CHICAGO (AP) -- Skylar Diggins finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and No. 2 Notre Dame won its 20th straight, beating DePaul 84-56 on Sunday.
Jewell Loyd added 19 points. Kayla McBride scored 16, and and Fighting Irish (25-1, 13-0 Big East) cruised to another easy victory. Their only loss was to Baylor in early December, and DePaul never (18-9, 7-6) never had a chance in this one.
Notre Dame took control right from the start and never looked back, winning by 20 or more for the fourth straight game while sending the Blue Demons to their second straight blowout loss. The Fighting Irish still have some big hurdles to clear if they're going to stay unbeaten in conference play, with Syracuse up next and Connecticut looming in the finale after a trip to Providence. But they sure are looking good at the moment.
The Irish forced 21 turnovers and held DePaul to 33.3-percent shooting.
Diggins, second on Notre Dame's career scoring list, had her second career triple-double and fell one rebound shy of her personal best.
Loyd hit 8 of 15 shots. McBride was 7 of 13 from the field. Natalie Achonwa added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Notre Dame beat DePaul for the eighth time in nine games to tie the all-time series at 19 apiece.
It was another rough day for DePaul, which has been hit hard by injuries this season and was coming off an 81-55 loss to Louisville.
Brittany Hrynko scored 15 points but shot just 4 of 19, and the Blue Demons lost for the fourth time in six games.
It was clear right from the start that Notre Dame was simply too quick, too athletic, and by the time the half ended, they had a 40-17 lead. It didn't help DePaul that leading scorer Anna Martin missed her eighth straight game because of a left knee injury.
Even so, the Fighting Irish were simply on another level.
They smothered DePaul on defense, turning nine turnovers by the Blue Demons into 14 points, and had their way on offense. Diggins scored 13 in the half, while McBride and Loyd poured in 12 apiece.
The Irish jumped out to a 14-4 lead with DePaul coughing it up four times and ended the half on a 10-0 run, with Loyd burying a 3 at the buzzer after some neat ball movement.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Saturday, March 9 2013 11:07 PM EST2013-03-10 04:07:45 GMT
Gorgui Dieng had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to help No. 8 Louisville earn a share of the Big East Conference title with a 73-57 victory over No. 24 Notre Dame on Saturday.
Gorgui Dieng had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to help No. 8 Louisville earn a share of the Big East Conference title with a 73-57 victory over No. 24 Notre Dame on Saturday.
Thursday, May 2 2013 8:40 PM EDT2013-05-03 00:40:55 GMT
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says "all eyes are on" Cowboys Stadium after the $1.2 billion showplace was announced as the first venue for the national championship game in the new playoff format.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says "all eyes are on" Cowboys Stadium after the $1.2 billion showplace was announced as the first venue for the national championship game in the new playoff format.
Monday, March 18 2013 12:49 AM EDT2013-03-18 04:49:25 GMT
Notre Dame has earned its sixth NCAA tournament bid in the last seven seasons. The Fighting Irish are the seventh seed in the West Region and will face No. 10 seed Iowa State on Friday.
Notre Dame has earned its sixth NCAA tournament bid in the last seven seasons. The Fighting Irish are the seventh seed in the West Region and will face No. 10 seed Iowa State on Friday.
Friday, March 15 2013 10:58 AM EDT2013-03-15 14:58:48 GMT
Pat Connaughton scored 18 points on six 3-pointers and Jack Cooley had two big offensive rebounds in Notre Dame's game-changing run as the 24th-ranked Fighting Irish beat No. 12 Marquette 73-65 on Thursday night...
Pat Connaughton scored 18 points on six 3-pointers and Jack Cooley had two big offensive rebounds in Notre Dame's game-changing run as the 24th-ranked Fighting Irish beat No. 12 Marquette 73-65 on Thursday night to reach...
Saturday, March 9 2013 11:05 PM EST2013-03-10 04:05:56 GMT
J.J. Moore scored 21 points off the bench and No. 20 Pittsburgh shot a school-record 72 percent to beat DePaul 81-66 on Saturday in the Panthers' last Big East regular-season game.
J.J. Moore scored 21 points off the bench and No. 20 Pittsburgh shot a school-record 72 percent to beat DePaul 81-66 on Saturday in the Panthers' last Big East regular-season game.
Thursday, May 16 2013 8:15 PM EDT2013-05-17 00:15:59 GMT
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is announced a multi-million dollar renovation plan Thursday that includes remodeling Navy Pier and building a 10,000-seat basketball arena near McCormick Place
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is announced a multi-million dollar renovation plan Thursday that includes remodeling Navy Pier and building a 10,000-seat basketball arena near McCormick Place
Wednesday, March 13 2013 9:23 AM EDT2013-03-13 13:23:22 GMT
Wally Judge hit all nine of his shots and scored a season-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, leading Rutgers to a 76-57 victory over DePaul on Tuesday night in the first round of the Big East tournament.
Wally Judge hit all nine of his shots and scored a season-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, leading Rutgers to a 76-57 victory over DePaul on Tuesday night in the first round of the Big East tournament.
Sunday, March 10 2013 9:59 PM EDT2013-03-11 01:59:31 GMT
Breanna Stewart scored 21 points to lead a balanced offense and No. 3 Connecticut bounced back from its loss to Notre Dame with a 94-61 win over DePaul in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament Sunday night.
Breanna Stewart scored 21 points to lead a balanced offense and No. 3 Connecticut bounced back from its loss to Notre Dame with a 94-61 win over DePaul in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament Sunday night.
Wednesday, March 6 2013 8:38 PM EST2013-03-07 01:38:18 GMT
Brandon Triche and James Southerland combined for 37 points in the final home game of their careers, and No. 17 Syracuse beat DePaul 78-57 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Brandon Triche and James Southerland combined for 37 points in the final home game of their careers, and No. 17 Syracuse beat DePaul 78-57 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Sunday, March 3 2013 9:28 PM EST2013-03-04 02:28:16 GMT
Toarlyn Fitzpatrick scored 19 points, Anthony Collins and Victor Rudd both added 16 and South Florida stopped a 10-game losing streak by beating DePaul 83-73 Sunday.
Toarlyn Fitzpatrick scored 19 points, Anthony Collins and Victor Rudd both added 16 and South Florida stopped a 10-game losing streak by beating DePaul 83-73 Sunday.
