Ogunbowale also hit the game-winning jumper in an overtime thriller against No. 1 overall seed UConn on Friday night as she knocked down a heavily-contested three-pointer out of a timeout with 3.0 seconds left to earn the title. But for MSU on Sunday against Notre Dame, they will benefit greatly from attacking and getting in the face of the Irish for all 40 minutes. “You have to look at it as one game at a time”.
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“‘What though the odds, ‘ that’s part of our fight song”, McGraw said.
“They just put their head down, went to the rim and tried to get fouled”. She knows she has the green light and she took advantage of it. “Jess has the strength, I think, but we’re going to need to bring some help”.
What else would you say?
In its answer, Notre Dame decided not to mess with perfection. She said after the game that she drew inspiration from one fan in particular for her game-winning shot.
Notre Dame didn’t let it happen, showing it belong right away, and fighting off the Huskies, who made a miraculous comeback just to reach overtime, erasing a five-point deficit with 21.3 seconds remaining in regulation. She had a feeling the second time around. I can’t get around her. “That last play, there was a lot going on”.
Just watch it a million times instead. I thought I had a better chance of spelling her name correctly than she had of making that shot.
Then Mabrey made Notre Dame’s first three-pointer of the night at 1:35 (after starting none for seven) to make it a two-point game. She did what she could on the defensive end, but most impressively, she kept finding ways to score when her team REALLY needed her to.
The result delays the Huskies’ pursuit of a record 12th college basketball national championship. Victoria Vivians is averaging 19.6 points and 6.1 rebounds while Teaira McCowan is averaging 18.1 points and 13.6 rebounds.
The Irish stepped up their play after a awful first half.
“I know I just had to shoot it at the last minute”. They have done so much for me personally and professionally. “Once I got it off, I started falling”. Notre Dame capitalized with a 16-1 run to tie the game at 41 after three quarters.
Notre Dame forward Jessica Shepard, who had 10 points in the half, had to leave the game after landing awkwardly with 34 seconds left in the second quarter. That 68-66 win versus Purdue came exactly 17 years to the day (April 1, 2001) of this year’s meeting with Mississippi State – and on the heels of defeating No. 1 UConn in the semifinal on March 30, just as it did this season on the same date. McCowan fouled out of the game stopping an Irish fast break after consecutive turnovers and that set up the final 3 seconds.
And Notre Dame quickly slipped into trouble. “We’re not going to kill ourselves in practice”. She really made up for Young and Ogunbowale’s off-shooting night.
UConn’s desperate full-court pass bounced into Katie Lou Samuelson’s hands near the free-throw line extended, but the All-American couldn’t make the bank-in, ending the highest-scoring game in the history of the women’s Final Four.
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“Three phenomenal games”, McGraw said.
