Arike Ogunbowale: Nigerian-born star hits 3-pointer to lift Notre Dame to women’s title

Ogunbowale got the ball through the net from the corner with 0.1 seconds left.

Nigerian-born star Arike Ogunbowale on Sunday, April 1 hit a three-pointer to lift Notre Dame to the 2018 women’s title.

Ogunbowale got the ball through the net from the corner with 0.1 seconds left in Notre Dame’s thrilling 61-58 comeback victory over Mississippi State in the NCAA championship game.

The game was tied when Ogunbowale took the inbounds pass from Jackie Young, dribbled twice toward the corner and despite being closely guarded, lofted home an off-balance three-pointer from the front of his teammates.

She scored 18 points in the game, 16 in the second half.

 

"It just felt right,I practice late-game all the time. I just ran to Jackie and said, 'Throw it to me, throw it to me’,” she told AP.

She was voted the most outstanding player of the tournament and NBA legend Kobe Bryant congratulated her on Twitter.

The title came 17 years to the day after Notre Dame (35-3) won its only other championship in 2001 on Easter.

This was the second straight game that Ogunbowale hit a shot in the final second to win the game for Notre Dame.

She also threw a three-pointer with just one second remaining in overtime to lead Notre Dame to a win against UConn in the semifinals on Friday,  March 30.