Mississippi State: Memorable Second Place

When it’s all said and done, Mississippi State’s iconic win over UConn in the Final Four will be remember long after its loss to South Carolina in the championship game. That wasn’t much of a consolation prize for the Lady Bulldogs, who saw their magical run come to an end at the hands of the same team that beat them in the SEC title game.
For more on what could have been, here’s Robby Donoho in Dallas from our sister station WCBI.
This confetti was supposed to be for Mississippi State and Vic Schaefer, but the Bulldogs came up just short in completing what has been an extraordinary and historic run to this title game.
Mississippi State Head Women’s Basketball Coach Vic Schaefer said, “Special. Four seniors that believed in a vision when it wasn’t really easy to believe. Obviously it’s been an incredible run. We’ve beaten some really good teams to get here, two number ones. We just, at the end of the day just didn’t have it.”
Mississippi State guard Victoria Vivians said, “Obviously it’s not a good feeling, we lost in the championship game which we could have won like if we had played basketball, but just being here it’s a wonderful feeling, and that’s because Mississippi State has never done that. And I’m very grateful to be put in this opportunity.”
Mississippi State guard Blair Schaefer said, “I’m hurt, I’m upset, but I mean at the end of the day they came out and they out-played us. We proved so many people wrong and we did so many things that we believed in, and it’s just so cool to see us flourish in that area.”
Mississippi State guard Jazzmun Holmes said, “I’m hungry, I’m ready to go get in the gym right now. I’m hungry, I want it more than anything. I told them in the huddle, I was like if y’all want to go home without a ring we can just settle down and just do it now, but that’s the result.”
And it’s that attitude from Jazzmun Holmes and Blair Schaefer that makes Mississippi State so unique and so special. Yes they lost, yes they’re disappointed, but they’re already looking ahead to the next game.
Remember their whole mindset going into this tournament was one more, one more game, one more shot to prove that they can beat the best and silence the doubters. They’ve done that. They still have one more goal to go though and that’s winning the national title. The Bulldogs are certainly expecting to be back playing for it once again in 2018.
MSU has now lost 11 straight games to the Gamecocks.