Mississippi State returns to national championship after beating Louisville in Final Four
After Roshunda Johnson made the biggest 3-pointer of her life to send the game to overtime, Mississippi State gathered in a huddle near its bench and Vic Schaefer’s message to the Bulldogs was a succinct reminder.
They were built for this.
“He always tell us that, and that this was our ‘one more,’” Blair Schaefer said. “When it gets tough, that’s when it gets just right for us. We really enjoyed that moment.”
Then they won the game. Mississippi State is back in the national championship after a thrilling 73-63 win in overtime against Louisville in the Final Four.
“To be real with you,” Morgan William said, “I just knew we were going to win when we got to the overtime.”
Mississippi State (36-1) will play the UConn-Notre Dame winner at 5 p.m. Sunday, the Bulldogs looking to claim their first-ever championship in any sport.
Until Friday night, one could only imagine how this great Mississippi State team would get here. With Teaira McCowan and Victoria Vivians stacked together with three knock-down perimeter shooters, the Bulldogs, on paper, of course, seemed destined for greatness. But it was only when the blueprint came to life here with the pieces performing precisely the way they should, that the vision was able to be realized.
It took 21 points and 25 rebounds from McCowan.
It took 25 points from Victoria Vivians, who made a critical layup with 6:47 left in the fourth that cut Louisville’s lead to 53-46 and jumpstarted a 10-0 run for MSU.
It took Johnson’s 3-pointer. Out of a timeout, William found Johnson on the left wing and she hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 59 with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“I was on the opposite side of the court and I was just thinking, ‘This looks so good … This looks so good,’” Blair said. “Then it went in and I was just like, ‘Way to shoot it, baby!’ You have to have that confidence.”
Johnson was 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-2 on 3-pointers on the night before that shot went in.
“I do what my team needs me to do,” Johnson said. “We have weapons like Teaira and Tori, and teams focus on that, so it’s great.”
Source:-https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/mississippi-state/2018/03/30/mississippi-state-vs-louisville-ncaa-final-four-live-updates-news-scores/474595002/
