FINAL: NOTRE DAME VS. MISSISSIPPI ST.
Last-second shot in OT propels Notre Dame over Huskies
COLUMBUS, OHIO» Arike Ogunbowale’s jumper from the corner with a second left lifted Notre Dame to a 91-89 overtime victory over UConn on Friday night in the national semifinals.
She finished with 27 points, and Jackie Young had a career-high 32 to lead the Irish back to the championship game for the first time since 2015.
“I know I just had to shoot it at the last minute,” Ogunbowale said. “I didn’t want to give them a chance to get the ball. I went into Mamba mentality. Kobe’s here, so that’s what I tried to channel.”
It’s the second consecutive year an undefeated UConn team lost in the Final Four on a last-second shot in overtime. Last time, it was Mississippi State and Morgan William, ending the Huskies’ 111-game win streak.
“There’s nothing you can say to a college kid after experiencing this two years in a row that’s going to make them feel any better about, you know,” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. “We had an amazing run for five months. That’s just the way it is. One weekend in March gets to decide your season.”
In Sunday’s title game, the Irish will face the Bulldogs, who won in OT earlier Friday. Muffet McGraw’s squad will be looking for its second national championship to go with the one the Irish won in 2001.
Ogunbowale had a chance to seal the game in the final minute of overtime, but she missed two free throws. Crystal Dangerfield then hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 89, setting up the fantastic finish. The Huskies threw the ball down the court after the 3 but didn’t get a chance for the tie.
“We were a little dejected at the end of regulation, but Arike, I think, was madder than anyone,” McGraw said. “She wanted the ball in her hands, and we put it there for the end of the game.”
This was the latest chapter in the greatest current rivalry in women’s basketball. The sellout crowd that included Lakers great Kobe Bryant, who was sitting behind the Huskies bench with his wife and daughters, saw quite the show.