Notre Dame sinks buzzer-beating three-pointer to win women’s national championship

Pat Borzi’s three-decade career in journalism has taken him from Long Island to South Florida to New England to New Jersey and on to Minneapolis. They were here previous year.

Irish junior guard Arike Ogunbowale goes up for a layup during Notre Dame’s 61-58 win over Mississippi State in the national title game on Sunday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

In the championship game, the Irish fought their way back from a 15-point deficit to win in the final second. Bryant later tweeted at Ogunbowale, “Big Time shot Arike!”

Victoria Vivians scored 21 points, and Teaira McCowan capped a record-setting women’s NCAA Tournament with 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulldogs (37-2). It was a mess.

“She wanted the ball in her hands and we put it there for the end of the game”. “I can’t think of another Final Four that was better than this. Our minds were kind of going everywhere”.

First, McGraw calmed everyone down.

This is one of the greatest coaches, greatest teams, greatest shots and one of the greatest stories we have ever seen in women’s basketball. “I love it for them”. And while one of the 1994 semifinals was close – Louisiana Tech’s three-point win over Alabama – the other, North Carolina’s 15-point victory against Purdue, wasn’t.

“I wouldn’t say all that”, said Stone. It’s our job to get open. They made one more play.

Mississippi State, meanwhile, dominated the Kansas City Regional, blowing out all of the opponents in their way.

Ogunbowale was also the leading scorer for the Fighting Irish, with 18 points.

Shepard noticed the difference right away.

“It was the second or third time we beat them in the semifinal, that’s been our lucky charm”, McGraw said.

The game featured the last two teams to knock off the CT dynasty. “We needed all of it”.

“That was the big thing coming in at halftime”.

That is what March Madness is all about. “We can’t seem to beat them in the final”. But McGraw kept it up with the adjustments, and a combination of Young and Ogunbowale as ball-handler finally led to some offensive progress. She finished the game with 16 points, and earned most outstanding player honors for the tournament.

“Sometimes I wake up and it’s like “wow, I’m going to Maryland” you know?” Crystal Dangerfield then hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 89, setting up the fantastic finish.

This weekend’s performance even got her a shout out from National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant.

“I was just like, ‘Wow, ‘” MSU senior Morgan William said.

“I practise this all the time. I can’t really describe it”.

Neither team scored until Blair Schaefer knocked down the game’s first triple with a little over three minutes gone by in the second. But Marina Mabrey hit Notre Dame’s first 3-pointer of the game on the next possession.

The shot – or perhaps the shot, Part II – swished through the net with 0.1 seconds left. Westbeld grabbed nine rebounds.

And, both teams made one huge shot after another in the final three minutes. “I just ran to (teammate) Jackie (Young) and said, ‘Throw it to me, throw it to me'”. “That happens sometimes. Our defense is so good, that’s basically what they did”.