Notre Dame rallies in 2nd half to top Gonzaga

Natalie Novosel scored a career-high 27 points and No. 16 Notre Dame beat Gonzaga 70-61 on Wednesday night in Seattle.

Skylar Diggins added 19 for Notre Dame (10-3), including a clinching 3-pointer from the corner with 1:46 remaining that put the Irish up by seven.

“Right now that’s the best win on our tournament resume,” said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, whose team won its fifth consecutive game since losing to Baylor on Dec. 1.

Gonzaga, which advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with two wins in Seattle last March, used a balanced offense to lead by two at the half and four midway through the second half.

Notre Dame encountered another problem when forward Devereaux Peters picked up a technical for her fourth personal foul with 17:01 left in the second half.

But Novosel helped pick up the slack with an assortment of drives into the lane, and the Irish were able to hang tough despite turning the ball over 26 times.

Peters came back in to convert a putback with 6 minutes remaining to give Notre Dame a 60-57 lead, and Novosel then drew contact while rolling in a layup for a three-point play that put the Irish up by six with just 5:08 to play.

The junior guard converted 8 of 11 shots from the field and was 9 for 9 from the free-throw line.

“She’s our leading scorer and she had just a great game and really looked to score,” McGraw said. “Which is what we want her to do. Crucial free throws, just an outstanding game.”

GU was able to claw back to within four with 2:35 remaining, but Diggins made her third 3-pointer of the game to end the threat.

Kayla Standish had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (10-4).

CC Spokane 63, Wenatchee Valley 48: Brooke Randall scored a game-high 15 points and added four assists and five steals as the Sasquatch (10-2) beat the Knights (7-5) in the championship game of the Lady Triton Winter Classic in Edmonds, Wash.

Amanda Buttrey and Megan Tullis each added 12 points and five rebounds for CCS, which outscored the Knights (7-5) 36-24 in the second half to pull away late.Randall and Korrie Bourn were both named to the all-tournament team, with Randall earning tournament MVP.

Carroll 72, Whitworth 49: Alysha Green tallied a game-high 21 points and added eight assists as the Saints (12-3) rolled past the Pirates (5-5) in Helena.

The Pirates were led by Emily Travis’ 14 points.

Whitworth shot just 22.6 percent from the floor in the second half, allowing Carroll to pull away.