NOTRE DAME — For the first four minutes of the regional semifinal, Notre Dame erased the memory of a slow start against Arizona State in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

But a lackluster performance over the final 36 minutes left the sold out crowd wondering what might happen in Monday night’s regional championship game against Baylor.

While the undefeated Fighting Irish were never in any trouble against Oklahoma State in their 89-72 victory, it was not the kind of performance that strikes fear into the hearts of the Bears, who are 4-0 all-time against Notre Dame.

Baylor advanced to the championship game with a 90-72 win over Kentucky (see related story).

The Fighting Irish and Bears will square off in Purcell Pavilion with a trip to the Final Four in Nashville, Tenn. hanging in the balance.

Notre Dame got out of the blocks fast, scoring the first 14 points of the game. Senior center Natalie Achonwa fueled that run by scoring half of those points, blocking two shots, grabbing a pair of rebounds and dishing out an assist.

Fighting Irish coach Muffet McGraw credited the fast start to her team feeding off the crowd.

“I thought the crowd set the tone today,” McGraw said. “There was no question when we came out to see the sea of green, to hear the excitement, to feel the electricity. That was a phenomenal atmosphere for a game. I thought the roof might come off the crowd was so loud.”

McGraw was also quick to credit the play of Achonwa.

“She was running the floor and scoring in transition,” she said. “We were finding her inside off the pick and roll. She got us out to a great start. She looked so determined.”

It looked like it was going to be an easy afternoon for the Fighting Irish, but Oklahoma State battled and hung around the remainder of the game.

While the Cowgirls never were able to cut the lead back under double digits, they did make sure Notre Dame never felt all that comfortable about its advantage.

“I don’t know if we were a little bit in awe or not, but it did seem like we were a step behind in everything we did the first five or six minutes,” Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell said. “I thought after the first six or seven minutes of the game we played more like we are capable of playing.”

Notre Dame was able to push its leads to 20 points briefly in the second half, but it remained between 13 and 18 points for much of the remainder of the contest.

Achonwa finished the game with 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five blocks.

The Fighting Irish also got 20 points and 12 rebounds from Jewell Loyd and 18 points from Kayla McBride.

Oklahoma State was led by point guard Tiffany Bias, who ended her collegiate career with 17 points and 11 assists. LaShawn Jones added 16 points for the Cowgirls.

 

OKLAHOMA STATE 72

Roshunda Johnson 2-4 0-0 5, Lindsay Bias 7-16 2-2 17, Liz Donohoe 2-6 1-1 5, Brittney Martin 3-15 0-0 6, Lashawn Jones 8-15 0-1 16, Brittany Atkins 4-10 3-3 13, Lakota Beatty 0-0 0-0 0, Kendra Suttles 2-3 4-5 8, Kamri Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Katelyn Loecker 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 29-71 10-12 72

 

NOTRE DAME 89

Natalie Achonwa 10-13 3-5 23, Lindsay Allen 1-2 3-4 5, Kayla McBride 7-19 2-2 18, Jewell Loyd 9-16 1-1 20, Ariel Braker 0-3 2-2 2, Whitney Holloway 0-0 1-2 1, Kristina Nelson 0-0 0-0 0, Taya Reimer 1-3 2-4 4, Madison Cable 3-5 2-2 8, Michaela Mabrey 1-2 0-0 2, Hannah Huffman 0-1 0-0 0, Markisha Wright 2-3 2-4 6. Totals 34-67 18-26 89

 

Halftime: Notre Dame 49-35. 3-point baskets: Oklahoma St. 4-14 (Atkins 2, Johnson 1, Bias 1), Notre Dame 3-8 (McBride 2, Loyd 1). Total Fouls (fouled out): Oklahoma St. 22 (none), Notre Dame 13 (none). Records: Oklahoma States 25-9, Notre Dame 35-0. Attendance: 8,774