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Notre Dame dominates at home in regional semifinal

Mar 29, 2014 - 9:09 PM Notre Dame, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Natalie Achonwa scored a game-high 23 points as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ran away with an 89-72 win over the Cowgirls of Oklahoma State in the semifinals of the Notre Dame Regional at the Joyce Center.

Achonwa converted 10-of-13 shots from the floor for top-seeded and second- ranked Notre Dame (35-0) as it remained undefeated. She also cleared seven rebounds, handed out six assists and rejected five shots in order to overcome eight turnovers on the day.

Jewell Loyd was responsible for 20 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, followed by Kayla McBride with 18 points, although she shot just 7-of-19 from the field for the hosts.

Oklahoma State (25-9), the fifth seed in the region, was paced by Tiffany Bias who registered a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 11 assists, followed by LaShawn Jones and Brittany Atkins with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

The Irish, who now have a 27-game home winning streak, opened the meeting on a 20-5 run and led by as many as 17 in the first half before logging a 49-35 advantage at the break. The hosts were 55.6 percent accurate from the floor in the first half, compared to 42.9 percent for the Cowgirls.

Oklahoma State, which never led in the meeting, dipped to only 38.9 percent accuracy from the field after intermission, including 1-of-7 behind the 3- point line, as the squad conceded the decision.

Notre Dame shot 3-of-8 beyond the arc on the afternoon and held a 46-36 advantage on the glass.

The Irish will be back in action on Monday night in the regional final versus the Baylor Lady Bears who defeated Kentucky earlier on Saturday by a score of 90-72.