STARKVILLE — Following an All-America senior season, Mississippi State’s Victoria Vivians has been invited to attend the WNBA draft in New York City.
The WNBA draft presented will be at 6 p.m. April 12 (ESPN2). The final two rounds will be at 7 p.m. (ESPNU). The draft also will stream live on the ESPN app.
Vivians looks to become the fourth MSU player drafted in the opening round and the first since Chanel Mokango was selected ninth overall in 2010. Tan White was taken second overall in 2005, two years after LaToya Thomas became the first Mississippian taken with the No. 1 overall pick.
Vivians wrapped one of the best seasons in MSU history, averaging a career-best 19.8 points per game behind a 773-point tally that rates second in MSU history.
The Carthage native posted career-best shooting numbers, knocking down 48.5 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from 3-point range, and 80.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Vivians also hauled in a career-best 6.1 rebounds per game in earning first-team All-Southeastern Conference laurels from the league coaches and The Associated Press. Her contributions were a key piece to MSU securing the first undefeated season by a SEC team since 1998 and the program’s first conference championship.
Vivians, who scored in double figures 38 times and had 20-plus points in 20 games, became the first Bulldog since Thomas in 2003 to be named first-team All-American by The AP. She also was named a WBCA All-American, a second-team honoree by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and a third-team selection by espnW.
In addition, Vivians was named to the inaugural Naismith Starting 5 as a result of winning the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for the country’s top shooting guard.
Vivians earned Kansas City co-Most Outstanding Player and NCAA All-Final Four Team accolades after helping the Bulldogs return to the national championship game for the second-straight year.
Part of the winningest class in Mississippi State history, Vivians was instrumental in taking the Bulldogs to four-straight NCAA tournaments and setting the school record for wins each of her seasons, including a nation’s-best 37-2 record in 2017-18.
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