SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A complete effort from start to finish. There is no more appropriate way to put it.
On Sunday, No. 7 Notre Dame (7-1) hosted No. 3 UConn (6-1) at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish walked away with a dominant 74-60 victory, beating the Huskies on Notre Dame’s home court for the first time since 2013.
After a long buildup celebrating one of college athletics’ best rivalries, the two teams took the floor fired up and in front of a sold out crowd. UConn’s Nika Muhl hit a pair of threes to give the Huskies an early four-point lead. It would be their largest of the game, and they led for just over five minutes total.
The rest of the night belonged to Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey’s team, who was coming off of a two-point loss at the buzzer to Maryland on Thursday.
“I knew it was going to be an incredible matchup,” Ivey said after the game. “Two of the best women’s basketball programs in the country. It’s an honor. I’m so proud of this group.
“If we can [continue to] play that way, we can beat anyone in the country.”
Star point guard Olivia Miles was unstoppable to start, scoring Notre Dame’s first seven points and making dynamic passes. She knew UConn would crash the paint quickly and efficiently, and she responded accordingly.
“I was just being aggressive to see who was coming over so I could time it right to hit one of my teammates,” Miles said.
A couple of subsequent baskets from Dara Mabrey and others gave the Irish a 41-24 lead at the break. Notre Dame shot 65.4 percent in the first half, the first time the Irish eclipsed 65 percent over a 30-minute span since January 2021. The Huskies’ 24 points was tied for their third-fewest in a half since the 2017-18 season.
“I felt throwing them off with a different rhythm would help,” Ivey said. “We felt like the game plan defensively really worked today.”
UConn sophomore Azzi Fudd left the game with a lower body injury early, and she ultimately played just 13 total minutes. Connecticut made a push to start the third quarter, going on a 10-0 run by the midway point of Q3. At one point, the Huskies cut the lead to five with the help of Lou Lopez Senechal, who finished with 21 points.
Ivey’s team appeared relatively un-rattled and led by 12 once again as the fourth quarter began. When the clock was under 30 seconds, Notre Dame was able to run it out with a 14-point lead as a rowdy crowd exploded and Miles threw up her arms in celebration.
Five Notre Dame players finished with at least 10 points. Miles posted 21. It was Miles and Maddy Westbeld who led with four assists a piece, and Westbeld tied her season high with nine rebounds. In total, the Irish out-rebounded UConn 39-26. There were no double-doubles, a testament to the balance Ivey has on her team.
Notre Dame has a break until Thursday when the Irish head to Eastern Pennsylvania to take on Lafayette. The game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+. It will be the first meeting between the two teams.