DALLAS — This wasn’t last time.
It took less than a minute for everyone, most notably the Connecticut Huskies, to figure that out.
Unafraid, and playing with a chip on their shoulder, the Mississippi State women’s basketball team took it right to UConn from the outset during the teams’ NCAA Tournament semifinal match-up in Dallas.
The Bulldogs were a far cry from the team that lost 98-38 to UConn in last year’s Sweet 16 round. MSU fans, who easily accounted for the loudest, if not the largest, contingent present for either of Friday’s games, did their level best to make American Airlines Center sound like Humphrey Coliseum.
Then, junior point guard Morgan William pulled up from the right elbow and sank arguably the greatest shot in Mississippi State basketball history, an overtime buzzer-beater that propelled her team to the national championship game.
Getting to that shot, which will forever live on the “6-3 game” echelon in Bulldog lore, wasn’t easy. MSU jumped out to a 29-13 lead in the second quarter, but by midway through the third UConn took its first advantage of the game at 40-39.
Moments later, MSU fans roared to their feet, encouraging their team to stay in the fight. The team responded with vigor, and the game took on a heavyweight championship character of thrilling punches and counter-punches. At the end of both the third and fourth quarters, with the game tied each time, all the fans rose to their feet, no matter their allegiance, fully appreciating what they were watching.
In overtime, Victoria Vivians fouled out, taking away a major offensive weapon. A late-called flagrant on Dominique Dillingham with 26 seconds left seemed to hand UConn the game on a plate, but a defensive stop set up the game-winning shot. For every call, every UConn run, every adversity, MSU had an answer.
By the end, it wasn’t just Morgan William, or even Vic Schaefer, that became Bulldog legends Friday night. It was an entire team who had grown together through seasons full of adversity and earned a shot at the title — though one may argue Friday’s game had all the trappings of a national championship game on its own.
No matter what happened Friday, these young ladies had no cause to hang their heads for what they have done. The same is obviously true for Sunday, when they play a South Carolina team that has beaten them twice this season.
Against UConn, MSU’s grit and fearless poise once again shone as an example of how to play the game for anyone interested in learning. And the fans who created a home-like environment for them in Dallas — as well as those who stayed up late cheering at home — showed the nation, yet again, how a fan base can undeniably become an essential component of a successful program.
If all that shows up again on Sunday, South Carolina will have its hands full.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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