Notre Dame forward Natalie Achonwa (11) blocks a shot by Oklahoma State guard Tiffany Bias (3) as guard Jewell Loyd, at rear, helps to defend during their regional semifinal in the NCAA basketball tournament at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, March 29, 2014.SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Natalie Achonwa and Notre Dame put a quick end to Oklahoma State’s hopes of winning its first NCAA Tournament semifinal regional game.
Achonwa got the Fighting Irish going early and never let up as she finished with 23 and Jewell Loyd added 20 to lead the Fighting Irish to an 89-72 victory over the Cowgirls on Saturday, matching Oklahoma State’s second biggest loss of the season.
Notre Dame (35-0) is a victory away from its fifth straight Final Four berth, while the Cowgirls (25-9) fell to 0-3 in regional semifinals.
The Irish jumped to a 14-0 lead in the opening 3:31, capped by a three-point play by Achonwa, as the Cowgirls missed their first six shots. The Cowgirls later used a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 24-14, but that was as close as they got.
Achonwa was 10-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds, six assists, five blocks and two steals, although she also had eight of Notre Dame’s 12 turnovers. The Irish outscored the Cowgirls 42-34 in the paint and had a 46-36 advantage in rebounds.