| GAME 13 | NOTRE DAME AT MIAMI |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | THURSDAY, DEC. 29 | 6 PM E.T. |
| WHERE: | CORAL GABLES, FL | WATSCO CENTER |
| WATCH: | ACCN |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| NOTES: | ND NOTES |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — No. 5 Notre Dame women’s basketball (10-1, 1-0) has one final challenge sitting between the team and 2023. That obstacle comes in the form of ACC foe Miami (7-5, 0-1).
The Hurricanes, who are led by veteran coach Katie Meier, have spent the last few months trying to build upon a deep run into the 2022 ACC Tournament. It’s been rocky so far — Miami has lost two-straight games to in-state rivals Florida and Florida State — but they have shown glimmers of formidable play.
Miami is posting 78.3 points per game, but scoring defense has held them back. The Hurricanes rank 13th in the conference in that category, allowing 63.2 points each time they tip off. Miami finished fourth in the ACC in scoring defense last year, ending with a mark of 58.4.
This season, no one player has emerged as the clear statistical leader. In each of the five major categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks — a different Hurricane leads. Forward Destiny Harden and guard Haley Cavinder are most consistent when it comes to points (12.6 and 11.9 per game, respectively). Cavinder, Ja’Leah Williams and Latasha Lattimore have each put up at least 25 points in a game this year, a testament to the balance Meier has on this team.
Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey has the Irish sitting with just one loss through non-conference play and hopes to continue the dominance into the new year.
It seems a different player shines every night, but one thing remains relatively constant: Olivia Miles. The sophomore guard had her first performance with fewer than 10 points this year against Western Michigan, but a closer look at her 12 assists shows why she scored fewer buckets than usual. She is now atop the ACC with 7.6 assists per game , and Notre Dame leads the ACC as a team with 18.5. Miles has also posted four games this year with 10+ assists, and just two other ACC players have more than two such games on the year.
Junior Maddy Westbeld is coming off of a career performance from behind the arc, going 3-6 from three-point range and finishing with 23 points. She has had at least eight rebounds in six games this season, and she’s tied for third in the conference with 1.8 blocks per game. Ivey said Westbeld returned from offseason overseas play with a newfound confidence, and it appears those lessons are translating to the court for the Irish.
Notre Dame-Miami tips off at 6:00 p.m. ET on the ACC Network. The Irish are 23-6 all-time against the Hurricanes, but they fell 57-54 the last time the teams faced off, which was last spring’s ACC Tournament.