ability to feed the post and to get its centers into great scoring position.
“They threw it to the corner of the backboard and there is not a lot we could do,” Insell said. “They stuck her on the block, which was smart by Vic. If I’m him, I would do that for the next however many games they play because there aren’t very many teams that can do anything with that. South Carolina couldn’t do anything with it. They are a play or two away from beating South Carolina at South Carolina and they would be undefeated.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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