Who knew one minute could last so long?
When senior Chanel Mokango, top scorer for the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in their Sweet 16 matchup against Florida State, fouled out with only 1:10 remaining in the game, MSU’s chances of making the Elite Eight seemed all but over. FSU was at the line looking to extend a 2-point lead.
But FSU forward Jacinta Monroe missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and MSU junior guard Mary Kathyrn Govero grabbed the rebound. Senior guard Alexis Rack pushed the ball quickly down the court for the Lady Bulldogs. However, Rack was stripped of the ball trying to get to the paint, and Seminole guard Courtney Ward took an easy layup, giving Florida State a comfortable four-point lead with 38 seconds remaining.
Again, Rack tried to drive into the paint against a Florida State double team, but slipped and lost the ball out of bounds with 27 seconds remaining. However, Rack intercepted the ball on a long inbounds pass by FSU, and the SEC’s new all-time 3-point leader threw up a shot she had sunk 340 times before. In a cruel tease as tenths of a second drained off the clock, the ball rattled around the rim, bounced straight up in the air, and dropped just outside the basket. Rack came down with the rebound but was tied up, the possession arrow favoring the Seminoles with 21 seconds to go.
FSU head coach Sue Semrau was all smiles as she called a timeout to plan her strategy to close out the third-round contest, with a four-point lead and knowing MSU had no choice but to foul. Semrau kept Monroe off the floor for the inbounds play, just in case her last free throw was still on her mind, and MSU was forced to foul Ward with 18 seconds left. Ward sank both baskets, giving FSU a six point lead.
And then the drama started.
Needing two 3-point baskets just to tie, Rack drove the ball to the goal, drawing the defense and kicking back out to senior guard Tysheka Grimes, who waited at the top of the key. Grimes started to take her shot, hesitated to make sure her feet were outside the arc, then took aim and fired. Halfway on its trip to the goal, the ball passed over senior guard Armelie Lumanu, who was moving into position for a rebound when FSU guard Christian Hunnicutt crashed into her. As Grimes’ shot hit nothing but net, Lumanu hit the floor with 8.1 seconds to go in the game.
Thinking the whistle signaled a timeout by MSU head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis, Semrau walked on the court to plan her final play. But her look of confidence turned to confusion when the referee came over to explain that a foul had been called, and Lumanu would be on the line with a chance to close the trailing margin to just one with no time off the game clock.
Lumanu hit both free throws, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 5-point possession and FSU only a one point lead.
Lumanu gave a foul on the inbounds pass, and FSU’s Ward hit her last two free throws on the day, giving the Seminoles a three point lead with 6.6 seconds left in the game. There was no doubt who would get the ball, and Alexis Rack drove the ball up the court hoping she had one more trey left in her career as a Mississippi State Lady Bulldog.
Rack threw up the 30-footer, which banged off the back of the goal and back out over the court as time ran out. Mississippi State fell to Florida State 74-71, 10 minutes after Mokango fouled out with 1:10 game time left to play. The Lady Bulldogs fought for every second.
“We came a long way,” Rack said after the game. “We left it all on the court. We played our hardest.”