No. 1 Irish Ground Eagles with 92-63 win

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 1 Notre Dame women’s basketball team earned its 11th consecutive win on Sunday after defeating Boston College, 92-63, inside Purcell Pavilion. The Fighting Irish (18-1, 6-0) received double-doubles from Jackie Young and Jessica Shepard, while Arike Ogunbowale dropped a game high 24 points on the Eagles (13-6, 2-4).
 
“I was disappointed with our guards today to have 15 turnovers out of the 18. I thought the posts really did their job. Other than the turnovers, Jackie had a good game with 13 rebounds. It was great to see her be aggressive and go to the basket,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said.
  
How It Happened
Trailing 14-13 in the first, the Irish ended the quarter on a 19-5 scoring spree to go up 32-19, shooting an efficient 12-of-16. Ogunbowale went 3-for-3 from deep to tally 13 points in the period, while Shepard dished out four assists to go with her five points. Boston College kept it close in the early goings by knocking down 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in the quarter.
 
Mabrey knocked down two early threes in the second as her and Ogunbowale started a combined 6-of-7 from deep, extending Notre Dame’s lead to 43-25. The Irish defense posted a strong performance in the quarter, keeping Boston College off the scoreboard for a 5:18 stretch, in addition to turning 15 first half turnovers into 21 points, ultimately taking a 49-34 lead into the half.
 
The Irish edged out the Eagles 18-16 in the third, boasting a 67-50 lead by the end of the period. Turner and Shepard joined Mabrey and Ogunbowale in double digits in the third with 10 and 11 points, respectively. Ogunbowale surpassed the 20-point threshold for the 12th time this season.
 
Notre Dame found its offensive groove again in the fourth, recording a 14-2 scoring run from the 8:28 mark to 5:41. Jordan Nixon added four late points, sending Irish fans home happy with free Big Macs before reaching the 92-63 final.
 
Young grabbed a season high 13 rebounds, one shy of her career high, to go with her 18 points. It marked her highest scoring output since the junior scored 21 points vs Binghamton on Dec. 16. Meanwhile, Shepard tied her season high of six assists for the third time this season and earned her second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Player of the Game
Ogunbowale tied her season high of three made treys in the first quarter alone, tallying 13 points in the period. The senior finished with a game high 24 points, marking her 12th and ACC leading 20-plus scoring performance of the season. Ogunbowale also set a new career best in steals with five.
 
Stat of the Game
With Young and Shepard both earning double-doubles on the day, it marked the third time this season in which two Irish players notched a double-double in a game. In fact, Shepard has been involved in all three instances, previously vs Gonzaga and DePaul.
  
Notes

  • Notre Dame leads the overall series, 23-5, against Wake Forest, including an unblemished 14-0 mark at home.
  • Irish are 83-3 in ACC play since joining the league at the start of the 2013-14 season.
  • Creeping toward 2,000 points/1,000 rebounds, Shepard brings her career totals to 1,975 points and 1,033 rebounds.
  • The Irish have won 54 consecutive conference games at home, which dates back to their Big East days in 2012.
  • Shepard earned a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It marked her second straight game with a double-double and sixth on the year. It also marked her eighth game with double figure rebounds and third in the last four games.
  • Young notched her third double-double on the year with 18 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Young’s eight career rebounds ties Jewell Loyd for fourth most all-time by a guard.
  • For the third time this season, two Irish players notched a double-double in a game. In fact, Shepard has been involved in all three instances, also earning the mark in contests against Gonzaga and DePaul.
  • Nixon earned her first McBucket of her career, earning the team’s 88th point and sending Irish fans home with free Big Mac coupons. It was the 7th McBucket of the season overall.
  • Ogunbowale set a new career-best five steals to go with her game high 24 points. It marked her 12th 20-plus scoring performance of the season, which continues to lead the ACC.
  • All five starters reached double digits for the sixth time this season.

 
Up Next
The Irish hit the road for a non-conference matchup at No. 20 Tennessee, where they’ll challenge the Lady Volunteers on Thursday, Jan. 24. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN.
 
–ND–