Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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career double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds. The other two members of Notre Dame's "Big Three" — wings Kayla McBride (22 points and nine assists) and Jewell Loyd (19 points and seven re- bounds) — found their rhythm in the second half. March 29: Notre Dame 89, Oklahoma State 71 In front of its roaring home crowd, Notre Dame built a 14-0 advantage in the first 3:41 before the Cowgirls settled in and played almost even thereafter. Achonwa stuffed the stat sheet again with a game-high 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor, seven rebounds, six assists, a career-high five blocked shots and two steals. Loyd tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth career double-double, March 31: Notre Dame 88, Baylor 69 The epitome of a Pyrrhic victory when Achonwa (19 points and 15 rebounds) tore her ACL while being fouled on a drive to the basket with 4:51 left in the game. After Baylor cut the Irish lead to 65-60 at the 7:34 mark, Achonwa be- gan a crucial 8-0 Irish run with two free throws. Notre Dame converted 19 of 20 free throws in the second half and 30 of 33 overall. Loyd was named the Notre Dame Re- gional MVP with a 30-point performance. Baylor's own All-American, senior guard Odyssey Sims, the nation's second-leading scorer, tallied 33 points and six assists. April 6: Notre Dame 87, Maryland 61 Minus Achonwa, McBride tallied 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor while also grabbing seven rebounds, but the story of the game was on the backboards, where the Irish held a 50-21 advantage. Five different Irish players pulled down at least five rebounds, led by junior Markisha Wright's nine to go with her 12 points, six of them on put-backs. Loyd also had nine rebounds to complement her 16 points. "I don't think I've ever been prouder of my team," Irish head coach Muffet McGraw said. "This is a team that is com- pletely united." — Lou Somogyi In her final game with the Irish, forward Natalie Achonwa tallied 19 points and 15 rebounds before tearing her ACL with 4:51 left in the 88-69 victory over Baylor in the Elite Eight. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND