Kristina Nelson Sparks No. 5 Notre Dame At Boston College
How has No. 5 Notre Dame remained a Final Four contender with only seven scholarship players?
One, the Fighting Irish have five McDonald’s All-Americans in the starting lineup that have meshed well as a team.
Two, 6-4 fifth-year senior Kristina “Koko” Nelson has been providing more quality work off the bench, especially in the last month, beginning with the Jan. 18 win versus No. 6 Tennessee in which Notre Dame rallied from a 23-point deficit.
Nelson did it again during Notre Dame’s 89-55 win at Boston College on Sunday afternoon by recording career highs in points (16) and assists (seven), to go with eight rebounds. She was one of five Irish players to reach double-digit scoring in the victory.
With the now 25-2 (13-1 in the ACC) Irish not quite in flow in the first half against the Eagles (7-20, 2-12), Nelson tallied 10 points and four assists to propel a 39-30 lead at the intermission. Notre Dame, which has won 10 straight, out-scored Boston College 30-6 in the paint in the first half, but the Eagles stayed in the game on the strength of five three-pointers (on nine attempts) by Taylor Ortlepp.
With no one in foul trouble, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw went from the 2-3 zone she has utilized almost exclusively since January to man-to-man. That helped Notre Dame out-score the Eagles 22-12 in the third quarter and 28-13 in the fourth. The on-ball pressure also limited Ortlepp to 1-of-2 beyond the arc in the second 20 minutes.
“[Nelson] was really solid, had a lot of energy," McGraw said. "Overall, we didn't come out with enough energy. We were a little careless … defensively had a lot of lapses."
The Irish close out the regular season with home games against Virginia Tech this Thursday (Feb. 22) and North Carolina State on Sunday (Feb. 25).
Three-Point Play
1. The Full Nelson
In the last eight contests Nelson has averaged nine points and five rebounds per game while also dishing out 22 assists from the high post and playing about 20 minutes each time. Although her physical style can get her into foul trouble, she’s also been taking charges, setting good screens, blocking shots and providing quality production Her return as a graduate student is reaping dividends in the front-court rotation.
2. Inside Job
Despite the presence of sharpshooters such as Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey, Notre Dame entered the BC game 13th among 15 ACC teams in three-point shots made per contest (4.6). That won’t improve after finishing 1-of-4 versus the Eagles — but that is by choice, not ability.
With the strong post presence of Jessica Shepard, the slashing skills to the basket of Jackie Young and Ogunbowale and the overall ability to handle the ball and drive by most every Irish player on the floor, McGraw and Co., place a premium on working inside-out. It paid off again at Boston College with a 64-14 scoring advantage in the paint.
3. Run To Glory
With no true point guard left on the roster after season ending ACL injuries to Lili Thompson and Mychal Johnson, Notre Dame has been attempting to score more baskets off the fast break.
Notre Dame’s streak of six straight games where it tallied double-digit fast-break scoring (a season high 19 at Duke on Feb. 4) ended against BC with a 6-0 advantage. However, the Irish also committed a season-low six turnovers versus the Eagles.
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