STARKVILLE — Vic Schaefer knows the Mississippi State women’s basketball team has a lot left to do this season.
Although it will be a challenge to close the season on a winning streak to get back to .500, Schaefer wants to see his Bulldogs continue to improve so they can establish a better foundation for the 2013-14 season.
The next step in that progression will come at 7 tonight when MSU (11-14, 3-9 Southeastern Conference) plays host to the University of Alabama (12-13, 2-10) at Humphrey Coliseum.
The game is Residence Life Night, with the first 100 students receiving free HailState Hoops basketballs. It also will be broadcast on WKBB-FM 100.9 and WXWX-FM 96.3. Live video and audio streams for HailStateTV subscribers will be available at www.hailstate.com/hstvlive.
The game has added significance for both teams. With the University of Mississippi serving a self-imposed postseason ban, the bottom two teams of the remaining 13 in the league will play in the play-in game to the SEC tournament at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at Duluth, Ga. MSU is tied with Auburn for 11th place in the league, one game ahead of Alabama and Ole Miss. With games remaining at the University of South Carolina and at home against the University of Georgia, two ranked teams, as well as on the road against Auburn University, Schaefer knows his team faces a tough stretch to close the regular season. MSU’s recent history — it has won the past two meetings and seven of the last eight — against Alabama could work in its favor, but Schaefer knows Alabama is dangerous, even though it is last in the EC in field goal percentage (34.7 percent).
“They’re probably more athletic than we are, they have good personnel on their team, and they have a McDonald’s All-American (Kaneisha Horn),” Schaefer said. “They have been in a lot of close games and can score in bunches. They guard the 3-point line like we do a little bit. But we have to try to take advantage inside with our bigs. Somehow we have to find a way to get Martha Alwal on track. She had to be more of a factor. We are not going to beat anybody with Martha Alwal and Kendra Grant on the bench for any 10 minutes.”
Alwal had zero points and one rebound in 19 minutes Sunday in a 63-41 loss to LSU. Grant fouled out with more than nine minutes to go after scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds. Schaefer said it is crucial for the Bulldogs to get Grant, who was 8 of 12 from the field in a 72-57 victory against Ole Miss on Jan. 27, back in rhythm on offense. The sophomore guard from Richland is shooting 23.3 percent (17 of 73) in the past five games. She still leads the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game.
Alwal was held scoreless for the second time this season. She has a league-leading 13 double-doubles this season, and is coming off a stretch in which she became the first MSU player since Tan White (2005) to record three straight double-doubles. Alwal is second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg.) and leads the team in rebounding (9.6 per game). She is second in the league in rebounding.
Schaefer said his team had a “hangover” from its 65-51 loss to Ole Miss on Feb. 14. He said the team never was really in the ballgame in the second half and really struggled. He anticipates reverting back to a lineup that includes junior Katia May at point guard. MSU went without a traditional point guard against LSU, starting Grant, Darriel Gaynor, and Candace Foster at guard.
“I don’t think we recovered as well from the Ole Miss loss as well as we have recovered from the Tennessee and Kentucky games, when we have bounced back and won,” Schafer said. “There is till a lot in front of this team if it will stay the course, so we have to keep working at it.”
Schaefer doesn’t think his team will allow the sting of two disappointing losses to dictate the rest of the season. He feels they will find ways to get better and to control how much it success they have the rest of the way.
“I think our kids are still excited about our season and what we have left in it and going to the SEC tournament and winning some games there,” Schaefer said. ‘They have proved on any night they can play with a lot of people, so we have to keep getting better.”
Alabama has lost six games in a row. Sophomore Daisha Simmons, who scored 19 points Sunday in a 70-53 loss at Auburn, leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg.). Juniors Shafontaye Myers (11.6 ppg.) and Jasmine Robinson (10.0 ppg.) also score in double figures. Horn, a redshirt sophomore, averages a team-best 5.4 rebounds.
Alabama has games remaining at home against the University of Florida and the University of Missouri. It also has a road game at LSU.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.