No. 1 Notre Dame Cruises Past Valparaiso, 114-54

Tuning up for their 1-2 matchup on Wednesday night versus the Connecticut dynasty, Notre Dame shot 64 percent from the floor (48-of-75), handed out 29 assists and forced 31 turnovers in its 114-54 romp over Valparaiso Sunday afternoon at the Purcell Pavilion.

The 114 points were the fourth-highest output in the program’s history as the Fighting Irish upped their to record to 8-0. Valparaiso fell to 4-4.

Six Fighting Irish players tallied double-figure scoring, paced by freshman guard Jackie Young’s career high 20 points. The all-time leading scorer in Indiana prep history (boys or girls) and the 2016 Naismith National Player of the Year converted all eight of her field-goal attempts, including three from three-point range, before missing her final shot. She also recorded six steals, five rebounds and three assists in a team high 26 minutes.

Already considered perhaps the team’s top defensive stopper, Young’s scoring prowess is becoming more evident after healing from a thumb injury that sidelined her the first two games this season.

“She’s more than capable of doing that for us on a daily basis,” praised Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw of Young’s scoring and overall performance.

Sophomore wings Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey tallied 18 and 16 points, respectively, while freshman forward Erin Boley chipped in with her own career high of 15 off the bench. Juniors Brianna Turner and Kathryn Westbeld added 13 and 10 points, respectively, along the front line.

After missing seven of their first eight field-goal attempts, the Irish bolted to a 26-0 lead, with Ogunbowale tallying 10 of the first 14 points . Valparaiso scored its first bucket with 3:16 left in the first quarter, where the Irish finished with a 34-7 advantage after the first 10 minutes.

By halftime, Notre Dame had built a 72-23 cushion. That tied the program record for most points tallied in the first half, with 72 also scored against Mercer in the opening 20 minutes back on Dec. 30, 2011. Valpo was out-scored only 27-19 in the third quarter and 15-12 in the fourth to keep the game a little more competitive after getting jolted early. Early on, the Crusader guards had a difficult time against Notre Dame’s pressure, trapping defense that repeatedly forced miscues. They had 11 turnovers in the first quarter and 20 by halftime before settling in a little better in the second half, cutting its turnovers to 11.

Probably the most telling stat of the game was the Irish out-scored Valparaiso 50-14 off turnovers. Notre Dame totaled 70 points in the paint (the Crusaders had only 16), with most coming off repeated lay-ups on fast breaks that were generated by the defensive pressure.

Of the nine Notre Dame players dressed for the game, none played less than Ogunbowale’s 18 minutes, while Young and Mabrey had the most action with 26 minutes apiece.

Three-Point Play

1. Another Ring For Niele Ivey

The Notre Dame associate head coach and star point guard for the 2001 Fighting Irish national champs became the third women’s player to join the Ring of Honor during a pregame ceremony, joining former teammate Ruth Riley and Skylar Diggins, who she personally recruited for four years to help take Notre Dame back to championship level. As a guard/leader, coach and ace recruiter, Ivey has played as important a role as anybody in the last 15 years to make the Fighting Irish an elite program in the past and especially the last six seasons.

2. Erin Boley Finding Her Touch

Considered the team’s best pure shooter, especially beyond the three-point line, freshman forward Boley has begun to find a better rhythm in her last three games. In the first five contests she was 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from the field, including 3-of-15 (20 percent) from three-point range. In the last three versus TCU, Iowa and Valpo, she is 10-of-16 (.625), and 7-of-12 (.583) beyond the arc. This can be attributable not only to getting into a better flow in the college game (like classmate Young), but being on the court for more extended periods that has allowed her to work up more of a sweat and get into a shooting rhythm,

3. Ali Patberg, Diamond Thompson Sidelined By Illnesses

Notre Dame had only nine players dressed for the contest. Sophomore point guard Patberg, shelved last year with a torn ACL, has been diagnosed with walking pneumonia, and is not going to be available for game action until after Christmas. Her development has been sidetracked with a litany of health ailments, so finding some quality minutes for her after Christmas might be vital to provide senior Lindsay Allen some rest, but also to help prepare Patberg as the heiress apparent next season. Senior center Thompson had an illness through the weekend, but McGraw said the projection is she will be back practicing with the team early this coming week.

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