COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team is going back to the national title game.
Buoyed by a 3-pointer by Roshunda Johnson with 5.7 seconds remaining in regulation and another career game from Teaira McCowan, MSU pulled away from Louisville in overtime to earn a 73-63 victory in the national semifinals at Nationwide Arena.
MSU (37-1) will play Notre Dame, which beat Connecticut 91-89 in overtime, at 5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN) for the national title.
Johnson’s 3-pointer from the left wing came off an inbounds play in which the Bulldogs used Blair Schaefer as a decoy. McCowan then screened Arica Carter at the free-throw line to free Johnson (seven points), who had time to set herself and drain the trey.
Still, MSU had to survive a missed layup by Myisha Hines-Allen (11 points) that was contested by McCowan (21 points, career-high 25 rebounds). Jazmine Jones (15 points, nine rebounds) rebounded the miss, but her follow bounced off the back rim to send the game to an extra five-minute session.
MSU limited Louisville (36-3) to 1-for-10 shooting in overtime. Victoria Vivians (game-high 25 points) had MSU’s first five points of the overtime before she fouled out with 58.2 seconds left in OT. But the Bulldogs hit 6 of 8 free throws in the final 46 seconds. McCowan hit the final free throw to cap a three-point play that sealed MSU’s second-consecutive trip to the national title game. Last season, MSU defeated four-time reigning national champion UConn in the national semifinals and then lost to South Carolina in the national title game.
For more on the game, check back later tonight for an updated version of the story. You can also check Sunday’s print edition of The Dispatch for additional coverage of the game and a look ahead to the national title game.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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