KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Roshunda Johnson was in attack mode for 37 minutes Sunday.
It didn’t matter who tried to guard Johnson because the Mississippi State redshirt senior guard was focused on being aggressive and getting to the rim.
That doesn’t mean Johnson passed up 3-pointers when they were there.
But Johnson scored half of her 16 points on drives as part of a balanced scoring effort that lifted the No. 3 MSU women’s basketball team to a 71-52 victory against No. 6 Tennessee in a Southeastern Conference game before a crowd of 13,436 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Johnson’s afternoon was best summed up on two plays that showed how much of a handful she was to contain. In the second quarter, Johnson, who is left handed, drove to her left and used her body to absorb contact and to shield the ball from the defender. The body blow she took didn’t affect her as she finished at the rim.
In the third quarter, Johnson attacked the middle of the lane and was able to control her body and finish with her right hand. The baskets were part of a 7-for-13 shooting effort that included a 2-for-3 performance from 3-point range.
“It was just like any other day,” Johnson said when asked about her mind-set. “I know if I am not shooting a three I have to attack the basket because they might be playing me for a three. Knowing that if I drive it, somebody is getting another opportunity if somebody helps off and I can easily give it to somebody else. Being in attack mode the whole game is what we worked on all week and every day.”
Johnson’s ability to take the ball to the rim with either hand isn’t anything new to classmate Blair Schaefer, who said she and the Bulldogs see that from Johnson every day in practice.
“Awesome,” Schaefer said. “She is so athletic and she is so quick, that’s all we talked about getting ready for them was the fact they couldn’t handle our penetration if we would be patient and if we would drive.
“She is such a good ballhandler. She has that hesitation move that is so hard to guard. That was awesome to see her be able to attack and no one be able to stop her.”
Johnson’s ability to create with either hand and to hit from 3-point range helped her go 7-for-13 from the field. She also had three rebounds and three steals in a season-high 37 minutes. Earlier this week, Johnson was wearing a protective boot as a precautionary measure, but she didn’t show any ill effects from wearing it against the Lady Vols.
Johnson’s versatility wasn’t lost on Mike Thibault, the coach of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, who was at the game. Thibault, whose daughter, Carly, is an assistant coach at MSU, is very familiar with Johnson, but he said her performance against Tennessee revealed the number of ways she can beat defenders. She said the combination of Johnson, Schaefer, and point guard Morgan William gives MSU something very few teams have.
“They have experience. They have leadership. They have shot-making and ballhandling ability. People can’t match up with them,” Thibault said. “She is a huge part of that.”
Thibault didn’t want to comment about Johnson’s draft prospects for the WNBA, but he is confident Johnson will have a chance to play professionally if she can stay healthy.
“The injury thing is going to be a question mark at the end of this year, but I think whether it is our league or playing overseas, she can make money playing pro basketball,” Thibault said. “She is skilled enough. She is smart enough. She has been coached so much defensively that there is going to be a lot of people looking at a kid like her.”
Praise for the defense
It warms Vic Schaefer’s heart when he can praise his team’s defense.
The veteran coach, whose nickname is “Secretary of Defense,” has every right to offer some high grades for his team’s defensive effort against Tennessee.
“I was so proud of our ability to be in help tonight,” Schaefer said. “I thought we took some really good charges. We missed on a couple of others, but tonight is a step. I hope like heck we are really making progress and we are really going to carry this on to the last 10 because we have some monsters in front of us. Today was really special defensively.”
This and that
Tennessee redshirt center Mercedes Russell was 6-for-6 from the field and had 12 points at halftime. She finished with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting. … Tennessee attempted more free throws (19-10) than MSU to snap a streak of 14-straight games in which the Bulldogs had the edge in that category. MSU has had fewer free throw attempts only three times (Virginia, Columbia) this season. … MSU held Tennessee to 0-for-8 shooting from 3-point range. It marked the second time this season MSU hasn’t allowed a 3-pointer in a game (Mississippi Valley State).
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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