Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey spent the offseason preaching that every member of her nine-player rotation matters.
She surely needed the full group this weekend.
No. 9 Notre Dame (2-0) earned its second win of the season on Saturday, topping California (1-1) 90-79 as part of the first Citi Shamrock Classic, a neutral-site contest held in St. Louis this year. The Irish jumped out to an early lead, scoring 31 points and shooting 73.3 percent in the first quarter.
Then the road got a bit bumpier for Notre Dame, although Ivey confidently dismissed that she was ever concerned.
“There was no worry,” the third-year head coach said when asked about a game that was a little tighter than she may have wanted down the stretch.
Foul trouble does not begin to describe what unfolded at the Enterprise Center. Between the two teams, eight players finished with four or five fouls. Five of them donned the blue and gold, forcing Ivey to rely heavily on her bench. Junior starter Maddy Westbeld had two fouls less than three minutes into play. There were a total of 59 by the conclusion of the game, and Notre Dame finished with 30 made free throws for the first time since 2015.
The Bears’ foul trouble came later in the 40 minutes, allowing head coach Charmin Smith to keep her starters on the floor deeper into the contest. With 7:19 to play, Cal cut Notre Dame’s lead to 65-62. The Irish needed a stop and a bucket or two.
As she did earlier this week against Northern Illinois, forward Nat Marshall stepped up down low. The junior had nine points and a career-high six rebounds, four of which came on the offensive side of the court.
When the clock hit zero, five Irish players had scored in double figures. For the second straight week, Westbeld, Olivia Miles and Dara Mabrey were among those with 10+ points. Miles, who averaged 7.4 assists per game last year, posted 10 assists on Saturday.
Cal superstar and 2021-22 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Jayda Curry caused some issues for the Irish, finishing with 24 points including a 4-9 mark from behind the arc. She played nearly 38 minutes for the Bears, while no other member of the team eclipsed 30.
Ivey will take the win, but that’s not really what the weekend was about.
While they battled on the court, the teams came together off of it in a series of Friday events celebrating women’s empowerment and leadership, with special attention paid to locations important in the basketball journeys of both Ivey and Smith. The women are St. Louis natives.
On Friday, the teams practiced at the high schools of both coaches; Ivey attended Cor Jesu Academy, while Smith went to Ladue. The Irish team was greeted by hundreds of Cor Jesu high schoolers who enjoyed the end of basketball practice, a performance from the Notre Dame band and a speech from Ivey. The cheering from the students in specially made Cor Jesu-Niele Ivey shirts was deafening.
“Seeing all of the red shirts in the stands, I was like ‘Dang, she’s got a whole army here,’” Miles said after the game with a laugh. “It was really cool to experience that with her. Basketball brings people together.”
After a stop at a lunch with keynote speaker Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the teams headed to the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club on the north side of St. Louis where both Ivey and Smith grew up playing basketball. They spoke with adolescents about their own basketball careers, juggling academics and athletics, and chasing dreams. Dozens of attendees lined up to have posters of both squads autographed. Several attended Saturday’s game as well.
“It’s important to give back,” Miles added. “That’s why we were at the Boys & Girls Club spending time with these children and girls who want to play basketball just like us. It’s really special.”
Up next, No. 9 Notre Dame heads on the road for the second consecutive game, as the Irish face Northwestern in Evanston on Wednesday. The game tips off at 9 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. Notre Dame is 2-1 all time against the Wildcats.