Game recap: No. 3 Notre Dame holds off No. 11 Mississippi State, advances to NCAA Sweet 16

SOUTH BEND — The only other time Notre Dame and Mississippi State met back 2018, an NCAA women's basketball title was on the line. It can be argued it was one of the greatest games in finals history as Arike Ogunbowale buried a 3-pointer with time running out to give the Irish a 61-58 win and second national championship.

On Sunday the Irish made it 2-0 against the Bulldogs with a 53-48 win that sends Notre Dame to Greenville 1 Region Sweet 16. Here's a recap of Sunday's nail biter:

Come back for coverage and analysis from Tribune writers Tom Noie and Anthony Anderson.

5:40 p.m. - FINAL: Notre Dame 53, Mississippi State 48

Two huge blocks by Lauren Ebo in final 25 seconds. Ebo finishes has 10 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks

5:34 p.m. - Notre Dame 49, Mississippi State 45

35.7 left, Bulldogs with the ball.

5:27 p.m. - Notre Dame 47, Mississippi State 43

Lauren Ebo's rebound bucket with 4:38 left breaks and over seven-minute scoring drought for the Irish. 2:44 left

5:17 p.m. - Notre Dame 41, Mississippi State 41

All tied up after a 3-pointer by Kourtney Weber, just the second of the game for the Bulldogs. Timeout Notre Dame with 6:46 to go.

5:15 p.m. - Notre Dame 41, Mississippi State 38

We've got a game. Bulldogs on a 7-0 run. 7:36 to go

5:08 p.m. - Notre Dame 41, Mississippi State 33

Still zero 3-pointers. Bulldogs 0-for-12, Irish 0-for-5.

4:55 p.m. - Notre Dame 36, Mississippi State 25

Irish extend second-half run to 10-2. Notre Dame's Prosper, Bransford, Ebo and Westbeld all have seven points.

4:44 p.m. - Notre Dame 33, Mississippi State 23

Irish come out hot in second half, scoring first seven points of third quarter, forcing a Bulldogs timeout at 8:10

4:22 p.m. - HALFTIME: Notre Dame 26, Mississippi State 23

Irish close first half with a 4-0 run after Bulldogs took a 23-22 lead with 1:25 left in the second quarter.

4:11 p.m. - Notre Dame 21, MSU 18

4:40 left in second quarter. Bulldogs shooting woes continue. Teams are a combined 0-11 from 3-point range

4:00 p.m. - Notre Dame 13, MSU 12

Maddy Westbeld's backdoor layup breaks 6-0 Bulldogs run. Both teams shooting poorly. ND 31% from the field and 50% from the line. MSU 23% from the field and 50% from the line. Teams a combined 0-for-8 from 3-point range.

3:42 p.m. - Notre Dame 9, Mississippi State 3

Cold start as two teams combine to go 2-for 12 to open the game before Irish go on a 7-0 run. 4:50 left in first quarter.

3:37 p.m. - We're underway in South Bend

3:25 p.m. - Starting lineups

NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Greenville 1 Regional Second round

• WHO: No. 3 Notre Dame (26-5) vs. No. 11 Mississippi State (22-10)
• WHEN: Sunday, 3:30 p.m.
• WHERE: Purcell Pavilion (9,149), South Bend, Ind.
• WATCH: ESPN.
• LISTEN: WQLQ (99.9 FM; link at UND.com).

The last meeting

2018 National Championship game in Columbus, Ohio.

Pregaming

☘ Prosper parents juggling kids' NCAA basketball schedules

☘ Four things to know about Notre Dame women's second-round NCAA opponent Mississippi State

☘ Noie: Wrong place, wrong time for Southern Utah as Notre Dame returns to its winning ways in NCAA

Photo gallery:Notre Dame vs. Southern Utah in NCAA women's basketball tournament Friday

Results from South Bend

WEDNESDAY

FIRST FOUR

7 p.m.: No. 11 Mississippi State 70, No. 11 Illinois 56

FRIDAY

FIRST ROUND

No. 3 Notre Dame 82, No. 14 Southern Utah 56

No. 11 Mississippi 81, No. 6 Crieghton 66

SUNDAY

SECOND ROUND

3:30 p.m.: No. 3 Notre Dame (26-5) vs. No. 11 Mississippi State (22-10). Winner advances to the Greenville, S.C. Regional