A Legendary Easter Basket
It was an Easter basket Notre Dame fans won’t soon forget as Arike Ogunbowale hit a three-pointer with 0.1 left on the clock to give the Irish a 61-58 victory over Mississippi State to win the 2018 National Championship.
Irish head coach Muffet McGraw was at a loss for words following her 800th win at Notre Dame.
“I'm just so speechless at this point,” stated McGraw. “To see this team come back from yet another huge deficit, to see Arike make an incredible shot, to see the resilience of a team that never gave up.
“Mississippi State was a tremendous defensive team. They really gave us a lot of problems in the first half. We lost our composure a little bit, but we got it back, and we just kept fighting.
“Thank you, Jesus, on Easter Sunday.”
A shot from behind the band section of the last seconds of the 2018 National Championship game!! ☘️ pic.twitter.com/fGelNg0rwN
— ND Band (@NotreDameBand) April 2, 2018
Ogunbowale scored 18 points and said what all Notre Dame fans were thinking as the shot went through the net.
“Amen,” stated Ogunbowale. ‘Hallelujah.”
There’s not much Ogunbowale remembers as the ball left her hand, but she was confident it was going in.
“When I saw it travel a little bit, I thought so,” recalled Ogunbowale. “But that last play, there was just a lot going on. I can't even describe it.
“I was kind of falling to the baseline. I think, when I shot it, I was kind of at a good angle to the basket, but once I started falling, I was a little off.”
For Kathryn Westbeld, the Final Four presented a chance to end her career in her home state. The moment didn’t disappoint.
“It's honestly so surreal right now,” explained Westbeld. “Just trying to process everything. There are so many alums back, which makes it even so much better. But just -- I'm just so proud and thankful to be on this team. And for what we've overcome this season, for them to send our seniors out on this note like it doesn't get better than this. And for it to be in my home state, just to have all my friends and family here, I just honestly couldn't ask for anything else.”
Ogunbowale’s shot will live on forever, but the shot wouldn’t have happened without a three-pointer from Marina Mabrey with 1:35 left to trim a five-point Mississippi State lead to two points.
“I was definitely looking to make it,” laughed Mabrey. “We weren't even looking for a three. We were 2 for 9. We didn't even get any. We were looking for Jess inside, and my player left. I think she trapped down or something. Jess just kicked it to me, and I was like, okay, Marina, it's time. You really need to make this. So I got lucky.”
Things didn’t always look good as Notre Dame found themselves down 15 points in the second half, but McGraw knew how to get back in the game. Rebound.
“It was rebounding,” McGraw said of the comeback. “We were able to get some rebounds and get going a little bit more in transition. Just really couldn't get anything going in the second quarter. So I think the third quarter we definitely came out and were a little more focused on trying to use the high ball screen.”
The Irish have made a habit of second half comebacks during the year, and the culture of the program has always been the foundation for McGraw’s team.
“We've established a great culture,” said McGraw. “I think starting in 2011 when we were able to get back to the Final Four for the first time in ten years, and I think the culture perpetuates itself, starting with the seniors and how they address the team, how they indoctrinate the freshmen into our culture, and the work ethic. I think that's what really separates the good teams.”
Notre Dame will now turn its attention to repeating and it will include the return of Brianna Turner.
“There's no guarantees,” said McGraw. “Bringing back some good players. We're getting some good players. We're returning some good players. The ball bounces in a funny way sometimes. You have to take advantage of your opportunities, and that's why I'm so thankful we were able to finish this one.”