| GAME 26 | LOUISVILLE AT NO. 10 NOTRE DAME |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | THURSDAY, FEB. 16 | 7 PM ET |
| WHERE: | SOUTH BEND, IN | PURCELL PAVILION |
| WATCH: | ESPN |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| NOTES: | ND NOTES |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
| TICKETS: | BUY TICKETS |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Kryptonite is the word that comes to mind.
On Thursday, No. 10 Notre Dame (20-4, 11-3) welcomes Louisville (19-8, 10-4) to South Bend to continue what started as a Big East rivalry and has carried over into the ACC. The Cardinals have beaten the Irish six consecutive times, including a demolition last year in Purcell. Notre Dame is determined to right that wrong.
“It’s an opportunity to bounce back from the two losses last year,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said on Wednesday. “We both get up for this game. It’s a battle. They have a different lineup this year, but they always have a great inside and outside presence.”
Louisville is led by junior Hailey Van Lith. Like Irish star Olivia Miles, Van Lith also finds herself on several national late season watch lists. The 5-7 guard averages 19.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. But she’s hardly the only player in head coach Jeff Walz’s arsenal.
Forward Olivia Cochran leads the Cardinals in the rebounding category (7.0), and guard Mykasa Robinson is the assists leader (3.6). Louisville also boasts Chrislynn Carr, who was the ACC Player of the Week on Dec. 26. The options are nearly endless.
Luckily, Ivey has a multitude of weapons at her own disposal. In addition to Miles, the team’s leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals, both Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld have been relatively hot as of late. Four different players have been Notre Dame’s leading scorer over its last eight games.
While center Lauren Ebo remains day-to-day, forward Kylee Watson had what was likely her best game of the year on Sunday. The 6-4 forward led the team with 15 points and tied for the team lead with 7 boards. Both Watson and freshman Cassandre Prosper have shown flashes of shutdown defense in recent weeks, combining for 9 blocks over the last four games. Each one of them has posted a 3-block game in that span.
Thursday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN and begins at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased here. Notre Dame is 16-12 all-time against Louisville.