Notre Dame forward Natalie Achonwa drives the lane as Baylor center Sune Agbuke defends in the first half of their NCAA women's college basketball tournament regional final game at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind., Monday March 31, 2014. Canadian Achonwa is out for the season with a knee injury after leading Notre Dame to the women's basketball Final Four. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Joe Raymond
April 01, 2014 - 12:04 PM
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Canadian Natalie Achonwa is out for the season with a knee injury after leading Notre Dame to the women's basketball Final Four.
The 21-year-old from Guelph, Ont., suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament with about five minutes left in the team's 88-69 victory over Baylor on Monday night.
The injury is a big blow to both the unbeaten Fighting Irish (36-0), and Canada's women's national team. Achonwa had planned to play for Canada at the FIBA world championships in the fall.
"Natalie has been an extremely valuable contributor to our success, not only this season but throughout her career, and that won't change," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said on the team's website. "While she may not be in uniform, her voice will be heard loud and clear in the locker-room, on the bench and in the huddle. I know that our team is going to continue to feed off her energy, passion and leadership as we head into the Final Four."
Achonwa, a senior, had 19 points and 15 rebounds before leaving what will be her final college appearance.
Achonwa started 33 games for the Fighting Irish this season, posting career-high averages in scoring (14.9 points a game), field goal percentage (.611), assists (2.8) and blocked shots (1.2). She also grabbed a team-high 7.7 rebounds a night and recorded eight double-doubles.
Earlier on Tuesday, Achonwa was named a third-team All-America selection by the Associated Press.
Achonwa led No. 2 Notre Dame to the Final Four for the four consecutive season and the sixth time in program history.
Achonwa was a member of Canada's 2012 Olympic women's basketball team.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014