West Lafayette, IN (My Sportsbook) - Ashley Barlow's double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds led the fifth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish past the 12th-seeded SMU Mustangs, 75-62, in the first round of the Oklahoma City Region of the NCAA Tournament. Becca Bruszewski added 16 points for Notre Dame (24-8), which will now take on the fourth-seeded Oklahoma Sooners in second round play. Lindsay Schrader tallied 12 points, while Charel Allen contributed a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Janielle Dodds and Jillian Samuels tallied 15 points apiece for SMU (24-9), while Brittany Gilliam chipped in 12 points in the losing effort. The Fighting Irish went into the break with a 36-32 lead, thanks to a 40.5 percent shooting effort from the field and a 6-of-7 clip from the foul line. Notre Dame never really felt pressure from the Mustangs in the second stanza, and used a 13-of-17 showing from the charity stripe en route to the 13-point win. |
