Taking down Chattanooga 60-50 on Friday, the Bulldogs won the first round of the NCAA Tournament in classic Mississippi State fashion under Vic Schaefer. They played stout defense, hit timely shots and frustrated their opponent on both ends.
“This is who we are,” Schaefer said afterward.
At the center of it, scoring over 30 percent of her team’s points, was the sophomore star Victoria Vivians, dropping 19 on the Mocs and helping her team advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a Sunday matchup against Michigan State.
In the final minute of the game, on the last of her many breakaways after long defensive rebounds, a smile cracked open on Vivians’ face as she crossed midcourt.