Notre Dame Wins NCAA Women's Championship as Arike Ogunbowale Nails Game-Winner

Arike Ogunbowale was the hero for the second game in a row as she hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining to hand the Notre Dame Fighting Irish their second national title.

Notre Dame defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 61-58 in the NCAA women's basketball national championship Sunday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The shot came two days after Ogunbowale nailed the game-winner in Notre Dame's 91-89 upset of the Connecticut Huskies. Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted to Ogunbowale after the game, saying she needed to "[finish] the job."

The junior guard did just that Sunday, which elicited a response from Bryant:

As expected, Ogunbowale's miracle shot sent social media into a frenzy:

Prior to the final seconds, Ogunbowale didn't have a great game. She had 18 points on 6-of-21 shooting. But she picked the right time to hit her only three-pointer.

The Fighting Irish would've taken the lead earlier had it not been for quick thinking by Bulldogs center Teaira McCowan. With three seconds remaining, McCowan intentionally fouled a Notre Dame player before the Fighting Irish could complete a fast break with an easy layup. By picking up her fifth foul and fouling out of the game, she momentarily saved Mississippi State's season. 

McCowan finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds for her fifth straight double-double of the NCAA tournament. According to ESPN Women's Hoops, McCowan was the first player with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in the national championship since 2010. 

Victoria Vivians had a game-high 21 points and narrowly missed out on a double-double by dishing out nine assists.

Because both teams required overtime to advance in the national semifinals, fatigue was a question mark for Mississippi State and Notre Dame.

McCowan played all 45 minutes of the team's 73-63 win over the Louisville Cardinals, and that was after she averaged 38.7 minutes in Mississippi State's previous three games.

The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, had four of their five starters eclipse 40 minutes in the semifinals, with Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey on the court for 45 minutes. Notre Dame also had to recover from the emotional high of knocking out the Huskies:

Mabrey and Ogunbowale looked to be playing on heavy legs in the first half against the Bulldogs. Mabrey was 1-of-5 from the floor and committed seven turnovers through the first two quarters, while Ogunbowale shot 1-of-10.

Notre Dame as a team didn't score for the first 6:52 of the second quarter and had just three points over the 10 minutes. Graham Hayes of espnW.com noted how out of character the quarter was for the Fighting Irish:

That brutal stretch was a big reason Mississippi State took a 13-point lead, 30-17, into the locker room at halftime.

The Fighting Irish were a different team in the third quarter, though, and closed the quarter on a 16-1 run to tie the game 41-41. Ogunbowale in particular was much improved, scoring nine of Notre Dame's 24 points in the third.

In addition to a re-energized Notre Dame, Mississippi State had to deal with major foul trouble. Blair Schaefer picked up her fourth foul in the third quarter, while Vivians and McCowan received their third. The Fighting Irish had eight points in the final 1:52 of the quarter after McCowan's third foul forced her to the bench.

Notre Dame continued to hang with Mississippi State in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs led by five points with 2:01 remaining after Roshunda Johnson hit another clutch three-pointer. Mississippi State didn't score for the rest of the game, which opened the door for the Fighting Irish.

Sunday's game was a heartbreaking end to the careers of Schaefer, Vivians and Morgan William. The Bulldogs are set to have McCowan for one more season, which gives fans reason for excitement. Although McCowan is eligible for the 2018 WNBA draft, she has indicated she wants to return to Mississippi State and earn her degree.

Even with McCowan on board for 2018-19, the graduations of Schaefer, Vivians and William represent the end of an era for Mississippi State. The team has won 126 games in the last four seasons and nearly collected what would've been the school's first national title in any sport.

Losing three key players will make returning to the Final Four a tall task for Bulldogs. Assuming McCowan continues to improve, Mississippi State still shouldn't fall too far from the heights of the last two years.

For Notre Dame, a return trip to the Final Four in 2019 may be the minimum expectation.

The Fighting Irish have averaged a little over 34 wins in the past eight years, and the trio of Ogunbowale, Mabrey and Jessica Shepard have one more year of eligibility left. Jackie Young, the team's No. 3 scorer, is only a sophomore as well.

As long as Notre Dame isn't once again decimated by injury, head coach Muffet McGraw should have the team among the nation's best in 2019.