ND Women's BB '18 -'19 Season

[Irish#1]

After the WTF game against UConn, then ladies are rolling. Muffet doing her usual brilliant work.

 

[arrowryan]

Muffet has always had really good guard play. But the play from her bigs this year has been special and it is probably the best in the country. Jess is a bull, Turner seems to be looking like her old self, and Vaughn/Patterson are much better options off the bench than what they had in the past.

 

[Old Man Mike]

The two constants that this team has (so far) are an unstoppable aggressive Jess (if we just go to her --- note that this often happens to get us started in beginnings) and an overall do-all Jackie. That's not a bad foundation.

Then there's who-the-heck-knows-what's-coming Arike: If she's hot and sane, then we win right there. If she's not, then Muffet and Marina will have to be on their games. When Marina is hot and getting shots, we probably win without Arike being hot (as long as A is not gunning too much --- and then Jackie and Jess can usually clean up our act on many of those misses.)

Brianna's going to be effective or not depending on the game apparently. She has always been a little soft but I'm hoping for consistent aggression as her career closes out --- we've seen this in lots of athletes. Jess bossing the paint helps her; and Jess willing to high-low pass to her helps hugely.

Thank goodness one or the other of Vaughn or Patterson seem to come to play each game lately --- oddly not ever the same game. But they are giving us good minutes now. Fingers-crossed on that.

What we need BADLY is some on-court relief for the guards, or just to sit Arike when she's having one of her crazy gunning fits. Nixon was supposed to do this. I'm nervously still waiting. Though she won't shoot, Abby actually DOES do a good place-holding job while somebody gets a rest --- and is a very tough lady defensively and battling on boards (she's also pretty calm headed when having the ball.) But we can't fool ourselves, we're REALLY thin here.

ND looks like we can beat anyone but not obviously just by showing up. We lack a bit vs really good ball-handling and hawking teams, and we can lack a bit against very physical teams (the threat of Jess getting fouls.) Somehow Muffet must defeat the turnover problem vs really good teams. If we're low on TOs and foul trouble, we probably wear down even UCONN (still the big threat in my opinion) and win.

 

[BabyIrish]

The two constants that this team has (so far) are an unstoppable aggressive Jess (if we just go to her --- note that this often happens to get us started in beginnings) and an overall do-all Jackie. That's not a bad foundation.

Then there's who-the-heck-knows-what's-coming Arike: If she's hot and sane, then we win right there. If she's not, then Muffet and Marina will have to be on their games. When Marina is hot and getting shots, we probably win without Arike being hot (as long as A is not gunning too much --- and then Jackie and Jess can usually clean up our act on many of those misses.)

Brianna's going to be effective or not depending on the game apparently. She has always been a little soft but I'm hoping for consistent aggression as her career closes out --- we've seen this in lots of athletes. Jess bossing the paint helps her; and Jess willing to high-low pass to her helps hugely.

Thank goodness one or the other of Vaughn or Patterson seem to come to play each game lately --- oddly not ever the same game. But they are giving us good minutes now. Fingers-crossed on that.

What we need BADLY is some on-court relief for the guards, or just to sit Arike when she's having one of her crazy gunning fits. Nixon was supposed to do this. I'm nervously still waiting. Though she won't shoot, Abby actually DOES do a good place-holding job while somebody gets a rest --- and is a very tough lady defensively and battling on boards (she's also pretty calm headed when having the ball.) But we can't fool ourselves, we're REALLY thin here.

ND looks like we can beat anyone but not obviously just by showing up. We lack a bit vs really good ball-handling and hawking teams, and we can lack a bit against very physical teams (the threat of Jess getting fouls.) Somehow Muffet must defeat the turnover problem vs really good teams. If we're low on TOs and foul trouble, we probably wear down even UCONN (still the big threat in my opinion) and win.

What’d you think of Mabrey?
To me and my untrained eye I thought it was her best game. Looked aggressive trying to score but also seemed to have good court vision in distributing the ball and setting up offense.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Marina is a terrific player who is mismatched with her position on the floor. Marina is a natural two-guard --- a highly intelligent but foot-slow player who knows exactly how to play the game --- the classic Coach-on-the-floor if the game doesn't get her really angry (which a couple of these have.)

When we had Lindsay Allen, Marina was right where she's best --- a second CoolHand Lucy who could forget the press-breaking duties, and work to get her bombs off. With Lindsay and Jackie, Marina didn't have to always run her butt off chasing a velocipede, but instead lurk like a snake to poach the passing lanes and the unwary dribbler --- she's stunningly good at this. No one watching her lack of speed and visual awkwardness (another real fooler) would ever guess that she's our leading stealing threat when game circumstances allow her to poach.

Marina is a really great college player who will not get the "press" that the show-off talents that her girlfriends have will get them. But after the season is over, listen closely to what Muffet will say about her. That praise is going to be over the top. (after the necessary praises for her All-Americans, who will be Arike and Jess, with Brianna and Jackie mentioned.) Marina is our brains and our glue. Once she completely cools down with her emotions (she's best when she's enjoying being a stone-cold killer), no player will be more important. --- well, maybe Jess.

 

[BGIF]

#1 ND v BC Sunday ACCN

#1 ND v BC Sunday ACCN

Women's Basketball 1/19/2019 12:34:00 PM

Game 19 Preview: Boston College
Irish look to win 11th straight

Game 19: #1/1 Notre Dame (17-1, 5-0) vs. Boston College (13-5, 2-3)
When: Sunday, Jan. 20 | 1:00 pm ET
Where: Notre Dame, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion (9,149)
Watch: ACCN Extra
Listen: Pulse FM 96.9/92.1/103.1 | Bob Nagle (PxP) | Listen Online
Live Scoring: StatBroadcast
Notes: Notre Dame | Boston College
Social: @NDWBB
Promotion: Post-game autograph session with the entire team

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The No. 1 ranked Notre Dame women's basketball team looks to keep its momentum rolling and win its 11th straight when Boston College comes to town on Sunday, Jan. 20. Tip off inside Purcell Pavilion is set for 1 p.m. EST and will stream live on ACCN Extra.

Notre Dame leads the overall series, 22-5, against Boston College with an unblemished 13-0 mark at home.

TIGHTENING UP THE DEFENSE IN ACC PLAY
It started with Pitt on Jan. 3, when the Irish limited the Panthers to 14 first half points - marking the second fewest points allowed in the first half in an ACC contest.

Next, the Irish limited Wake Forest to 15 first half points on Jan. 13. Then, Notre Dame held Virginia Tech to 17 second half points in Blacksburg on Jan. 16.

STARTERS' NUMBERS
Right now, three Irish players all average above 4.0 assists per game and rank within the top-6 in the league. Young leads the way with 4.5 assists/game, followed by 4.2 from Mabrey and 4.0 from Ogunbowale.

Furthermore, all five starters average 12.0 ppg or higher, accounting for 88 percent of the team's scoring.

HEATING UP - SHEPARD
Shepard led the team in scoring for the first time this season at Georgia Tech on Jan. 6, tallying 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds and six assists. The senior then led the squad in scoring yet again on Jan. 16 at Virginia Tech, recording 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, with 11 rebounds and three assists. It marked her fifth double-double on the year and the first in which she scored at least 20 points.

When looking at the last four games, Shepard is shooting 25-of-34 from the field, aka 73.5 percent.

ARIKE, PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF
Arike has certainly found her moments lately to take off in the second half of a game. Back on Dec. 22 at Marquette, Arike scored 15 of her 30 points in the third quarter alone. Against Louisville on Jan. 10, the senior exploded with 26 of her 30 points in the second half, including an astonishing 12 points in the final 40 seconds. Then on Jan. 16 at Virginia Tech, Ogunbowale tallied 12 of her 19 points in just the third quarter.

THREE FROM NO. 3
Could be seeing signs of Notre Dame's No. 3 Marina Mabrey heating up from beyond the arc. Mabrey shot 4-of-7 vs Wake Forest, tying her season high of made threes. Then Mabrey went 3-for-5 at Virginia Tech. Thus the last two games, Mabrey has shot 58.3 percent from deep (7-of-12).

Furthermore, Mabrey sits at 224 career treys, just four behind her sister, Michaela, who holds the No. 4 spot on the all-time list. Right in front of Michaela is Beth Morgan at No. 3 with 231.

BLOCK PARTY
Brianna Turner is turning up the heat in the block department. The graduate student earned a season best five blocks at Virginia Tech on Jan. 16. She now averages 2.3 blocks/game, which leads the ACC and ranks 27th in the nation. Furthermore, Turner is chasing Ruth Riley's all-time mark of 370 at Notre Dame, currently in second place with 304.

-- ND --​

 

[BGIF]

FINAL ND 92 BC 63

FINAL ND 92 BC 63

Notre Dame

STARTERS	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
J. ShepardF	28	4-9	0-0	3-3	4	6	10	6	0	2	3	2	11
B. TurnerF	29	7-10	0-0	2-3	3	5	8	2	1	2	0	3	16
M. MabreyG	26	5-8	3-6	1-2	1	3	4	5	1	0	5	2	14
A. OgunbowalG	30	9-18	3-7	3-4	0	0	0	1	5	0	4	2	24
J. YoungG	34	7-13	0-0	4-5	6	7	13	4	3	1	6	1	18
BENCH	       MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
M. ButlerF	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
D. PattersonF	6	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
D. CosgroveF	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
M. VaughnC	6	0-1	0-0	1-2	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1
N. BenzG	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
J. NixonG	13	1-2	0-0	2-2	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	1	4
A. ProhaskaG	19	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	3	2
TEAM		35-64	6-13	16-21	15	25	40	21	14	6	18	15	92
 		        54.7%	46.2%	76.2%

 

[BGIF]

ND had 18 turnovers ... all committed by 4 Starters.

Jackie 6
Marina 5
Rico 4
Jess 3


Bri and 7 scrubs in 82 minutes of play had ZERO Turnovers.


Jess had a Double, Double 11 pts and 10 rebs. Her 6 assists were 4 short of a Triple, Double.

In addition to her team leading 6 TOs, Jackie had a Double Double pulling down a team high 13 boards, scored 18, and dished 4 Assists.

Rico had a high 24 pts and team high 5 steals.

Mabs was 3-6, and Rico 3-7 from the arc. Team 46.2%

Nobody missed more than one FT.

 

[BGIF]

Ogunbowale leads No. 1 Notre Dame over Boston College 92-63
Jan 20, 2019
Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Final Four MVP Arike Ogunbowale knows No. 1 Notre Dame needs to clean up its act if it hopes to defend its NCAA championship.

"We weren't focused taking care of the ball today," Ogunbowale said after scoring 24 points to lead all five starters in double figures as the Fighting Irish routed Boston College 92-63 Sunday.

Ogunbowale will get no argument from coach Muffet McGraw.

After its 11th straight win, Notre Dame (18-1, 6-0 ACC) takes a break away from the league to visit No. 20 Tennessee on Thursday night in a nationally televised game.

"I was really disappointed with the unforced errors and mental mistakes," McGraw said.

The Fighting Irish had 18 turnovers, including four by Ogunbowale. She contributed five steals and hit 9 of 18 shots, including 3 of 7 3-pointers.

Jackie Young overcame six miscues to have 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jessica Shepard added 11 points, 10 rebounds and a team-high six assists. Brianna Turner finished with 16 points and Marina Mabrey had 14.

Freshman Taylor Soule scored 18 points to lead the Eagles (13-6, 2-4). Freshman Makayla Dickens who had 12 points in the first half but went scoreless in the second.

"Notre Dame is the No. 1 team in the country for a reason," Boston College first-year coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. "When they are open, they knock down their shots. When they had to take over the boards in the fourth quarter to show their domination, they did."

The Irish outrebounded the Eagles 14-6 in the final quarter on way to a 40-31 advantage.

Both teams came out shooting well -- the Irish were 6 of 8 and the Eagles 5 of 7 -- and Boston College led 14-13 on Dickens' 3-pointer with 5:09 left in the first quarter. But it was Boston College's last advantage as Notre Dame used an 11-2 run, highlighted by a pair of Ogunbowale 3-pointers, to lead 32-19 after the first quarter.

The Irish used a 9-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers by Mabrey in building a 20-point lead with 3:04 left before leading 49-34 at halftime.

Ogunbowale's rush to score just before the third-quarter buzzer made it 67-50 despite the Irish hitting just 7 of 18 shots and going without a field goal for more than three minutes.

BIG PICTURE

Boston College: The Eagles' 13-player roster includes eight freshmen, two of them starters in guard Dickens and Marnella Garraud. Dickens had 12 points at halftime with the help of 3-for-3 shooting on 3-pointers. But the Irish shut her out in the second half as she missed all five shots, including two from long distance. With Soule leading the team in scoring, the seven freshmen who played scored 34 points.

"I was happy we came in and didn't back down," Bernabei-McNamee said. "Everyone who played in the game will be back. I thought my team, for being young, played pretty well."

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish entered game averaging 19.6 assists on 33.4 field goals per game. Three players were averaging more than 4 assists per game: Young (4.5), Mabrey (4.2) and Ogunbowale (4.0). Young's assist-turnover ratio was 2.53, with Mabrey next at 2.29. The Irish finished with 21 assists on 35 buckets.

"Offensively, taking care of the ball is going to be the key," McGraw said. "You have to be ready for some pressure defense now. That was 18 turnovers without pressure."

STAYING GROUNDED

The Eagles learned they would be staying another night in South Bend as a winter storm closed airports throughout New England.

"That's not fun," Bernabei-McNamee said.

UP NEXT

Boston College: At Miami on Sunday.

Notre Dame: At No. 20 Tennessee on Thursday.

 

[BGIF]

Boston College	19	15	16	13	63
Notre Dame	32	17	18	25	92

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 1/20/2019 3:22:00 PM

No. 1 Irish Ground Eagles with 92-63 win
Both Young and Shepard earn double-doubles

Next Game: at University of Tennessee
1/24/2019 | 7 PM
ESPN
Pulse FM 96.9/92.1/103.1

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 1 Notre Dame women's basketball team earned its 11th consecutive win on Sunday after defeating Boston College, 92-63, inside Purcell Pavilion. The Fighting Irish (18-1, 6-0) received double-doubles from Jackie Young and Jessica Shepard, while Arike Ogunbowale dropped a game high 24 points on the Eagles (13-6, 2-4).

"I was disappointed with our guards today to have 15 turnovers out of the 18. I thought the posts really did their job. Other than the turnovers, Jackie had a good game with 13 rebounds. It was great to see her be aggressive and go to the basket," Karen & Kevin Keyes Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said.

How It Happened
Trailing 14-13 in the first, the Irish ended the quarter on a 19-5 scoring spree to go up 32-19, shooting an efficient 12-of-16. Ogunbowale went 3-for-3 from deep to tally 13 points in the period, while Shepard dished out four assists to go with her five points. Boston College kept it close in the early goings by knocking down 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in the quarter.

Mabrey knocked down two early threes in the second as her and Ogunbowale started a combined 6-of-7 from deep, extending Notre Dame's lead to 43-25. The Irish defense posted a strong performance in the quarter, keeping Boston College off the scoreboard for a 5:18 stretch, in addition to turning 15 first half turnovers into 21 points, ultimately taking a 49-34 lead into the half.

The Irish edged out the Eagles 18-16 in the third, boasting a 67-50 lead by the end of the period. Turner and Shepard joined Mabrey and Ogunbowale in double digits in the third with 10 and 11 points, respectively. Ogunbowale surpassed the 20-point threshold for the 12th time this season.

Notre Dame found its offensive groove again in the fourth, recording a 14-2 scoring run from the 8:28 mark to 5:41. Jordan Nixon added four late points, sending Irish fans home happy with free Big Macs before reaching the 92-63 final.

Young grabbed a season high 13 rebounds, one shy of her career high, to go with her 18 points. It marked her highest scoring output since the junior scored 21 points vs Binghamton on Dec. 16. Meanwhile, Shepard tied her season high of six assists for the third time this season and earned her second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Player of the Game
Ogunbowale tied her season high of three made treys in the first quarter alone, tallying 13 points in the period. The senior finished with a game high 24 points, marking her 12th and ACC leading 20-plus scoring performance of the season. Ogunbowale also set a new career best in steals with five.

Stat of the Game
With Young and Shepard both earning double-doubles on the day, it marked the third time this season in which two Irish players notched a double-double in a game. In fact, Shepard has been involved in all three instances, previously vs Gonzaga and DePaul.

Notes

• Notre Dame leads the overall series, 23-5, against Wake Forest, including an unblemished 14-0 mark at home.
• Irish are 83-3 in ACC play since joining the league at the start of the 2013-14 season.
• Creeping toward 2,000 points/1,000 rebounds, Shepard brings her career totals to 1,975 points and 1,033 rebounds.
• The Irish have won 54 consecutive conference games at home, which dates back to their Big East days in 2012.
• Shepard earned a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It marked her second straight game with a double-double and sixth on the year. It also marked her eighth game with double figure rebounds and third in the last four games.
• Young notched her third double-double on the year with 18 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Young's eight career rebounds ties Jewell Loyd for fourth most all-time by a guard.
• For the third time this season, two Irish players notched a double-double in a game. In fact, Shepard has been involved in all three instances, also earning the mark in contests against Gonzaga and DePaul.
• Nixon earned her first McBucket of her career, earning the team's 88th point and sending Irish fans home with free Big Mac coupons. It was the 7th McBucket of the season overall.
• Ogunbowale set a new career-best five steals to go with her game high 24 points. It marked her 12th 20-plus scoring performance of the season, which continues to lead the ACC.
• All five starters reached double digits for the sixth time this season.

Up Next
The Irish hit the road for a non-conference matchup at No. 20 Tennessee, where they'll challenge the Lady Volunteers on Thursday, Jan. 24. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN.

--ND--​

 

[BGIF]

#1 ND loses 1 First Place Vote in Week 12 AP Poll

#1 ND loses 1 First Place Vote in Week 12 AP Poll

ND lost a First Place Vote to Baylor whipping both opponents easily. Despite that the loss of that 25 point #1 vote, ND only lost one point in the Totals apparently picking up a 2nd place vote as an offset. Con fell out of their #2 Tie with BU as the Bears added the #1 vote ND lost.

Maryland was the only team dropping out of last week's Top 10. Oregon St moved up to #9 as apparently the votes were cast before their Double OT lost to ASU Sunday night.
Marquette moved up 4 slots to #10.

Texas and SYR dropped a slot while RU had the big move, up 6 slots. Zags dropped 5 and the Gamecocks 4. MSU had the biggest loss falling 6 slots.

ND's next opponent, UTN fell into the ORV category as did earlier opponent DePaul.

RK	TEAM REC PTS TREND
1 Notre Dame (22) 18-1 735 -
2 Baylor (7) 15-1 713 -
3 UConn (1) 16-1 703 -1
4 Louisville 17-1 651 -
5 Oregon 17-1 623 -
6 Stanford 16-1 608 -
7 Miss St 17-1 578 -
8 NC St 18-0 549 -
9 Oregon St 15-3 472 1
10 Marquette 16-3 460 4
11 Maryland 16-2 442 -2
12 Texas 15-3 376 -1
13 Syracuse 15-3 358 -1
14 Rutgers 15-3 343 6
15 Kentucky 16-3 331 1
16 Arizona St 13-5 265 3
17 Iowa 14-4 261 5
18 Gonzaga 17-2 258 -5
19 So Car 12-5 245 -4
20 Iowa St 14-4 145 -2
21 Utah 16-1 138 5
22 Florida St 16-2 134 4
23 Michigan St 13-5 109 -6
24 Texas A&M 14-4 45 2
25 Missouri 15-4 43 1

Others receiving votes: BYU 32, UTN 23, MIN 21, UCF 20, Drake 20, Clemson 11, So. Dakota 11, CAL 9, DePaul 8, Miami 6, Boise St 3, Indiana 1

Dropped from rankings: UTN 20, MIN 23, DePaul 24, Indiana 25

 

[BGIF]

Coaches Poll Week 12

Coaches Poll Week 12

RK    TEAM REC PTS TREND
1 Notre Dame (26) 18-1 791 -
2 UConn (4) 16-1 760 -
3 Baylor (2) 15-1 739 -
4 Louisville 17-1 694 -
5 Oregon 17-1 676 -
6 Miss St 17-1 635 -
7 Stanford 16-1 617 -
8 NC State 18-0 590 -
9 Marquette 16-3 513 4
10 Maryland 16-2 469 -1
11 Oregon St 15-3 468 -1
12 Kentucky 16-3 398 3
13 Texas 15-3 385 -2
14 Syracuse 15-3 361 -2
15 Iowa 14-4 342 3
16 Arizona St 13-5 332 -
17 Gonzaga 17-2 284 -3
18 Rutgers 15-3 241 5
19 Florida St 16-2 237 2
20 So Carolina 13-5 210 -
21 Michigan St 13-5 153 1
22 Iowa State 14-4 148 -3
23 Miami 16-4 52 3
24 Utah 16-1 51 2
25 Texas A&M 14-4 43 1

Others receiving votes: CAL 35, Drake 35, UCF 31, Missouri 26, UTN 24, DePaul 16, New Mexico 10, UAB 9, So. Dakota 7, Purdue 6, MIN 4, CMU 3, Troy 1, Boise St 1, Clemson 1, Alabama 1, Butler 1

Dropped from rankings: Tennessee 17, DePaul 24, MIN 25

 

[BGIF]

#1 ND @ Tennessee Thursday 7 pm ET ESPN/WatchESPN

#1 ND @ Tennessee Thursday 7 pm ET ESPN/WatchESPN

Women's Basketball 1/23/2019 10:34:00 AM

Game 20 Preview: Tennessee
#1 Irish renew rivalry in Knoxville

Game 20: #1/1 Notre Dame (18-1, 6-0) vs. Tennessee (12-6, 1-5)
When: Thursday, Jan. 24 | 7:00 pm ET
Where: Knoxville, Tenn. | Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678)
Watch: ESPN | WatchESPN Link | Adam Amin, Rebecca Lobo, Kara Lawson, Holly Rowe
Listen: Pulse FM 96.9/92.1/103.1 | Bob Nagle (PxP) | Listen Online
Live Scoring: Click Here
Notes: Notre Dame | Tennessee
Social: @NDWBB

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - No. 1 Notre Dame women's basketball renews its rivalry with Tennessee on Thursday, Jan. 24, when the Irish make the trip to Knoxville. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET, inside Thompson-Boling Arena, with the game airing live on ESPN.

Tennessee leads the all-time series, 21-7, as the Lady Vols boast a 9-2 record in Knoxville. The two last met on Jan. 18, 2018, when the Irish recorded the largest comeback in program history, rallying down 23 points to defeat Tennessee, 84-70.

TEAM OF ALL-AMERICANS
Coach McGraw has often stated that she boasts a team of All-Americans and any starter can step up on a given day. The four senior starters are all projected to go in the first and second round of this year's WNBA Draft, with Young a projected pick for 2020. In addition, the starting five represent 88.7 percent of the team's scoring.

What's important to note when comparing the five to other All-American candidates is how well this team spreads the wealth. All five starters average over 13 points/game. The team averages 19.6 assists/game which ranks seventh in the nation.

Also keep in mind, Notre Dame's starters have accomplished great numbers against the nation's No. 1 rated strength of schedule, in the No. 1 RPI ranked conference with the ACC and with the No. 1 ranked overall team RPI.

SCORING IN A FLASH
Notre Dame loves to push the tempo and run on the opposing defense. The Irish are averaging over 17 fast break points per game, which ranks sixth in the country.

Rank	Team	     FB PPG
1.	Marquette	24.3
2.	New Mexico	24.1
3.	Michigan St	20.4
4.	Northern Ill	18.4
5.	Coastal Carol	18.3
6.	Notre Dame	17.9

SHEPARD HEATING UP
- Two straight games with a double-double
- Three straight games with double digit points
- Three out of the last four games with double digit rebounds
- In those four games, Shepard has shot 29-for-43 aka 67.4 percent

Shepard led the team in scoring for the first time this season at Georgia Tech on Jan. 6, tallying 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds and six assists. The senior then led the squad in scoring yet again on Jan. 16 at Virginia Tech, recording 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, with 11 rebounds and three assists.

2,000 POINTS & 1,000 REBOUNDS
Shepard is quickly approaching a very rare milestone in 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Entering Thursday's game, Shepard boasts 1,975 points and 1,033 rebounds, which rank 14th and 13th respectively among active D1 players.

The only Irish player to ever achieve this impressive feat was 2001 graduate Ruth Riley, who garnered 2,072 points and 1,007 rebounds.

ARIKE, PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF
Ogunbowale has certainly found her moments lately to take off in a quarter of a game:

Dec. 22 at Marquette - Arike scored 15 of her 32 points in the third quarter alone.
Jan. 10 vs Louisville - scored 19 of her 30 points in the fourth, including 12 in the final 40 seconds
Jan. 16 at Virginia Tech - scored 12 of her 19 points in the third quarter
Jan. 20 vs Boston College - scored 13 of her 24 points in the first quarter, going 3-for-3 from deep in the period

THREE FROM NO. 3
Notre Dame's No. 3 Marina Mabrey is heating up from beyond the arc. Mabrey shot 4-of-7 vs Wake Forest, tying her season high of made threes. Then the senior hit three treys at Virginia Tech before knocking down three more vs Boston College. Thus, over the last three games, Mabrey has shot 55.6 percent from deep (10-of-18).

As a result, Mabrey has raised her three-point shooting percentage to 44.0 percent, which ranks 7th in the ACC and 24th in the nation. Her 2.4 threes/game leads the team and is tied for 5th in the league.

Furthermore, Mabrey sits at 227 career treys, just one behind her sister, Michaela, who holds the No. 4 spot on the all-time list. Right in front of Michaela is Beth Morgan at No. 3 with 231.

-- ND --​

 

[BGIF]

After getting as high as #8 in the polls in Week 7 at 8-0, UTN got their loss to Stanford by 10 in Knoxville. The Vols bounced back with a 4 game win streak against ETSU by 19, Murray St by 21, Belmont by 8, and Auburn by 9 at Auburn, their first conference game.

They lost the next 5, all SEC games, to Mizzou at home by 2, UK again home by 2, UGA by 4 in Athens, ALA in T'Town by 21, and to ARK at home by 1.

Four losses by a total of 9 points, a blowout to Bama, and a dime loss to the Cardinal has them 16-6 after an 8-0 start.

UTN senior guard Meme Jackson injured an ankle in the 3rd quarter of the Arkansas game and was helped off the court. She's listed as day to day. Jackson has started all 22 games for UTN and averages 8.2 ppg. Last year, Jackson scored 18 in a 84-70 loss to ND in Purcell. Jackson leads UT way with 39 treys through 18 games, although she has hit only three total in her past five games.

UTN this season has Losses to #7 Stanford and #12 UK with a Win over #13 Texas.

 

[BGIF]

RealTimeRPI has:

ND ranked #1 with #1 SOS

UTN ranked #44 with the #35 SOS

ND to Win 83-72

ND Probability to Win 72.7%


Massey has:

ND ranked #1 with the #1 SOS

UTN ranked #49 with the #42 SOS

ND to Win 91-68

ND Probability to Win 97%

 

[BGIF]

UT-NOTRE DAME SERIES NOTES

UT-NOTRE DAME SERIES NOTES

(Courtesy of the Vols pregame PR)


• Tennessee holds a 21-7 all-time record vs. Notre Dame, dating back to Nov. 25, 1983.

• Muffet McGraw started her career 0-20 vs. Tennessee, but is 7-1 since then and has
developed the Irish into a national power.

• The Fighting Irish had claimed the last six encounters between these programs until UT pulled off the upset of the nation's No. 6/6 team, 71-69, two years ago in Knoxville.

• That Irish run began when #9/7 Notre Dame defeated the #4/4 Lady Vols, 73-59, in an Elite Eight match-up in Dayton, Ohio, on March 28, 2011.

• UT came out on fire last season in South Bend and looked on its way to a two-game
series streak of its own. The Irish, however, rallied from 23-down in the second quarter to defeat the Lady Vols, 84-70.

• The Lady Vols are 9-2 all-time in Knoxville, 8-4 at Notre Dame and 4-1 at neutral sites
vs. the Irish. The teams have never played an overtime game.

• The series has returned to a typical home and home rotation) after Notre Dame played
back-to-back games at Thompson-Boling Arena in 2013 and 2014, and UT visited Notre
Dame in 2015 and 2016.

• Holly Warlick is seeking her second win vs. Notre Dame as head coach in her seventh game vs. the Irish.

 

[BGIF]

LADY VOLS SPORTING TALL ROSTER

LADY VOLS SPORTING TALL ROSTER

• UT has only one player standing shorter than six feet tall, and that is 5-11 senior wing Meme Jackson.

• This marks the third time in school history that the Lady Vols have sported 10 players standing six-feet tall or higher on a roster. The other occasions were in 2009-10 and 2014-15, when UT also had 10.

• The Lady Vols feature five players 6-3 or taller, marking the first time that has occurred during the Holly Warlick era and for the initial time since 2009-10.

• The only other times UT had five on the roster standing 6-3 or taller occurred in 2004-05 (6), 2005-06 (6), 2007-08 (5), 2008-09 (5) and 2009-10 (5)

 

[BGIF]

UTN Stats

UTN Stats

TEAM STATS UT OPP
SCORING 419 440
Points per game 69.8 73.3
Scoring margin -3.5 -
FIELD GOALS-ATT 154-391 161-397
Field goal pct . 3 9 4 . 4 0 6
3 POINT FG-ATT 27-95 45-132
3-point FG pct . 2 8 4 . 3 4 1
3-pt FG made per game 4.5 7.5
FREE THROWS-ATT 84-126 73-105
Free throw pct . 6 6 7 . 6 9 5
F-Throws made per game 14.0 12.2
REBOUNDS 284 222
Rebounds per game 47.3 37.0
Rebounding margin +10.3 -
ASSISTS 72 77
Assists per game 12.0 12.8
TURNOVERS 103 79
Turnovers per game 17.2 13.2
Turnover margin -4.0 -
Assist/turnover ratio 0.7 1.0
STEALS 41 48
Steals per game 6.8 8.0
BLOCKS 20 22
Blocks per game 3.3 3.7

 

[BGIF]

ND Stats

ND Stats

TEAM STATISTICS ND OPP
SCORING 998 670
Points per game 90.7 60.9
Scoring margin +29.8 -
FIELD GOALS-ATT 372-715 255-729
Field goal pct . 5 2 0 . 3 5 0
3 POINT FG-ATT 54-139 65-255
3-point FG pct . 3 8 8 . 2 5 5
3-pt FG made per game 4.9 5.9
FREE THROWS-ATT 200-268 95-137
Free throw pct . 7 4 6 . 6 9 3
F-Throws made per game 18.2 8.6
REBOUNDS 506 371
Rebounds per game 46.0 33.7
Rebounding margin +12.3 -
ASSISTS 236 146
Assists per game 21.5 13.3
TURNOVERS 170 198
Turnovers per game 15.5 18.0
Turnover margin +2.5 -
Assist/turnover ratio 1.4 0.7
STEALS 103 91
Steals per game 9.4 8.3
BLOCKS 66 31
Blocks per game 6.0 2.8

 

[BGIF]

Top 25 Games Last Night

Top 25 Games Last Night

20 ISU 69
2 BU 84

SMU 39
3 CON 79

KU 43
12 TEX 62

MIA 84
13 SYR 71

14 RU 66
17 IOW 72

 

[Irish#1]

Good road test tonight.

 

[BGIF]

ND lucky to be down only 6-4. Shooting 1-8. Almost all of them are good shots. Jess missed 2 layups, Mabs missed a pair of 3s, Rico, 0-4, off the rim from around the court.

Kushkituah, Vols 6-4 C, was dominating the boards early but went to the bench at 6:47 mark with second PF. Cheridene Green, Vols 6-3 F, has 5 boards. Vols up on the boards 11-8.

11-4 UTN 3:21, Abby's in. Fouled by Green, PF#1. Mabs another 3 pt miss. ND 1-11 UTN 5-15.

Jess layup AND ONE. Good. Foul on Davis, 6-2 F, PF#1

Rico bucket. Vols answer

Rico shortarm pass to Young. Layup.

Turner layup off Jess pass. AND ONE. GOOD. Foul on Green, PF#2

Massingale at the buzzer for 2.

 

[BGIF]

Game Stats ND UTN

Points 14	17
FG	5-16	8-19
FG%	31.3	42.1
3P	0-5	1-3
3P%	0.0	33.3
FT	4-4	0-0
FT%	100.0	0.0
Rebs 10	12
ORebs 3	4
Rebs   7	8
Ties 1	1
Lead Changes 0	1
Time with Lead 0:37	7:38
Lead % of Game 6.2	76.3
Last Lead 2-0	
Last Lead: Time 9:10 (1st)	
Largest Lead 2	7
Largest Lead: Score 2-0	11-4
Largest Lead: Time 9:47 (1st)	3:47 (1st)
Assists 3	3
Turnovers 3	2
Bench Points 0	2
Blocks 2	0
On Court Points 14	10
Fastbreak Points 0	2
Steals 1	2
Points off Turnovers 3	7
Points in the Paint 10	8
Second Chance Points 3	2
Personal Fouls 0	6
Technical Fouls 0	0
Possessions 17	17
ST	0:20	0:17

 

[BGIF]

NOTRE DAME
Uni Name
03 M. MABREY
05 J. YOUNG
11 B. TURNER
24 A. OGUNBOWALE
32 J. SHEPARD
00 J. NIXON
12 A. PROHASKA

Total
P		Pts	FG	3P	FT	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	PF	TO	Min
G	*	0	0-3	0-3	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	2	7
G	*	4	1-1	0-0	2-2	1	1	0	0	0	1	10
F	*	5	2-2	0-0	1-1	1	0	0	2	0	0	10
G	*	2	1-6	0-2	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0	9
F	*	3	1-4	0-0	1-1	4	1	1	0	0	0	10
0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
14	5-16	0-5	4-4	10	3	1	2	0	3	
31.3	0.0	100.0

TENNESSEE LADY VOLUNTEERS
Uni Name
00 R. DAVIS
02 E. WESTBROOK
11 K. KUSHKITUAH
14 Z. GREEN
15 C. GREEN
04 M. COLLINS
05 K. HARRIS
12 R. BURRELL
13 J. MASSENGILL
Total

P		Pts	FG	3P	FT	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	PF	TO	Min
F	*	4	2-4	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0	8
G		5	2-3	1-1	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	1	7
C		2	1-3	0-0	0-0	3	0	1	0	2	0	3
G	*	4	2-5	0-1	0-0	0	2	1	0	0	0	10
F		0	0-3	0-0	0-0	5	0	0	0	2	0	10
*	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
0	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0	7
*	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
*	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
17	8-19	1-3	0-0	12	3	2	0	6	2	
42.1	33.3	0.0

 

[BGIF]

ND got within 2 but UTN lead back to 7. Shots not falling again.

Jess layup AND ONE. NG. Vols by 5

Green layup Foul on Turner. FT good. UTN by 8

Rico errant pass way over Young.

Vols pair of Air Balls.

Rico coast to coast layup. Down 6

Green again, 11 pts.

from Shep good, Waived off. Foul before the shot.

Shep layup good. 6 pt deficit.

Rico pass to Turner underneath. Fouled by Collins PF#2. Made the pair. Down 5.

 

[BGIF]

Young rebound, stepped OB. Turnover.

Green with putback, 13 of UTN's 28 pts

Young answers, down 5

Jackie reb to Rico cross lane, back to Jackie for the layup. ND down 3

4:19 2nd Media Timeout UTN 28 ND 25

 

[BGIF]

Stats ND UTN

Points 25	28
FG	10-23	13-32
FG%	43.5	40.6
3P	0-5	1-3
3P%	0.0	33.3
FT	5-7	1-1
FT%	71.4	100.0
Rebounds 15	18
Offensive Rebounds 3	7
Defensive Rebounds 12	11
Ties 1	1
Lead Changes 0	1
Time with Lead 0:37	13:19
Lead % of Game 3.9	84.9
Last Lead 2-0	
Last Lead: Time 9:10 (1st)	
Largest Lead 2	8
Largest Lead: Score 2-0	26-18
Largest Lead: Time 9:47 (1st)	7:09 (2nd)
Assists 7	5
Turnovers 5	2
Bench Points 0	4
Blocks 2	0
On Court Points 25	11
Fastbreak Points 4	4
Steals 1	2
Points off Turnovers 3	9
Points in the Paint 20	16
Second Chance Points 3	4
Personal Fouls 1	9
Technical Fouls 0	0
Possessions 27	28
ST	0:17	0:16

 

[BGIF]

Shep reb, outlet to Mabs, 3 on 2 break. Pass to Turner for the layup. ND down 1

Mabs foul #2. Abby in

Shep to Turner for 1 pt ND lead.

Massingale AirBall over Turner. Shot clock violation.

Turner lost the ball. Turnover.

Abby foul #1

Turner Block.

Rico missed layup.

Vols break GOOD. Vols by 1

Abby turnover. Vols 2 Oboards for the putback.

Abby missed 3.

Vols with another putback. VOls by 5

Nixon in for Abby.

 

[BGIF]

Shep fouled by Harris PF#2.

Missed FT. Jackie Oboard, to Shep for the layup.

Halftime UTN 34-31

 

[BGIF]

Halftime UNT 34 ND 31 (lowest half of the season)

Halftime UNT 34 ND 31 (lowest half of the season)

Stats ND UTN
Points 31 34
FG 13-28 16-41
FG% 46.4 39.0
3P 0-6 1-4
3P% 0.0 25.0
FT 5-9 1-1
FT% 55.6 100.0
Rebounds 18 23
Off Rebounds 4 10
Def Rebounds 14 13
Ties 1 1
Lead Changes 1 2
Time with Lead 2:03 16:12
Lead % of Game 10.3 81.0
Last Lead 29-28
Last Lead: Time 1:46 (2nd)
Largest Lead 2 8
Largest Lead: Score 2-0 26-18
Largest Lead: Time 9:47 (1st) 7:09 (2nd)
Assists 10 6
Turnovers 7 3
Bench Points 0 6
Blocks 3 0
On Court Points 31 30
Fastbreak Points 6 6
Steals 1 4
Points off Turnovers 5 11
Points in the Paint 26 22
Second Chance Points 5 8
Personal Fouls 3 11
Technical Fouls 0 0
Possessions 34 34
ST 0:17 0:15