OKLAHOMA CITY — Take out the first 3 minutes, 38 seconds.
If you do that, Vic Schaefer might want to keep a copy of the game film from the second-seeded Mississippi State women’s basketball team’s 75-64 victory against third-seeded Washington in the Sweet 16 of the Oklahoma City Regional on Friday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Schaefer, whose nickname is the “Secretary of Defense,” also might quibble about parts of the third quarter, but the fifth-year MSU head coach was pleased for the most part with a defensive effort that limited Washington (29-6) to 38.7-percent shooting (24-for-62). It was the fifth time this season the Huskies have shot less than 40 percent from the field. They entered the game eighth in the nation in field goal percentage (47.3 percent).
“I couldn’t be prouder of our kids for their energy, their effort,” Schaefer said. “We talk about being connected, having chemistry on that end. That’s the piece that doesn’t come early in a season. Your defensive cohesiveness and your chemistry, it’s not the first thing. It’s the last thing.
“This group is really doing a good job right now. Again, I’m so proud of them.”
Senior guard Kelsey Plum, who entered the game as the nation’s leading scorer (31.8 points per game) had 29 points, but she was 10-for-25 from the field, including 3-for-8 from 3-point range. Aside from Chantel Osahor, who had 17 points, the other eight Huskies who took the court were 7-for-21 from the field.
Senior guard Dominique Dillingham spent most of the evening guarding Plum, even though she didn’t start. Dillingham, who had two fouls in 27 minutes, and the Bulldogs did their best to fight through screens and to get up close to shooters to contest shots.
Against Plum, MSU went under screens and relied on its other defender — most often it was Teaira McCowan or Chinwe Okorie because Osahor set the majority of the high screens — to hedge, or to show, on the screen to try to prevent Plum from turning the corner and going to the basket.
MSU also did a good job trying to force Plum to her right. The left-hander tried to combat that defense by using between-the-legs dribbles and going back to her left hand.
“Dom came in and was Dominique,” Schaefer said. “She’s one of the best in the country. It’s a reason why she’s been on the all-defensive team in the Southeastern Conference two straight years. (She) did a tremendous job on Plum.”
MSU junior guard Victoria Vivians also saw time guarding Plum, but Dillingham saw the bulk of the minutes. The 5-foot-9 senior from Spring, Texas, who had an inch height advantage on Plum, tried her best to stay in front of Plum and deny her the basketball.
“Plum is just an amazing player,” Dillingham said. “It was a great battle all night. My teammates helped me out a lot. We were able to switch and to do a lot of things, which helped me. My team just did a really good job sealing up the line. We had umbrella defense. Everybody was there. It was just a team effort.”
Dillingham came off the bench at the 4-minute, 53-second mark in the first quarter. Her best work on Plum came in the second and fourth quarters, when the Bulldogs held the Huskies to 3-for-11 (27.3-percent) and 5-for-17 (29.4) shooting from the field.
In the second quarter, Dillingham recovered quickly after Plum used a behind-the-back dribble to create space and was up close to contest a 3-pointer that missed. Plum shot an air ball from 3-point range on the next trip with Dillingham right on her.
“They’re a very good defensive team,” said Plum, who finished her career as the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader (3,527 points) and its single-season scoring leader (1,109). “I thought Dillingham did a great job on me. She just stayed down and just contested late on shots. She blocked a couple of ’em, tipped a couple of ’em. Just made it difficult for me.
“Credit to her for playing a great game. It was just congested in the paint. They’re very big, very athletic. (It was) difficult to get my shot off.”
It wouldn’t have been a complete effort if a Bulldog didn’t take a charge, which Dillingham did when she stepped in front of Aarion McDonald in the second quarter.
Plum found traction in the third quarter. Thanks in part to MSU going 5-for-17 from the field in the quarter, Plum had more space to move and had 10 points.
But the Bulldogs clamped down in the fourth quarter. Dillingham set the tone at the start of the period by blocking a shot by Plum. The Huskies then were called for three seconds in the lane. Dillingham and McCowan punctuated the effort on Plum later in the quarter. Dillingham fought through a handoff attempt to Plum and stole a pass on the right wing. McCowan added one of her six blocked shots when she rejected Plum with 2:24 remaining.
Dillingham said things changed in the second quarter when the Bulldogs decided they were going to lock down on defense. That mind-set returned in the fourth quarter to help the Bulldogs continue their history-making season.
“I think it was all about playing together,” Dillingham said. “It’s not about one person locking down one person. It’s about the team locking them down. I think when we decided we were going to guard together, not let them have any easy looks, I think that’s when it really started to click.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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