Mississippi State loses to Notre Dame in the 2nd round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament

11-seed Mississippi State fell just five points short of a Sweet 16 bid in their 53-48 defeat at the hands of 3-seed Notre Dame.

All four quarters were decided by five points or less, but MSU only had one player in double figures and shot less than 30 percent from the field.

Guard Kourtney Weber said, “I don’t want to say it was frustrating. We just wish more shots would have went in but I think everybody just was in the moment. I think a lot of us – this is our last college game, so we were just happy to be out there honestly. I think this year taught me a lot, honestly, and with a lot of adversity. Just to be here right now, to make it to a tournament my last year, to change the culture of this program, I mean it meant everything.”

Guard Ahlana Smith said, “Nobody believed in us, and we made history. I feel like you can’t ask for anything better than that.  Like I said, nobody was on our side. Nobody believed in us, so the fact that we’ve made it this far is amazing and it’s something that I will never take for granted.”

Head Coach Sam Purcell said, “This team is so special. These seniors are so special. What we did was so special. For them to say those words, and forever be grateful to play here, and most importantly, be grateful for our fan base, again, that’s bigger than any win could provide.”

MSU won tournament games against Illinois and Creighton.