Notre Dame stuns UConn to reach women's NCAA title game

Arike Ogunbowale's jumper from the corner with a second left lifted Notre Dame to a 91-89 overtime victory against UConn on Friday night in a national semifinal showdown.

She finished with 27 points and Jackie Young had a career-high 32 to lead the Irish back to the championship game for the first time since 2015.

It's the second consecutive year an undefeated UConn team lost in the Final Four on a last-second shot in overtime. Last time it was Mississippi State and Morgan William, ending the Huskies' 111-game win streak.

The Irish will face the Bulldogs - who won again in OT earlier Friday - on Sunday night in the title game. Muffet McGraw's squad will be looking for its second national championship to go with the one the Irish won in 2001.

Ogunbowale had a chance to seal the game in the final minute of overtime, but she missed two free throws. Crystal Dangerfield then hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 89, setting up the fantastic finish.

The Huskies threw the ball down the court after the 3, but didn't get a chance to tie it.

This was the latest chapter in the greatest current rivalry in women's basketball. The sellout crowd that included Lakers great Kobe Bryant, who was sitting behind the Huskies bench with his wife and daughters, saw quite the show with epic comebacks from both teams.

UConn was down five with under a minute to go in regulation before Napheesa Collier hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left and Kia Nurse had a steal for a layup a few seconds later to tie it. After Notre Dame turned it over with 3.6 seconds left in regulation, Gabby Williams' runner was short, sending the game to overtime.

The teams traded shot for shot in overtime before the Irish led 86-84 with 2:37 left in the extra period.

Young then made three free throws over the next 2 minutes to give the Irish a five-point lead with 43 seconds left.

Collier then scored to make it a three-point game. Ogunbowale missed her two free throws a few seconds later. She atoned 37 seconds after a Notre Dame timeout with the shot that set off a wild celebration from the Irish faithful that made the trip.

Mississippi State 73, Louisville 63, OT

Teaira McCowan had 21 points and 25 rebounds to help Mississippi State reach the national championship game for the second consecutive year with a 73-63 overtime win against Louisville on Friday night.

Down three points, Roshunda Johnson hit a 3-pointer from the wing to tie the game at 59 with seven seconds left in regulation. Louisville's Myisha Hines-Allen then drove the length of the floor but missed a layup as time ran out with McCowan dogging her.

In overtime, the Bulldogs asserted themselves and Morgan William, who hit the game-winning shot in OT last year in the Final Four to end UConn's 111-game winning streak, made two free throws in the last minute to help Mississippi State (37-1) pull away.

Louisville (36-3) managed just one basket on 10 shots in the extra period.

The Cardinals were hurt when center Sam Fuehring was called for a technical foul with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter when she slapped the floor after getting called for a foul. That technical fouled her out of the game. The Cardinals were down 54-53 and William hit both free throws to give the Bulldogs a three-point lead.

Louisville came back to take a 59-56 advantage on Hines-Allen's layup with 11.3 seconds left setting up the exciting finish in regulation.

McCowan broke the rebounding mark set by Charlotte Smith of North Carolina in 1994 when Mississippi State's 6-foot-7 center grabbed her 24th board.

Asia Durr scored 18 for Louisville (36-3), which was making its third appearance in the Final Four. Jazmine Jones added 15.

The loss ended a wonderful season for Louisville, which won the ACC regular season and conference tournament for the first time in school history.

The Cardinals also earned the first No. 1 seed in program history as well.