2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Game
| 2017 NCAA Tournament Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Date | April 2, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Arena | American Airlines Center | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | A'ja Wilson (South Carolina) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee(s) |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 19,229 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen Ratings | 0.81 (3.83 million) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Game was the final game of the 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. The game was played on April 2, 2017, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 67–55, to claim their first-ever national championship.
Going into the game, South Carolina and Mississippi State have met 35 times in women's basketball since December 29, 1984, with the Gamecocks holding a one-game edge over the Bulldogs in Southeastern Conference (SEC) play. In the 2016–17 SEC regular season, South Carolina lost twice and Mississippi State three times (once to the Gamecocks). Notched as the top two seeds for the 2017 SEC Tournament, the teams advanced to the championship game, where South Carolina won 59–49.
In the Final Four of the tournament, South Carolina defeated Stanford, 62–53. In the other semifinal game, Mississippi State defeated Connecticut with a buzzer beater, winning 66–64, and ending Connecticut's 111-game winning streak.
South Carolina led 36–26 at half time and extended this lead further in the beginning of the third quarter. Mississippi State then rallied, and at one point trailed by only 4 points (54–50). However, South Carolina never relinquished their lead, and held on to win, ultimately by 12 points. The South Carolina strategy was to focus on close shots, with the team only attempting three 3-pointers in the entire game.
...
Wikipedia