COLUMBUS, Ohio — Of course it ended this way: nothing easily won, no breathing room, nothing decided until the final second, and then the great release of victory.

A riveting women’s Final Four ended on Sunday for Notre Dame just as the semifinals had on Friday, with guard Arike Ogunbowale hitting a late, rescuing jump shot, this time giving the Irish their second N.C.A.A. championship with a 61-58 victory over Mississippi State.

With three seconds remaining and the score tied, Notre Dame had possession after Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State’s 6-foot-7 center, committed her fifth foul during a wild scramble at midcourt to prevent the Irish from getting a wide-open layup.

McCowan had stolen the ball, but her teammate Morgan William lost it when she collided with Notre Dame’s Marina Mabrey. Mississippi State fans will insist into perpetuity that William was fouled. But, as William said later, “No whistle, so it wasn’t a foul.”