NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- The No. 5 University of Notre Dame women's basketball team topped North Carolina, 94-62, on Thursday night for program win No. 950.
Marina Mabrey collected a season-high 25 points and eight assists, spurring Notre Dame's best passing game of the season against the Tar Heels (14-8, 4-5). The Irish (21-2, 9-1), which totaled a season-best 28 assists, won their 20th straight at Purcell Pavilion.
"We played pretty well defensively," Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Women's Basketball Head Coach Muffet McGraw said. "We were identifying the shooters and had some great awareness.
"Koko gave us great minutes as always off the bench. She showed great energy, great momentum, and she shot the ball well. She really settles us down when she's in the game."
How It Happened
Notre Dame opened the game with an 11-2 run, during which the Irish shot 5-for-7 from the field, all resulting in the Tar Heels calling a timeout just under two minutes into the contest. By the end of the period, the Irish claimed a 26-11 lead, earning nine assists on 11 field goals.
The Irish defense continued its pressure in the second quarter, forcing a North Carolina scoring drought that lasted 3:43 midway through the second period, then later creating another drought over the final 2:42 of the quarter. All-in-all, the Irish limited the Tar Heels to four points in the final 6:56.
Marina Mabrey (16 points) and Arike Ogunbowale (13 points) each had double digit points by the midway point, as Notre Dame took a 51-21 advantage into halftime.
Notre Dame entered the fourth quarter with a 69-37 lead. Ogunbowale connected on three straight three-pointers to begin the period, giving her a season-high-tying four threes in the game. Kristina Nelson and Danielle Patterson combined to score the next 11 points and send the Irish to a 94-62 victory over North Carolina.
Player of the Game
Marina Mabrey recorded a season-high 25 points with eight assists against North Carolina. Mabrey, who tallied 16 first-half points, turned in her sixth game of the season with 20-plus points and third in the last five games. Mabrey shot 9-for-15 from the field as her nine made field goals tied her season high.
Stat of the Game
Notre Dame dished out a season-high 28 assists as a team on Thursday. The Irish were led by Marina Mabrey's season high tying eight assists in the game.
Notes
Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 7-1, over North Carolina, and have won five straight. The Irish are 3-0 at home against the Tar Heels.
Today's victory marked the 950th in program history.
Irish are 71-3 all-time in ACC play.
Irish have won 20-straight inside Purcell Pavilion.
Irish have won 47 consecutive conference games at home.
Arike Ogunbowale's 24 points marks her 15th game of 20-plus points, which leads the ACC. Ogunbowale reached a season high of five assists for the third time.
With 11 points tonight, Kristina Nelson has reached double-digits for two straight games.
The Irish have shot over 50 percent in seven of the last nine halves.
Irish defense has forced over 20 turnovers in four of the last six games.
With 37 seconds left in the game, Nicole Benz connected on a three-pointer, securing her first basket of her collegiate career.
Mabrey has tied her season high of five steals for the fourth time in the past seven games.
Shepard's six assists tied her career high for the third time.
Last two home conference games, the Irish have won by an average margin of 42.5 points.
Up Next
The Irish return to the bright lights and national spotlight of ESPN2 this Sunday when they travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to challenge No. 19 Duke at 1 p.m. ET.
--ND--
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
30 Jaelynn Murray...... f 2-3 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 5 4 0 2 1 0 12
44 Janelle Bailey...... c 4-14 0-0 3-6 6 4 10 4 11 1 3 2 1 37
01 Taylor Koenen....... g 4-16 0-3 0-0 4 6 10 2 8 3 3 0 0 38
10 Jamie Cherry........ g 5-11 3-7 2-2 1 1 2 4 15 6 5 0 3 39
22 Paris Kea........... g 5-16 3-7 0-0 0 4 4 1 13 3 5 0 3 35
04 Jocelyn Jones....... 1-4 0-0 2-2 3 3 6 1 4 1 0 0 0 7
11 Emily Sullivan...... 2-2 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 1 4 0 1 2 1 13
15 Olivia Smith........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
20 Leah Church......... 1-4 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 14
34 Naomi Van Nes....... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
TEAM................ 2 2 4 1
Totals.............. 24-70 7-21 7-10 20 21 41 18 62 14 22 5 8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 9-33 27.3% 2nd Half: 15-37 40.5% Game: 34.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-10 20.0% 2nd Half: 5-11 45.5% Game: 33.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 1-2 50.0% 2nd Half: 6-8 75.0% Game: 70.0% 2
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
23 Jessica Shepard..... f 3-6 0-0 2-6 3 5 8 1 8 6 3 1 1 24
33 Kathryn Westbeld.... f 3-5 0-1 0-0 2 3 5 0 6 2 0 0 0 23
03 Marina Mabrey....... g 9-15 3-7 4-4 2 3 5 1 25 8 2 1 5 32
05 Jackie Young........ g 3-11 0-0 1-4 3 3 6 0 7 4 2 0 3 31
24 Arike Ogunbowale.... g 9-18 4-8 2-2 2 3 5 1 24 5 1 0 4 31
02 Kaitlin Cole........ 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 8
20 Nicole Benz......... 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4
21 Kristina Nelson..... 5-6 0-0 1-1 1 4 5 4 11 2 3 1 1 24
32 Danielle Patterson.. 3-6 0-0 2-6 1 1 2 0 8 1 1 0 1 17
40 Maureen Butler...... 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 6
TEAM................ 5 3 8
Totals.............. 37-72 8-20 12-23 19 27 46 8 94 28 13 3 16 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 21-39 53.8% 2nd Half: 16-33 48.5% Game: 51.4% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-6 50.0% 2nd Half: 5-14 35.7% Game: 40.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 6-8 75.0% 2nd Half: 6-15 40.0% Game: 52.2% 6
Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
North Carolina................ 11 10 16 25 - 62
Notre Dame.................... 26 25 18 25 - 94
SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame is really something these days.
More specifically, the Irish keep punishing their opponents by 30-something.
Ruling from the get-go and even reaching this latest 30-point margin by halftime, No. 5-ranked Notre Dame pounded North Carolina, 94-62, in women’s college basketball Thursday night at Purcell Pavilion for its sixth straight victory.
"Notre Dame is a great team; offensively they are just incredible," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "Defensively, they are deceptive, more than you think they are. We turned the ball over a lot (22), which we haven't been doing. They exposed our youth, our inexperience, our weaknesses."
Marina Mabrey scored a season-high 25 points — all within the first three quarters — and added season highs of eight assists and five steals, as the Irish improved to 21-2 overall, 9-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
ND is tied atop the ACC with Louisville, which cruised by host Virginia on Thursday in a battle of the other 8-1 league clubs.
Arike Ogunbowale added 24 points for the Irish to go with five assists and four steals, and Kristina Nelson netted 11 points off the bench.
"I think the past two games we really showed how we can share the ball and that's nice to see," Mabrey said.
ND forward Kathryn Westbeld was poked in the right eye late in the third quarter and the eye later swelled shut. Coach Muffet McGraw said afterwards that Westbeld is “day-to-day.”
"We've had a doctor and an opthalmologist look at her already," McGraw said. "There's no structural damage. It's just swollen shut. So she'll be day-to-day."
Notre Dame captured its fourth straight win of 30 or more points, tying a program record within conference play. The 1998-99 squad originated the feat with Big East victories over Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse and Providence.
The overall mark for consecutive 30-point wins is five, achieved early in the 2014-15 season.
The Irish were sharp at both ends of the court from the outset.
They set up several easy baskets in transition with takeaways out of their aggressive 2-3 zone, and they crisply found mismatches and open scoring angles on offense.
In the process, they finished with a season-high 28 assists, including six by Jessica Shepard, who matched her career high.
"I like the unselfishness we showed out there," McGraw said.
"I thought we played very well defensively through the first three quarters. Our (2-3) zone was good and we identified their shooters. Defensively, we are more committed and we're playing harder on defense."
Notre Dame built a 51-21 advantage by halftime.
A 9-0 run gave the Irish an 11-2 lead in the opening 2:30. They added two spurts of 7-0 in the second quarter, then closed that period with another 9-0 run.
Mabrey had 16 points and three steals by the half. Ogunbowale added 13 points, all five of her assists and three steals by the break, while Shepard had eight points, eight rebounds and five of her assists before Notre Dame headed back to the locker room.
ND outscored the Tar Heels 30-4 in paint points, 10-0 in fast-break points and 15-3 in points off turnovers in the opening half.
The Irish hit 21-of-39 field goals in the half for 54 percent to the Heels’ 9-of-33 for 27 percent, and outrebounded the visitors 28-15.
"They are always good offensively," Hatchell remarked. "They have excellent size and their system is very good. You take one thing away and they make you pay for it somewhere else."
North Carolina was paced by Jamie Cherry with 15 points, Paris Kea with 13 and Janelle Bailey with 11. Also the Heels’ three top scorers were held more than 12 points below their collective average of 51.3, and they didn’t pick up 26 of their combined 39 until the second half.
Notre Dame, which won its 20th consecutive home game, visits No. 19 Duke for a 1 p.m. contest Sunday on ESPN2.It’s ND’s last encounter of the regular season against a team that’s currently ranked.
After that game, the Irish are off until hosting Georgia Tech on Feb. 11, their lone one-week idle stretch of the ACC season.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown (Previous School)
2 Haley Gorecki G 6-0 RSo. Palatine, Ill. (William Fremd)
4 Lexie Brown G 5-9 RSr. Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett/Maryland)
5 Leaonna Odom F 6-2 So. Lompoc, Calif. (Chaminade)
11 Sofia Roma C 6-2 RJr. Richmond Hill, N.Y. (Wagner College)
12 Mikayla Boykin G 5-9 Fr. Clinton, N.C. (Clinton)
14 Faith Suggs G/F 6-1 Jr. Flossmoor, Ill. (Homewood Flossmoor)
15 Kyra Lambert G 5-9 Jr. Cibolo, Texas (Samuel Clemens)
21 Bego Faz Davalos C 6-3 RSr. San Luis Potosi, Mexico (Technologico De Monterrey)
23 Rebecca Greenwell G 6-1 RSr. Owensboro, Ky. (Owensboro Catholic)
25 Jade Williams F/C 6-5 Fr. The Colony, Texas (The Colony)
30 Emily Schubert C 6-4 RFr. Elizabethton, Tenn. (Elizabethton)
32 Jayda Adams G 6-0 Fr. Irvine, Calif. (Mater Dei)
35 Erin Mathias F/C 6-4 Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. (Fox Chapel Area)
44 Madison Treece F 6-4 Fr. St. Peters, Mo. (Rock Bridge)
FG Made-Attem 4-13 5-19
Field Goal % 30.8 26.3
3PT Made-Atte 1-4 2-6
Three Point % 25.0 33.3
FT Made-Attem 4-6 0-0
Free Throw % 66.7 0.0
Total Rebounds 9 15
Offensive Rebs 1 7
Defensive Rebs 8 8
Team Rebounds 0 0
Assists 4 2
Steals 3 3
Blocks 1 2
Turnovers 4 5
Team Turnovers 0 0
Total Turnovers 4 5
Personal Fouls 1 4
Technical Fouls 0 0
Flagrant Fouls 0 0
STARTERS FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
J. Shepard F 0-1 0-0 2-2 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2
K. Westbeld F 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 2
M. Mabrey G 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 3
A. Ogunbowale G 0-5 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
J. Young G 1-1 0-0 2-4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4
BENCH FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
K. Nelson F 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 2
L. Thompson G 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K. Cole G 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
N. Benz G 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TEAM 4-13 1-4 4-6 1 8 9 4 3 1 4 1 13
30.8% 25.0% 66.7%
STARTERS FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
E. Mathias F 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
J. Williams F 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 2
B. Faz Davalos C 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
R. Greenwell G 2-4 2-3 0-0 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 1 6
L. Brown G 1-4 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 2
BENCH FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
L. Odom F 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2
F. Suggs F 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
S. Roma C 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
H. Gorecki G 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
M. Boykin G 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TEAM 5-19 2-6 0-0 7 8 15 2 3 2 5 4 12
26.3% 33.3% 0.0%