KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 1 Notre Dame women's basketball team bounced back after a cold shooting start to earn a hard fought 77-62 road victory over Tennessee (12-7). The Fighting Irish (19-1) won their 12th straight behind a Jackie Young triple-double and a game high 28 points from Arike Ogunbowale.
Young posted 16 points, 12 rebounds and a career high 10 assists, achieving the seventh triple-double in school history, and the first since Lindsay Allen versus Chattanooga on Dec. 27, 2016.
"I was pretty happy with the second half. Our offense was way out of rhythm to start the game. We tried to get the ball to the post but settled for jumpers, and once we started to get it inside, I thought the high-low game was really effective," Karen & Kevin Keyes Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. "Thought we moved the ball better and defended better in the second half."
Jessica Shepard notched her third consecutive double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. In addition, Brianna Turner collected 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
How It Happened
Notre Dame's offense suffered from a slight cold shooting spell to start the game, missing 11 straight shots, before ending with four consecutive makes, as Shepard, Ogunbowale, Turner and Young all contributed. After the opening period, the Irish trailed the Lady Vols 17-14.
The Irish offense heated up midway through the second, converting seven straight from the field to regain the lead at 29-28. However, the Lady Vols countered with a 6-0 scoring run before a Shepard layup beat the buzzer, bringing the Irish to within three at the half, 34-31. Turner boasted 10 points at the midway point, followed by nine points and six boards from Shepard.
Down 38-32 at 8:26, the Irish recorded an 11-0 run over a two-minute span, jumping ahead 43-38. Tennessee continued to fight back, tying the game at 44-all. Yet, Notre Dame countered with an 11-2 scoring spree over the final 4:30 of the period, claiming a 55-46 advantage heading into the fourth.
Ogunbowale, who only possessed four points at the half,
caught fire in the third. The senior tallied 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, which included two treys.
The Irish started the fourth by scoring the first eight points of the period. Mabrey kicked it off with a three, followed by back-to-back jumpers from Ogunbowale and a free-throw from Young. Notre Dame then built upon that momentum, extending a lead as large as 21 points with 1:19 remaining, before reaching the 77-62 final.
Player of the Game
Young earned her first career triple-double, dishing out a career high 10 assists along the way. Young also poured in 16 points and was one rebound shy of tying her season high with 12 tonight.
Notes
- Notre Dame now trails the overall series, 21-8, against Tennessee, picking up its third ever win in Knoxville. The Irish have won eight of the past nine in the series.
- Creeping toward 2,000 points/1,000 rebounds - Shepard brings her career totals to 1,988 points and 1,044 rebounds.
- Young's triple-double was the seventh in school history and the first since Lindsay Allen versus Chattanooga on Dec. 27, 2016.
- Shepard recorded her third straight double-double, marking the first occurrence this season. Shepard recorded five straight over the ACC and NCAA Tournament last season.
- Ogunbowale finished with a game high 28 points – her 13th 20-plus scoring performance of the season.
- Ogunbowale poured in 16 of her 28 points in the third quarter alone.
- Young dished out a career high 10 assists.
- Turner earned her 16th double-digit scoring performance on the year.
Up Next
The Irish remain on the road for what will be their second of three straight road games. Next, Notre Dame travels to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. ET on ACCN Extra.
