SALT LAKE CITY – Natalie Novosel scored 17 points and Devereaux Peters had her ninth career double-double to lead Notre Dame to a 77-64 victory Monday night over Temple and advance the Irish to the Sweet 16 for the 10th time.
Peters finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Skylar Diggins added 15 points for Notre Dame (28-7), while Becca Bruszewski had 12 and Natalie Achonwa 10 off the bench.
Shey Peddy led the Owls with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, and Kristen McCarthy added 16 points. Temple (24-9) has lost all five of its second-round games.
The Owls tried to make a game of it, pulling within 52-47 on a 3-pointer by McCarthy wth 13:19 left.
But they were outscored 10-0 over the next 3 minutes to make it a 15-point game. They got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Last year the Fighting Irish lost in overtime to Oklahoma in the regional semifinals.
"I feel a lot better right now than I did after that last game," Notre Dame's Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw of a tough first-round matchup against a feisty Utah team. "We're getting in the flow now."
The Irish won this one with its inside game, led by Big East Defensive Player of the Year Peters, who dominated down low. They held a 44-20 advantage on points in the paint.
Notre Dame led 41-29 at halftime and improved to 26-0 when leading at the half this season.
The Irish dominated in just about every category in the first half. They held an edge in shooting (59.3 percent to 33.3 percent), in rebounding (18-16) and points in the paint (22-8).
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