Written by Adrian Beecher
Dallas, TX- Morgan William drained the buzzer beater for Mississippi State in overtime to shock the UConn Huskies 66-64, ending their 111 game winning streak and earning the Bulldogs a spot in the 2017 NCAA Women's Basketball National Title game. It was an all-around team win for the Bulldogs, who had four players with double digits in points and the did it while leading most of the way. Here is how it all went down.
The Huskies won the tipoff to start the game, but it was Mississippi State Breanna Richardson picking up a steal for the Bulldogs. This set the tone early on as State opened up the scoring with a triple on their second possession coming from Victoria Vivians. The Huskies would get on the board on their ensuing possession with two free throws coming from Gabby Williams. Then it was State back to work with Teaira McCowan corralling an offensive rebound and putting it back up for a layup to make it 5-2 Bulldogs with 8:23 left in the quarter.
A triple from Katie Lou Samuelson would tie the game up at 5 for UConn. Then stout defense for the Bulldogs and a triple from Roshunda Johnson would allow Mississippi State to take an early 10-5 lead. A layup and an and-one from William cut the Huskies deficit to just 2 points. After that the Huskies went 2 and a half minutes without scoring, allowing the Bulldogs to take a 7 point lead with 3:58 left to play in the 1st quarter.
With a jumper from Williams and a triple from Napheesa Collier for UConn, once again it became just a 2-point game. Then it was the Bulldogs going on a 7-0 run to end the 1st quarter as they took a 22-13 lead on the Huskies. During the first quarter, Mississippi State tallied 8 offensive rebounds that led to 10-second chance points.
As the second quarter got under way, the Bulldogs did not let off the gas as Chinwe Okoire hit a jumper to start the scoring, as well as a 7-0 run. This 14-0 run, dating back to the 1st quarter, put the Bulldogs up by 16 with 7:36 left to play. Then it was UConn’s turn to go on a run, and what a run it was. It all started with a layup from Samuelson, sparking a 12-0 run by the Huskies to cut the deficit to just 4 with 3:44 left in the half.
Vivians would finally end the run, hitting a jumper with 3:21 left to play to start a 7-1 run for the Bulldogs as they pushed their lead back to 10 points with 1:37 left in the half. Mississippi State would not score the rest of the half and the Huskies would hit two free throws down the stretch to make it an 8-point deficit at the half.
Halfway through it was Victoria Vivians leading the charge for the Bulldogs with 12 points. For The Huskies, it was Gabby Williams who tallied 11 first half points. UConn had the advantage in field goal percentage, shooting 44% from the field in the first half, to the Bulldogs 36%. The factor early on, offensive rebounds, with Mississippi State outrebounding the Huskies 21-11, and 10 of those rebounds for MSU were offensive. UConn had just 1 offensive rebound.
The second half started off well for the Bulldogs as Richardson put in a layup to push their lead to 10 points. However, UConn’s second half started a tad bit better, to say the least. Their first three shots of the second half went in, including a triple from Samuelson to cut the deficit to just 3 points for the Huskies. After one free throw from Vivians dropped for MSU, UConn added yet another triple, this time from Kia Nurse. A jumper followed that up from Collier to mark a 12-3 run for UConn to open the 2nd half as they regained the lead at 40-39 with 6:14 left in the 3rd.
After the Bulldogs had tied the game back up at 40 points, UConn got back on top with a free throw from Collier. That is when things started heating up for real as both teams spent the rest of the 3rd quarter trading leads. First, it was Morgan William driving into the lane and putting the ball up for a little kiss off the glass to make it 42-41 Bulldogs. Then down at the other end of the floor, it was Nurse draining a triple for the Huskies to give them the 44-42 lead with 3:38 left to play.
Another drive to the basket for William tied this one up at 44 all. After that it was McCowan hitting a jumper to put the Bulldogs back on top 46-44. The Huskies quickly tied the game back up before Mississippi State’s Ketara Chapel hit her first basket of the game off the bench to put the Bulldogs back on top. As the 3rd quarter came to a close UConn was able to tie it up at 48 all, setting the stage for an epic ending as the two teams fought for a spot in the Title game.
The 4th quarter started out in a defensive battle with the first basket of the 2nd quarter not coming until 8:05 was left on the clock as Morgan William once again went to work inside the paint to make it 50-48 for Mississippi State. UConn was able to get their first points of the 4th quarter on two free throws from Gabby Williams to tie the game back up at 50 with 6:35 left to play.
A jumper from McCowan would put the Bulldogs up 52-50 before Williams tied the game up at 52 for the Huskies. After that Mississippi State had given themselves a small cushion with back-to-back baskets to take a 56-52 lead that forced the Huskies to call timeout with 3:52 left to play.
After an extended break due to an additional media timeout, the Huskies answered the call as Samuelson hit a triple to cut it to just a 1-point deficit. Then with 2:42 left in the game, Saniya Chong got to the free throw line and hit both to give UConn a 57-56 lead. Off the inbound, William turned the ball over to UConn, and Gabby Williams put it in quickly for the Huskies to make it 59-56 UConn with just 2:30 left to play.
As the shot clock winded down for Mississippi State, Vivians was fouled and went to the line, but only made one free throw. This made it 59-57 with just 2 minutes left to play. Then after a timeout from Mississippi State, Vivians hit a triple to put the Bulldogs back on top 60-59 with 1:14 left to play. As time winded down, UConn was able to get to the free throw line. However, Collier was only able to make one of two. This tied things up at 60 with 27 seconds left and gave the Bulldogs a chance at the last shot to win the game. As Morgan William drove into the lane, her last-second shot was blocked by Gabby Williams, which sent the game to overtime as time expired with the score knotted at 60.
In overtime, the Huskies won the tip but were unable to score on the opening possession, as was the case for the Bulldogs. Then on the other end, for the Huskies, Williams got two shots at the line and missed them both as the game stayed tied at 60 with 3:56 left in the overtime.
Mississippi State was fouled on their next possession and Richardson hit both of her free throws to make it 62-60 State with just 3:36 left to play in overtime. After 2 minutes with no scores, it was UConn’s Samuelson hitting the jumper from the left side to tie the game up at 62 with 1:35 left to play. Answering right back for the Bulldogs was McCowan, hitting a layup with just 1:12 left to play. After failed possessions by both teams, UConn had the ball set to inbound with 26.6 left to play trailing by 2.
During the timeout, the officials gathered around a monitor to review a possible foul on MSU, and it was later determined to be a flagrant 1 foul on Dominique Dillingham. This sent Katie Lou Samuelson to the line for the Huskies shooting two, and she drained them both. This tied the game up and gave the Huskies possession with just 26.6 seconds left to play and a chance to take the lead.
Unfortunately for UConn, Saniya Chong turned the ball over, and Mississippi State called timeout after getting the ball to the frontcourt. Out of the timeout, the ball was given to Morgan William for the Bulldogs. As the final seconds ticked down, William put up a 10-foot jumper that sank to the bottom of the net as the final buzzer sounded to give the Bulldogs a 66-64 win over the UConn Huskies punching their ticket to the 2017 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game.
Mississippi State moves on to face the South Carolina Gamecocks who have already beaten the Bulldogs twice this season. They will face off for the Title on Sunday, April 2nd at 5 pm CT on ESPN. This will mark the first time since 2008 that a SEC team has won the Women’s Basketball National Title, that teams being Tennessee.
The Huskies won the tipoff to start the game, but it was Mississippi State Breanna Richardson picking up a steal for the Bulldogs. This set the tone early on as State opened up the scoring with a triple on their second possession coming from Victoria Vivians. The Huskies would get on the board on their ensuing possession with two free throws coming from Gabby Williams. Then it was State back to work with Teaira McCowan corralling an offensive rebound and putting it back up for a layup to make it 5-2 Bulldogs with 8:23 left in the quarter.
A triple from Katie Lou Samuelson would tie the game up at 5 for UConn. Then stout defense for the Bulldogs and a triple from Roshunda Johnson would allow Mississippi State to take an early 10-5 lead. A layup and an and-one from William cut the Huskies deficit to just 2 points. After that the Huskies went 2 and a half minutes without scoring, allowing the Bulldogs to take a 7 point lead with 3:58 left to play in the 1st quarter.
With a jumper from Williams and a triple from Napheesa Collier for UConn, once again it became just a 2-point game. Then it was the Bulldogs going on a 7-0 run to end the 1st quarter as they took a 22-13 lead on the Huskies. During the first quarter, Mississippi State tallied 8 offensive rebounds that led to 10-second chance points.
As the second quarter got under way, the Bulldogs did not let off the gas as Chinwe Okoire hit a jumper to start the scoring, as well as a 7-0 run. This 14-0 run, dating back to the 1st quarter, put the Bulldogs up by 16 with 7:36 left to play. Then it was UConn’s turn to go on a run, and what a run it was. It all started with a layup from Samuelson, sparking a 12-0 run by the Huskies to cut the deficit to just 4 with 3:44 left in the half.
Vivians would finally end the run, hitting a jumper with 3:21 left to play to start a 7-1 run for the Bulldogs as they pushed their lead back to 10 points with 1:37 left in the half. Mississippi State would not score the rest of the half and the Huskies would hit two free throws down the stretch to make it an 8-point deficit at the half.
Halfway through it was Victoria Vivians leading the charge for the Bulldogs with 12 points. For The Huskies, it was Gabby Williams who tallied 11 first half points. UConn had the advantage in field goal percentage, shooting 44% from the field in the first half, to the Bulldogs 36%. The factor early on, offensive rebounds, with Mississippi State outrebounding the Huskies 21-11, and 10 of those rebounds for MSU were offensive. UConn had just 1 offensive rebound.
The second half started off well for the Bulldogs as Richardson put in a layup to push their lead to 10 points. However, UConn’s second half started a tad bit better, to say the least. Their first three shots of the second half went in, including a triple from Samuelson to cut the deficit to just 3 points for the Huskies. After one free throw from Vivians dropped for MSU, UConn added yet another triple, this time from Kia Nurse. A jumper followed that up from Collier to mark a 12-3 run for UConn to open the 2nd half as they regained the lead at 40-39 with 6:14 left in the 3rd.
After the Bulldogs had tied the game back up at 40 points, UConn got back on top with a free throw from Collier. That is when things started heating up for real as both teams spent the rest of the 3rd quarter trading leads. First, it was Morgan William driving into the lane and putting the ball up for a little kiss off the glass to make it 42-41 Bulldogs. Then down at the other end of the floor, it was Nurse draining a triple for the Huskies to give them the 44-42 lead with 3:38 left to play.
Another drive to the basket for William tied this one up at 44 all. After that it was McCowan hitting a jumper to put the Bulldogs back on top 46-44. The Huskies quickly tied the game back up before Mississippi State’s Ketara Chapel hit her first basket of the game off the bench to put the Bulldogs back on top. As the 3rd quarter came to a close UConn was able to tie it up at 48 all, setting the stage for an epic ending as the two teams fought for a spot in the Title game.
The 4th quarter started out in a defensive battle with the first basket of the 2nd quarter not coming until 8:05 was left on the clock as Morgan William once again went to work inside the paint to make it 50-48 for Mississippi State. UConn was able to get their first points of the 4th quarter on two free throws from Gabby Williams to tie the game back up at 50 with 6:35 left to play.
A jumper from McCowan would put the Bulldogs up 52-50 before Williams tied the game up at 52 for the Huskies. After that Mississippi State had given themselves a small cushion with back-to-back baskets to take a 56-52 lead that forced the Huskies to call timeout with 3:52 left to play.
After an extended break due to an additional media timeout, the Huskies answered the call as Samuelson hit a triple to cut it to just a 1-point deficit. Then with 2:42 left in the game, Saniya Chong got to the free throw line and hit both to give UConn a 57-56 lead. Off the inbound, William turned the ball over to UConn, and Gabby Williams put it in quickly for the Huskies to make it 59-56 UConn with just 2:30 left to play.
As the shot clock winded down for Mississippi State, Vivians was fouled and went to the line, but only made one free throw. This made it 59-57 with just 2 minutes left to play. Then after a timeout from Mississippi State, Vivians hit a triple to put the Bulldogs back on top 60-59 with 1:14 left to play. As time winded down, UConn was able to get to the free throw line. However, Collier was only able to make one of two. This tied things up at 60 with 27 seconds left and gave the Bulldogs a chance at the last shot to win the game. As Morgan William drove into the lane, her last-second shot was blocked by Gabby Williams, which sent the game to overtime as time expired with the score knotted at 60.
In overtime, the Huskies won the tip but were unable to score on the opening possession, as was the case for the Bulldogs. Then on the other end, for the Huskies, Williams got two shots at the line and missed them both as the game stayed tied at 60 with 3:56 left in the overtime.
Mississippi State was fouled on their next possession and Richardson hit both of her free throws to make it 62-60 State with just 3:36 left to play in overtime. After 2 minutes with no scores, it was UConn’s Samuelson hitting the jumper from the left side to tie the game up at 62 with 1:35 left to play. Answering right back for the Bulldogs was McCowan, hitting a layup with just 1:12 left to play. After failed possessions by both teams, UConn had the ball set to inbound with 26.6 left to play trailing by 2.
During the timeout, the officials gathered around a monitor to review a possible foul on MSU, and it was later determined to be a flagrant 1 foul on Dominique Dillingham. This sent Katie Lou Samuelson to the line for the Huskies shooting two, and she drained them both. This tied the game up and gave the Huskies possession with just 26.6 seconds left to play and a chance to take the lead.
Unfortunately for UConn, Saniya Chong turned the ball over, and Mississippi State called timeout after getting the ball to the frontcourt. Out of the timeout, the ball was given to Morgan William for the Bulldogs. As the final seconds ticked down, William put up a 10-foot jumper that sank to the bottom of the net as the final buzzer sounded to give the Bulldogs a 66-64 win over the UConn Huskies punching their ticket to the 2017 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game.
Mississippi State moves on to face the South Carolina Gamecocks who have already beaten the Bulldogs twice this season. They will face off for the Title on Sunday, April 2nd at 5 pm CT on ESPN. This will mark the first time since 2008 that a SEC team has won the Women’s Basketball National Title, that teams being Tennessee.