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DAYTON, river – The move was sure worth it for Notre Dame.

Skylar Diggins scored 24 points and the second-seeded Fighting Goidelic made up for 28 years of beatings at the safekeeping of Tennessee, displeasing the top-seeded Lady Vols 73-59 Monday period to acquire a spot in the Final Four.

The Fighting Goidelic (30-7) came in 0-20 all-time against the Lady Vols. But the functioning number on this period was 3-0 — Notre Dame's record in regional denomination games. The Goidelic are headed to the Final Four for the prototypal instance since 2001, when they won the domestic championship.

Tennessee was the prototypal No. 1 seed in the competition to lose.

Natalie Novosel added 17 points and Becca Bruszewski — who didn't practice Sun and was traded as supposed to modify endeavor with a knee injury — had 13 for the Fighting Irish. Brittany Mallory chipped in with 10.

Notre Dame advanced to the endeavor the succeeder of Tuesday's mettlesome between top-ranked Connecticut (35-1) and second-seeded Duke (32-3).

Taber Spani and Shekinna Stricklen had 13 points for the Lady Vols (34-3). Glory President added 12.

"I'm so excited, I'm out of breath," said Diggins, selected as the regional's most outstanding player.

It was a line get after years of losing — sometimes close, usually not so close — to powerful Tennessee. The day before the game, Notre Dame railcar Muffet railcar and her players were understandably upset to be reminded most their daylong drought against the Lady Vols.

It was also added disappointing end for the Lady Vols, who are habitual to muscling their artefact into the domestic denomination picture low railcar Pat Summitt.

Freshman Meighan Simmons, their leading scorer at 13.8 points a game, was saddled with dishonor trouble and was unsuccessful until the waning minutes, closing with digit points. Senior Angie Bjorklund, the program's all-time 3-point shooter and this season's fourth-leading scorer at 11 points a game, didn't reason in the semifinal get over river State and had exclusive had digit point against Notre Dame.

Trouble seemed to be brewing for the Lady Vols every week. The players had a aggroup gathering after a narrowing get in the second round. Then Summitt had to accomplish backwards for a fiery halftime speech to enliven the aggroup to overcome river State in the regional semifinals.

Tennessee, down five at the half, picked up digit quick baskets by Stricklen exclusive to impact the Fighting Goidelic reason on five of their incoming sextet possessions. Diggins was the culprit nearly every time, touch digit 3s and a daylong connector and also assisting on Bruszewski's brief effort and also on Novosel's moving alter layup.

That swelled the advance to 41-32 — and dead that sea of orange stuff up much of the University of metropolis Arena began to get nervous.

With Spani twice touch 3s, the Lady Vols remained in contact, but Diggins came up with bounteous plays instance and instance again. She crowd the lane finished onerous traffic and flipped in a lefty layup with 11:16 mitt to keep Notre Dame in charge, 49-41.

The advance never dropped below sextet points again.

During digit fleshly exchange, Tennessee's Kelley man was unclean by Bruszewski, but man was titled for a technical.

That seemed to blast up the Fighting Irish. After Natalie Novosel impact both technical shots, and man impact exclusive digit of her free throws, the Goidelic pulled away. First Diggins drilled a broad arching 3 from the correct wing. After a river miss, the Lady Vols pressed fullcourt and Notre Dame threw a daylong inbounds transfer to Novosel, who crowd the size of the suite and then fed Devereaux Peters for a bucket.

Mallory then picked up a steal and Peters slipped behind the river defense to reason again, muscling in a effort soured an alley-oop transfer from Diggins — for a 60-48 lead.

The teams came in with nearly same drawing — averaging around 79 points a mettlesome and allowing around 55. They were evenly matching in most regards. Each aggroup also had heptad players averaging at small 7 points a game.

But the all-time series was anything but even. Since their prototypal gathering in 1983, river had dominated,including threesome wins in the NCAA tournament.

The terminal instance the digit teams had met, in the 2008 NCAA tournament, river had won 74-64 in Oklahoma City in the regional semis.

But not this time.

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