The No. 4 Mississippi State Women’s Basketball team dominated Ole Miss on the court tonight 73-62, improving to 19-0 on the season and setting the best start in school history.
On the court, turnovers seemed to make the difference. The Bulldogs forced 22 Rebel turnovers, scoring 22 points off the turnovers.
Head coach Vic Schaefer credited the fans for the Bulldog’s high-intensity game.
“We forced 22 turnovers, 11 in each half,” Schaefer said. “We pretty much just controlled the game in a great environment. What a great basketball environment for these young ladies to participate in. It is not like that most places. What you saw out there, that is the norm at Mississippi State.”
 In the first quarter, the Bulldogs started hot, jumping out to an 18-4 lead that was capped off by a 12-0 run. The two teams traded shots until the Bulldogs led 22-8 at the end of the first quarter.
 Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell said the Bulldog’s 12-0 run in the first quarter really decided the game. He stated he knew his team would struggle to come back against a great team like MSU.
 “First quarter really killed us,” Insell said.  “We got ourselves in a hole, and when you get yourself in a hole against a team that is obviously ranked whatever they are, fourth or fifth in the country, we can’t do that. We dug ourselves a hole and it’s hard to climb out of that hole.”
 The Bulldogs played sloppy in the second quarter, with Ole Miss outscoring them 17-14, but Mississippi State’s stout defense kept the Bulldog lead in double digits. The Bulldogs went into halftime leading 36-25.
 Dominique Dillingham was on fire in the first half, and dropped 13 points and took seven shots. She picked up the team and put them on her back when the Bulldogs were struggling to make shots.
Dillingham stated that outside of practice is where she improved the most and wants to continue to keep playing and help out the team wherever she can. She knew the game was a breakout game for her on the offensive side of the ball.
 “I haven’t been as aggressive offensively as I should be, just looking for my shots,” Dillingham said. “When I can get to the paint, I can usually jump up and score over someone, and I haven’t been doing that lately so just working on my game outside of practice has been working for me.”
 It was a back and forth quarter, but the Bulldogs’ defense continued to play well. They eventually took a 52-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
Victoria Vivians did what she does best in the second half. She took a 2-11 first half performance and turned it around, shutting the door on the Rebels. She shot 6-10 from the floor in the second half and finished with a game-high 23 points.
 Late in the third quarter, she drained a 3-pointer and a layup in 15 seconds that seemed to put the nail in the coffin for the Ole Miss comeback attempt. Dillingham said she was not surprised by Vivians because that is exactly what she brings to the table every game.
 “I see it everyday in practice,” Dillingham said. “So it is not very surprising. It can be a surprise, but she is a player. Her defense can lead to offense so I guess that is where it started for her tonight.”
The Bulldogs’ fourth quarter was sloppy. After leading by 20 points, the Rebels cut the lead to only 10 points with 1:37 left, but the Bulldogs held on for the record-setting win.
Schaefer said the 19-0 record start is deserved by these fans and the environment they give the team every game.
“I couldn’t be more proud to be the coach,” Schaefer said. “I couldn’t be more proud to be a part and see how much this has grown. This environment is the new norm here. We average over 6,500 a night. That’s what we do here at Mississippi State.”