| GAME 24 | PITTSBURGH AT NO. 10 NOTRE DAME |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | THURSDAY, FEB. 9 | 6 PM ET |
| WHERE: | SOUTH BEND, IN | PURCELL PAVILION |
| WATCH: | ACCN |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| NOTES: | ND NOTES |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
| TICKETS: | BUY TICKETS |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Outside of Louisville, Pittsburgh (8-15, 1-11) is the only ACC team No. 10 Notre Dame (18-4, 9-3) has yet to face this season. They’ll get them twice in the next 10 days, with a first matchup coming Thursday at Purcell Pavilion.
The Panthers, who are led by fifth-year head coach Lance White, have struggled mightily since the start of conference play. Pittsburgh earned its first ACC win on Sunday, a home victory over Virginia. They have won just one game away from home all season.
The group is struggling to click on both sides of the ball. Pittsburgh ranks 13th in the ACC in scoring offense (63.3 ppg) and 14th in scoring defense (67.0 ppg). The Panthers are the only team in the league with an overall negative scoring margin (-3.7).
Forward Amber Brown is pacing the group with 10.1 points per game, and she has nine double-doubles this season. Liatu King, a 6-0 junior forward averaging 10.0 points per game, has 36 blocks on the year. That mark ranks fifth in the ACC.
White’s bench players have been huge contributors this season. The non-starters had 37 points against the Cavaliers and have posted seven performances this year of 30+ points. That is a program record.
“They always play hard,” said Niele Ivey, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach. “They have a lot of different rotations and different line ups for which we have to prepare.”
Brown is the only player who has started every game for the Panthers this year.
Turning to Notre Dame, Ivey is 3-0 against Pittsburgh with a most recent win coming Jan. 23, 2022 by a score of 77-63. She will look to get her team back on track after a home loss to Duke last weekend, 57-52. It was Notre Dame’s second-lowest offensive output this year, and there were several holes in the Irish defense.
Rebounding has been Notre Dame’s lifeblood recently. The Irish have a rebounding margin of +11.5, up 6.8 from last season. They are 14-2 when they win the rebounding battle and just 4-2 when they are out-rebounded. Four players — Olivia Miles (7.1), Lauren Ebo (7.0), Maddy Westbeld (6.5) and Sonia Citron (6.1) — are averaging at least 6 boards a game. No other ACC team has four or more, and Boston College is the only team with three women in that category.
Pitt-Notre Dame tips off at 6 p.m. ET on the ACC Network. The Irish lead the all-time series 32-4 and have never lost to the former Big East rivals at home.