UConn and Mississippi State played one of the greatest college basketball games we’ve ever seen. The Bulldogs stunned the Huskies 66-64 in overtime on a buzzer-beater from Morgan William that snapped UConn’s 111-game winning streak.
Mississippi State and UConn gave us a Final Four finish we’ll remember forever
Morgan William’s buzzer-beater snapped UConn’s 111-game winning streak, but this was a classic before that shot ever went through the net.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The dynasty is dead and the Bulldogs are going to the title game against South Carolina on Sunday.
These two teams played last season in the NCAA tournament and UConn won by 60. Yes, literally sixty: the final score 98-38 and the Huskies would go on to win their fourth straight national championship.
UConn’s winning streak reached 111 games before Mississippi State shocked the world on Friday night. The game had a frantic ending that both fanbases will be remembering for a long time. Here’s how it all went down.
Gabby Williams saves UConn in regulation with an amazing block
The Bulldogs had the ball on the final possession of regulation with the score tied. Morgan William drained the clock and went up for a layup as the clock ticked down to zero, but UConn star Gabby Williams erased the shot to send the game to overtime:
If UConn would have won this game, everyone would be talking about Williams. She was brilliant throughout the night to finish with 21 points, eight rebounds, two steals and four blocks.
A controversial flagrant foul appeared as if it would mar overtime
UConn trailed 64-62 in overtime with 56 seconds left. The Huskies tried to the throw the ball into star Katie Lou Samuelson, but she was decked by a Mississippi State player. Still, play continued. Mississippi State missed a shot on the other end and then the play was reviewed.
The refs decided this was a flagrant foul.
UConn got two shots and the ball, and Samuelson tied the score by knocking down both free throws.
The play was clearly worth a flagrant, but the timing of the review left a lot of people confused. It wasn’t reviewed until the Bulldogs already got a shot up and UConn took a timeout on its next possession.
That set us up for a classic ending.
Morgan William’s pull-up ends the dynasty in dramatic fashion
Once again, William had the ball in her hands at the end of the game. This time, she hit the shot to end the streak over the outstretched arms of Williams:
William was the shortest player on the floor at 5’5. She played this game on the three-year anniversary of her father’s death. She hit a shot that will be remembered forever.
College basketball never lets you down. UConn is out in the Final Four and Mississippi State is playing for a national title. What an incredible game.
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