2019 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Game
The 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Game was the final game of the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. It determined the national champion for the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The game was played on April 7, 2019, at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, between Notre Dame and Baylor.
2019 NCAA Tournament Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||
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National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||
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Date | April 7, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
Arena | Amalie Arena | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Tampa, FL | ||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Chloe Jackson, Baylor | ||||||||||||||||||
Favorite | Baylor by 3.5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers |
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Participants
Notre Dame
Notre Dame, led by 32nd-year head coach Muffet McGraw, finished the regular season with a record of 27–3. They posted a 14–3 conference record, earning them the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, where they defeated No. 8 seed North Carolina, No. 5 seed Syracuse, and No. 2 seed Louisville en route to a conference championship. In the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Irish received a No. 1 seed in the Chicago Regional. They defeated No. 16 seed Bethune–Cookman and No. 9 seed Michigan State to reach the Sweet Sixteen, where they beat No. 4 seed Texas A&M. They then advanced to the Elite Eight, where they won the Regional by defeating No. 2 seed Stanford. This win put the Fighting Irish in the Final Four, where they beat the Albany Regional champions, No. 2 seed Connecticut, to reach the national championship.
Two Notre Dame players were selected to the Chicago Regional all tournament team: Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard.
Baylor
Baylor, led by 18th-year head coach Kim Mulkey, finished the regular season with a record of 28–1. They posted a 18–0 conference record, earning them the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, where they defeated No. 9 seed Texas Tech, No. 5 seed Kansas State, and No. 2 seed Iowa State en route to a conference championship. In the NCAA Tournament, the Lady Bears received a No. 1 seed in the Greensboro Regional. They defeated No. 16 seed Abilene Christian and No. 8 seed California to reach the Sweet Sixteen, where they easily beat No. 4 seed South Carolina. In the Elite Eight, the Lady Bears became Greensboro Regional champions by beating No. 2 seed Iowa, which they did by 32 points. In the Final Four, Baylor was matched up with the Portland Regional champions, No. 2 seed Oregon, whom they defeated by five to reach the national championship.
Four Baylor players were selected to the Greensboro Regional all tournament team: Lauren Cox, DiDi Richards, Chloe Jackson, and Kalani Brown.
Starting lineups
Notre Dame | Position | Baylor | |
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Jessica Shepard | F | Lauren Cox | |
Arike Ogunbowale | G | Juicy Landrum | |
Jackie Young | G | DiDi Richards | |
Marina Mabrey | G | Chloe Jackson | |
Brianna Turner | F | C | Kalani Brown |
Game summary
ESPN |
April 7, 2019 6:00 pm EDT |
#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 81, #1 Baylor Lady Bears 82 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 14–25, 17–18, 24–23, 26–16 | ||
Pts: A. Ogunbowale – 31 Rebs: B. Turner – 12 Asts: J. Young – 6 Stls: A. Ogunbowale – 2 |
Pts: C. Jackson – 26 Rebs: K. Brown – 13 Asts: J. Landrum, D. Richards – 6 Stls: D. Richards, C. Jackson – 2 |
Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL Attendance: 20,127 Referees: Dee Kantner, Brenda Pantoja, Maj Forsberg |
Media coverage
The Championship Game was televised in the United States by ESPN.
See also
References
- Weiner, Natalie; Fucillo, David (April 7, 2019). "Why Baylor, Notre Dame will each cover the spread in the women's national championship game". SBNation.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.