Mississippi State's Roshunda Johnson knocked down a three point shot to tie the game and the Bulldogs got the stop they needed to send the game into overtime. From that moment on, Mississippi State was in control and able to outlast Louisville for their second-consecutive trip to the National Championship game.
ICE. COLD. ❄️
Mississippi State’s Roshunda Johnson drains a buzzer-beating 3 to force OT in #WFinalFour. pic.twitter.com/2JRmGtAM56
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 31, 2018
It was a game of runs and a back-and-forth matchup that held eight lead changes. Asia Durr led the Cardinals with 18 points, Jazmine Jones chipped in 15. Victoria Vivians led the way for Mississippi State finishing the game with 25 points.
Teaira McCowan was unbelievable and to call her a force, would be a complete understatement. She finished the game with 21 points and an NCAA record 25 rebounds, which included 13 offensive rebounds and 23 second chance points for Mississippi State. Simply put, Louisville had no answer for her inside.
Louisville took a major blow with 2:42 remaining in regulation when Sam Fuehring was called for a technical foul after slapping the floor in emotion following her foul on McCowan, utlimately leading to her fifth foul and sitting the remainder of the game. This also resulted in a five point swing in favor of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs outscored Louisville 14-4 in overtime, holding Louisville to just one basket on 10 shots.
We knew this matchup would be intense, highly emotional and probably come down to some iffy calls. If you play that same game ten times, I would give each team five wins and five losses. The difference in Mississippi State was their decision making and ability to remain poised down the stretch. It was evident that is a senior-led team and once they were able to get it to overtime, it showed even more in their shot selection versus Louisville's and players stepping up and making plays. Truly, that is what it is all about this time of year.
Mississippi State will face Notre Dame on Sunday at 6:00pm ET in the National Championship game.
