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Achonwa scores 23, Notre Dame women jumped to 14-0 lead en route to 89-72 win over Oklahoma St

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Notre Dame forward Natalie Achonwa (11) is fouled by Oklahoma State center LaShawn Jones (55) during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, March 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (The Associated Press)

Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd (32) shoots as Oklahoma State guard Tiffany Bias (3) defends during the first half of a regional semifinal in the NCAA college basketball tournament at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, March 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (The Associated Press)

Natalie Achonwa got Notre Dame going early and never let up as she finished with 23 points and Jewell Loyd added 20 to lead the Fighting Irish to an 89-72 victory over Oklahoma State in a regional semifinal on Saturday.

Notre Dame (35-0) is a victory away from its fifth straight Final Four berth, while the Cowgirls (25-9) missed a chance to advance to a regional final for the first time in school history. They fell to 0-3 in regional semifinals.

To get to the Final Four, the Irish will have to beat Baylor, the last team to knockoff Notre Dame at home.

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.