PITTSBURGH, Pa. — If there were any questions about how the Irish would come out after an emotional Thursday night win over Louisville, they put them to rest on Sunday.
No. 10 Notre Dame (22-4, 13-3) eviscerated Pittsburgh (10-17, 3-13) this afternoon, 83-43. It is the Irish’s largest margin of victory in a conference game since February 2019, and it is tied for the program’s eighth-largest victory ever over an ACC opponent.
“On both defense and offense, it was a great overall team performance,” said Niele Ivey, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach. “I knew this was going to be a hard game after [Thursday], so I told the team to not be complacent and to make sure we come out locked in. They were like that from the beginning.”
It was complete domination from the tip, as Notre Dame jumped out to a 24-8 lead in the first quarter and allowed just 16 points through 20 minutes. Pittsburgh did not hit a shot from deep until the final frame and shot just 28.1 percent on the day. The Panthers turned the ball over 17 times, and Notre Dame scored 25 off of those mishaps.
A Panthers staple this year has been their bench scoring, and they had posted 50+ bench points in back-to-back games coming into Sunday. Notre Dame held their non-starters to just 21. Panthers guard Dayshanette Harris carved up the Irish when the Panthers visited Notre Dame on Feb. 9, posting 20 points. She had 1 on Sunday.
On the offensive side for Notre Dame, there were contributions from everyone. Seven players had at least 8 points. Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron paced the team with 13 each. Citron continues to have the hot hand from deep, hitting her first three attempts from behind the arc and finishing 3-4.
Olivia Miles had 10 points and 11 rebounds to grab her 10th double-double of the year. The Notre Dame record for a guard is held by Jackie Young (12). The ACC assist leader also had 5 assists.
Notre Dame’s bench players saw significant time, including more than 17 minutes from Jenna Brown. Brown had 9 points including her first 3-pointer in an Irish uniform. She went 3-5 from the floor in total.
“Coach Ivey has been preaching to stay ready and make sure we are paying attention all year,” Brown said. “That way we can see where we can take advantage of the game when we come in. The bench did a great job, but I also think the starters did a great job of setting the tone.”
She added a shoutout to freshman KK Bransford, whose steal and subsequent bucket got the scoring started on Sunday. She finished with 8 points and a career-high 4 assists.
Notre Dame will host its final regular season game on Thursday, as the Irish welcome Georgia Tech to Purcell Pavilion for senior night. The game will be televised on regional sports networks and will tip off at 6 p.m.