By Staff
Jacqueline Batteast tied a career-high 27 points to lead the Notre Dame women's team to a 59-46 win over Middle Tennessee State Tuesday night, advancing the Irish to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Batteast, an All-American Honorable Mention selection, made 13 field goals and missed her only free-throw attempt.
The Irish (21-10) led by just three points at halftime but pulled away from the Raiders (24-8) in the second half.
Notre Dame, the No. 5 seed in the East Regional, will play against No. 1 Penn State in the regional semifinal game Saturday at noon in Hartford, Conn., at the Hartford Civic Center. The game will be televised live ESPN.
Connecticut will take on UC Santa Barbara in the other regional semifinal, with the winners scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN for a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans.