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krikya18.com | April 1, 2018

Notre Dame claims 2018 Women's National Championship

Ogunbowale, Notre Dame 2018 National Champions

With a last-second jumper by Arike Ogunbowale, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have captured the 2018 National Championship, beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 61-58.

The Irish struggled in the first half, trailing 30-17 but turned up the pressure on Teaira McCowan, Victoria Vivians and the Bulldogs squad, fouling out McCowan with three seconds left in the game.

Arike Ogunbowale scored 18 points in the win, earning the Most Outstanding Player award and passed Ruth Riley for the most points scored in an NCAA tournament with 145 this year. Ogunbowale's big shot was her second in a row after she drained a jumper to knock out UConn in the Final Four on Friday night.

Notre Dame's run to a national championship is especially prominent as four players on the team suffered ACL injuries earlier in the season. This marks their second national title in program history, the first won in 2001 and both under head coach Muffet McGraw.

MORE: Full bracket | Complete coverage on krikya18.com

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