Two nights after A&M defeated Stanford in the Final Four 63-62 on a last second layup by White, The Tyra Show continued as she hit a 3-pointer that will put her down in Aggie lore forever.
In college basketball, an entire season can be defined by one shining moment, and for Texas A&M junior guard Tyra White, the 2011 Women’s NCAA Tournament put her on the big stage as she hit the winning shot of the National Championship game against Notre Dame en route to a 76-70 victory on Tuesday night.
“We had a bad 10 minutes in the first half; we found a way to come back, and Danielle [Adams] got the ball inside,” said Head Coach Gary Blair. “We follow through; we don’t give up.
We might not play the prettiest game in the world, but it’s good for women’s basketball to have Texas A&M and Notre Dame in this game. I’m just so proud of my kids.”
With 1:07 left in Tuesday’s game, the Aggies were faced with an inbounds pass but were down to only two seconds on the shot clock. Senior guard Sydney Colson tossed the inbounds pass to White who caught and released a cold-blooded 3-point shot with a hand in her face, draining the shot to give A&M a 73-68 lead.
“Me and my team couldn’t let our seniors (Colson and Adams) leave without winning a national championship,” White said. “We had to send them off in the right way, and baby, we sure did.”
“That was the knife in my heart. That was the game,” said Irish coach Muffet McGraw of White’s 3-pointer. “I thought that was just an amazing play on White’s part, and that play was the game.”
Although slightly overshadowed by Adams, who had a team high of 30 points, White still managed 18 points including two free-throws to seal the victory for A&M.
White was 7-of-9 from the field and completed her only 3-point shot of the game to give the Aggies the trophy. Her performances in the tournament may not have been the highest scoring on the team, but the shots she made will forever be remembered as the ones that won the Aggies their first national championship.