Notre Dame encores big upset with a 68-55 smothering Virginia Tech
Niele Ivey’s burgeoning Irish women’s basketball team on Thursday night handled their Notre Dame moment from two nights earlier in the best way possible.
They built on it.
Freshman Oliva Miles scored 24 points and the 20th-ranked Irish smothered visiting Virginia Tech on the defensive end in a 68-55 ACC victory at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
If the Irish (18-4, 9-2 ACC) had a NC State hangover, from their upset of the nation’s No. 3 team Tuesday night, they quickly put it behind them with a 17-2 run that turned a 16-9 ND first-quarter deficit into a 26-18 second-quarter advantage.
Virginia Tech (15-6, 7-3) missed 17 of its final 20 shots of the first half as Notre Dame took a 34-24 lead at the half. The Hokies never got closer than seven the rest of the way. And when they did pare the lead to seven early in the fourth quarter, the Irish answered emphatically.
Especially on defense.
Virginia Tech’s top two scorers — center Elizabeth Kitley (18.1 ppg) and guard Aisha Sheppard (12.4) — combined for 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. ND grad senior Maya Dodson helped hold down the 6-foot-6 Kitley with a career-high five steals and two blocked shots to go along with her six points and seven rebounds.
Freshman Sonia Citron joined Miles in double figures, with 11 points for the Irish and added seven rebounds.
The ND defense was particularly stellar in transition, not allowing a single fastbreak point.
The Irish, improving to 11-0 at home, play three of the next four on the road, starting Sunday at Florida State (10-10, 4-6.)
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