After blowing a late second half lead and surviving a dizzying finish at regulation, Notre Dame took control of the overtime session of their Final Four game against conference rival UConn, defeating the Huskies 83-75 to advance to the national championship game on Tuesday.
With Huskies sophomore post Stefanie Dolson, who finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds on 10-16 shooting, picking up her fourth foul early in the half, Notre Dame took control.
Behind a high-scoring offensive attack keyed by Final Four veterans Natalie Novosel (20 points), Skylar Diggins (19) and Devereaux Peters (17), the Fighting Irish seemed to take the upper hand against a younger UConn team, which made their collapse in the second half all the more baffling.
The Huskies went into a full-court press, speeding up the tempo of the game and forcing repeated Notre Dame turnovers, with the two teams trading turnovers in the game's final moments.
They are making their second consecutive NCAA championship appearance, but after struggling with Dolson, they'll have their hands full against either Baylor's Brittney Griner or Stanford's Ogwumike sisters.