MSU bench continues successful trend for women

There’s a case to be made for the Mississippi State women's basketball team that reaching the heights of 2017 has much to do with its bench.

The Bulldogs came into the NCAA Tournament with an almost entirely new starting five. Those players had become interchangeable with the starting lineup, including Teaira McCowan, which would earn the Southeastern Conference’s Sixth Woman of the Year award for her efforts.

Coach Vic Schaefer doesn’t quite have the luxury of depth as he did on last year’s team, but the bench has helped in key spots this season to get No. 3 MSU back out to a 19-0 start and 5-0 record in conference play for a second-straight year.

It’s helped that production has gone up from starters like Victoria Vivians, who is averaging a career-high 19.3 points on 54 percent shooting. However, she witnessed last year just how important those pieces are coming off the bench.

“It’s very helpful for our team," Vivians said of the bench. "We had it last year and we have it this year. The starters can take a break and (bench players) can come in and make the game better. Having a bench is pretty good for us.”

There were 10 players on last year’s team that averaged more than 10 minutes per game. The Bulldogs have nine this year and they’re continuing to rise as the season progresses. It’s especially true for former Arkansas transfer Jordan Danberry, who became eligible last month and is becoming a critical member of the group.

Danberry is up to 10.5 minutes a game. She averages 2.4 points, but her defensive energy is beginning to make an impact. It certainly did on Sunday afternoon against Alabama when the Bulldogs needed her the most.
“I knew (coach Schaefer) wanted us to pressure the ball and get in the passing lane,” Danberry said. “I just tried my best to do what he asked and bring the energy. Playing with Jazz, she brought the energy as well.”

Danberry entered with MSU trailing by six. She and Jazzmun Holmes took that six-point deficit and turned it into a double-digit lead that the Bulldogs wouldn’t lose. While they combined for just four points, three assists and four steals, there was no doubt they turned things for the better.

“Jazz and Jordan came in that second quarter and really made a difference,” Schaefer said. “Jordan has worked really hard to be in that moment and I thought she was really special (Sunday). I thought she impacted the game when we were really struggling.”

The two points and 12 minutes are both things that Schaefer believes will increase over time. He’s mentioned Danberry’s ability to score the basketball but wants to see her finishing her shots more. On Sunday, he compared her impact on the offensive end to how Dominique Dillingham found her spot on the floor and hit shots.

If she’s able to start doing that, MSU’s production will go even higher on the offensive end.

Another player that is making her minutes count is freshman forward Chloe Bibby. With the loss of Ameshya Williams at the four-spot earlier in the year, Schaefer has relied heavily on Bibby off the bench to spell Vivians.
So far, Bibby has been one of the most productive bench players for the Bulldogs with 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds a game as a first-year player.

“My concern with her is the turnover piece," Schaefer said of Bibby. "We just need to get her comfortable with passing the ball, but her skills offensively are off the chart. She’s really good. As a freshman, she’s playing as much or more as most freshmen in our league. We need her. I need her.”

It’s no secret that State’s bench is thinner than it was a season ago, but this a new team with a much different identity as Schaefer has put things together that works.

Teaira McCowan was one of those players coming off the bench last season and has seen her numbers skyrocket as a starter. She’s averaging 20.9 points and 12.9 rebounds a game with an SEC-leading 14 double-doubles for the year.

McCowan knows as much as anyone just how much energy a player on the bench gives the starters. She’s feeling it from this group now.

“They’re always giving us energy in practice," McCowan said. "When they come into the game, we know that we’re about to take it to another level. Playing behind (Holmes and Danberry) makes us play harder and do the little things.”