Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale followed up her heroics in the Final Four with another wild ending. After helping lift the Fighting Irish to a stunning victory over UConn to reach the national championship, Ogunbowale once again came up in the clutch on Sunday night.
Ogunbowale had the ball in her hands in the closing seconds of the game with the score tied at 58.
That’s when the junior guard took the ball to the corner of the court and rose above a defender to hit a wild buzzer-beating shot.
The clutch moment secured the Notre Dame women’s basketball program’s first national title in 17 years.
Check it out below:
NOTRE DAME… WOW pic.twitter.com/Vs3uR9a9nx
— NCAA Women’s BKB (@ncaawbb) April 2, 2018
This is why we love March Madness.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!! ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
— Arike Ogunbowale (@Arike_O) April 2, 2018
Here is another look at the buzzer-beater from a different angle in slow motion:
Buckets look best in slo-mo 👌 pic.twitter.com/zzwYab8yap
— NCAA Women’s BKB (@ncaawbb) April 2, 2018
Notre Dame reached the national title game out of the Spokane Regional, with wins over Cal State Northridge, Villanova, Texas A&M and Oregon. The Fighting Irish then stunned the UConn women’s basketball team in the Final Four.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, dominated the Kansas City Regional, blowing out all of the opponents in their way. The Bulldogs knocked off Nicholls State, Oklahoma State, North Carolina State and UCLA before a thrilling win over Louisville in the Final Four.
Congratulations to the Fighting Irish and their loyal fan base on the big win.