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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish Topple UConn for Second Straight Year

By Jordan Small

TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 05: Brianna Turner #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish grabs the rebound from Napheesa Collier #24 of the UConn Huskies during the fourth quarter in the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four at Amalie Arena on April 05, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 05: Brianna Turner #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish grabs the rebound from Napheesa Collier #24 of the UConn Huskies during the fourth quarter in the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four at Amalie Arena on April 05, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame women’s basketball team was back in action on Friday as they faced UConn in the Final Four for the second straight season.

After beating Stanford on Monday, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team traveled to Tampa for the Final Four. They took down UConn 81-76 to advance to the National Championship game to take on Baylor. Arike Ogunbowale led all Irish scorers with 23 points. Jessica Shepard added 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Double-Doubles Galore

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Irish got it done. Notre Dame had all five players in double figures for the first time all tournament. Marina Mabrey had a personal tournament high 12 points and 12 assists. Jessica Shepard and Brianna Turner both added double-doubles and helped the Irish on the glass to come away with the victory. Turner had 15 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks while Shepard had 20 points, 13 boards, and seven assists. And while they did not add double-doubles themselves, Arike Ogunbowale and Jackie Young both added 34 points and 11 rebounds between them. It was the first time all tournament that there was a complete team effort and it paid off for the Irish.

Brianna Turner comes up huge for the Irish in the fourth

Last season, when the Irish beat UConn in the Final Four, Brianna Turner was sitting on the bench due to injury. There is no question that she was ready for the opportunity to step out onto the court and compete for the Irish a year later. Late in the fourth quarter, Turner came up with a huge block that led to Ogunbowale going to the line to put the Irish up by five. She then grab a crucial defensive rebound on the next possession that led to her scoring a free throw to put the Irish up by six. Then at the end, Turner sealed the deal with with two more free throws. The biggest block of her time at Notre Dame was the 371 of her career, making her the all-time leader in Irish history.

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Next Up

The Irish will take on Baylor in the National Championship game on Sunday evening. The game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN.

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