In a rematch of the 2018 national championship, the Mississippi State women’s basketball team lost a 53-48 heartbreaker to Notre Dame Sunday afternoon.
The 11-seed Bulldogs, who were playing their third game in five days, were part of a back-and-forth first half with the 3-seed Irish that resulted in Notre Dame taking a 26-23 lead into the locker room.
The Irish outscored the Bulldogs by five in the third quarter before Mississippi State went on an 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter and tie the game at 41. Notre Dame went up five with 1:15 left to play and never let go to land themselves in the Sweet Sixteen for the second year in a row.
Leading the way for Mississippi State was Kourtney Weber with a season-high 14 points and four assists. Jessika Carter added eight points, six rebounds, and three blocks. For Notre Dame, Sonia Citron had 14 points, while Maddy Westbeld and Lauren Ebo combined for 31 rebounds.
The Bulldogs, under first-year head coach Sam Purcell, finish the 2022-23 season with a 22-11 record after making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
