Nov. 25, 2014
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Inside The Game: #2/2 Notre Dame 112, Quinnipiac 52
November 25, 2014 – Notre Dame, Indiana (Purcell Pavilion)
It Was Over When: The Fighting Irish opened the game on a 15-0 run, punctuated with a layup from freshman forward Brianna Turner just 3:15 into the game.
Game Balls Go To: One night after going a combined two for 16 from the field for 14 points, the talented twosome of Turner and junior All-America guard Jewell Loyd (who was named to the Wooden Award and Wade Trophy watch lists in the past 24 hours) shot a combined 16 for 21 from the field, and 11 for 12 from the free-throw line for 43 points. The duo also added nine rebounds, three assists, five steals and a block.
Unsung Hero: Coming off the bench for 16 minutes, freshman forward Kathryn Westbeld tallied her first career double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The Kettering, Ohio, native also grabbed seven offensive rebounds, made six free throws and dished out three assists.
Unofficial Play(s) Of The Game: After Loyd buried a jumper to put the Fighting Irish up 80-43 with 10:25 remaining, freshman guard Mychal Johnson stole the ensuing inbounds pass and quickly passed to Loyd for a contested layup eight seconds later, bringing the Purcell Pavilion crowd to its feet and forcing a Quinnipiac timeout.
Honorable Mention Play Of The Game: Quinnipiac’s Adily Martucci seemed to have an open look at a three-pointer in the left corner, but Loyd came flying out of nowhere to cleanly block the shot out of bounds with 14:17 left in the game.
Stat Of The Game: For the third time in seven games (included the exhibition win over Ferris State on Nov. 5) this season, the Fighting Irish won the opening tip and immediately made a basket, as sophomore forward Taya Reimer nailed a jumper off a pass from Loyd. In the exhibition game against Ferris State, it was Reimer to Loyd, with the same pair connecting in the Holy Cross win on Sunday night. The Fighting Irish also have missed shots off the opening tip in three other games. The Nov. 19 win at No. 15/17 Michigan State marked the only time Notre Dame failed to attempt a shot directly after winning the opening tip.
Additional Notes: Hours before tipoff, Notre Dame ascended to the top spot in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today coaches’ poll, the first time the Fighting Irish have been ranked No. 1 in either major national poll since April 1, 2001, following Notre Dame’s 68-66 win over Purdue in St. Louis to earn the program’s first NCAA national championship … Notre Dame is the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to reach No. 1 in the polls since March 12, 2007 (Duke) … Notre Dame’s 112 points on Tuesday were the fifth-most points scored in a single game in program history (third-most in a home game) and most since Dec. 31, 2012, when the Fighting Irish defeated Saint Francis (Pa.), 128-55, at Purcell Pavilion … it was the third 100-point game this season for Notre Dame, which has now reached triple digits 13 times in the past three-plus seasons (2011-12 to present) after scoring 100 points in a game only 13 times in the program’s first 34 seasons … prior to 2012-13, Notre Dame had never had more than three 100-point games in one season, something it has now done in each of the past three campaigns, although never before in the opening six games of a season, as is the case in 2014-15 … the Fighting Irish made 32 free-throws, tying for seventh-most in a single game in school history (tying for fifth-most in a home game) and most since Jan. 15, 2013, when Notre Dame went 35 for 38 from the line against Georgetown at Purcell Pavilion … Notre Dame’s 40 free-throw attempts tied for 10th-most for a single game in program history and most since Dec. 30, 2011, when the Fighting Irish tried a school-record 52 foul shots (making 43) at Mercer … Notre Dame extends its home winning streak to 33 consecutive games, as well as its regular-season winning streak to 58 games and its success string against unranked opponents (in the Associated Press poll) to 56 consecutive games … the Fighting Irish have won 37 of their last 41 regular-season tournament games, dating back to the 1996-97 season … Notre Dame is 48-3 (.941) against first-time opponents since 2000-01, including an active 24-game winning streak … the Fighting Irish also have won 37 in a row at home against new foes since 1995-96 … Notre Dame improves to 6-0 all-time against the current Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) alignment … the Fighting Irish are 87-14 (.861) in the month of November since 1995-96 and have won 24 of their last 25 November games … for the third consecutive game, Notre Dame not only had five double-figure scorers, but all 12 players in uniform found the scoring column … Westbeld posted her first career double-double, highlighted by a career-best 12 rebounds (most by a Fighting Irish player in a game this season) … Johnson had career highs of seven assists (no turnovers) and four steals … Turner notched her second career 20-point game (she had 29 in her college debut against UMass Lowell on Nov. 14) … Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw raised her 33-year coaching record to 757-259 (.745), tying for 12th place on the NCAA all-divisions career victories list with Phil Kahler, who compiled a 757-171 (.816) record at NCAA Division III St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, from 1974-2008.
Up Next For The Fighting Irish: Notre Dame wraps up play in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge as part of the event’s “showcase day” at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday against Kansas in Uncasville, Connecticut, at Mohegan Sun Arena, home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 , while radio coverage will be provided on South Bend’s Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) as well as through the official Notre Dame athletics multimedia platform, WatchND.
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director