A marvelous debut by junior Virginia Tech transfer Dara Mabrey was not enough to prevent No. 22-ranked Notre Dame’s 86-85 defeat in the head coaching start of Niele Ivey on Friday afternoon in Athens, Ohio.
Mabrey scored 34 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the floor, including 7 of 14 from three-point range.
After trailing 41-30 at halftime and facing its largest deficit at 48-34 early in the third quarter, Mabrey spearheaded a sizzling 35-21 run for the Irish in that third stanza to provide Notre Dame a 65-62 edge entering the final 10 minutes. She then drilled back-to-back treys for a 71-65 advantage, and the cushion went to 77-70 before an 8-0 run by the Bobcats regained them the lead with 4:40 remaining.
The Irish responded with buckets from sophomore guard Anaya Peoples and freshman guard Alli Campbell off the fast break for an 81-78 lead, but a three-pointer by Ohio’s Gabby Burris and Peoples’ fifth foul with 1:29 left on a push-off on offense took away Notre Dame’s momentum.
A Mabrey drive-and-bucket with 57.7 seconds left tied the game for the final time at 83 before a drive by Ohio's CeCe Hooks, an off-balance and forced miss by Mabrey, and one more free throw by Hooks provided an 86-83 edge.
Sixth-year senior guard Destinee Walker was sent to the foul line with three seconds left and tried to miss her second attempt to give Notre Dame a shot at the rebound and possession, but it bounced in for the final one-point margin.
The Bobcats used a 12-0 run in the first half to take a 26-17 lead that was expanded to 41-30 by halftime.
Notre Dame was absent three starters — senior center Mikki Vaughn, junior guard Katlyn Gilbert and sophomore forward Sam Brunelle — who had combined for 38 points per game last season — also helped Ohio U. take control during the second quarter. Westbeld sat briefly after her second foul, and then picked up her third at the 6:51 mark of the second quarter on a basket-and-one that put the Bobcats ahead 32-23. She fouled out with the Irish up 77-74, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds in her limited action.
The Irish also took advantage when Ohio star Erica Johnson picked up her fourth foul with 5:28 left in the third quarter and the Bobcats holding a 52-43 lead. She sat the remainder of the quarter while Notre Dame went on a 22-10 run.
Another crucial factor was Ohio U. was plus-7 in turnovers, committing 11 to Notre Dame's 18.
Three-Point Play
1. Big-Time Additions
The last time Notre Dame had a Mabrey and Westbeld on the floor together was April 2018, when Marina Mabrey and Kathryn Westbeld were starters for the national champs. The younger version with Dara and Maddy demonstrated they will provide instant impact.
Mabrey was clearly the vocal leader on the floor at point guard and provides the Irish significant upgrade with her three-point shooting, where they were among the worst in the country last year.
The 6-3 Westbeld’s skill set off the dribble or even in the post are outstanding, and she has the makings of a standout once the typically silly freshman fouls get rectified. Two came on offense while trying to establish position, and the fifth was trying to get past a defensive screen.
2. Continuity Continuance
A loss to a MAC team is not going to look good on paper, but Ohio U. is a quality team that won at Ohio State last year and has three excellent seniors in Johnson, Hooks and Burris to lean on. They possess a continuity and overall court sense Notre Dame will attempt to develop throughout the season with so many new faces and then getting five others currently out with health-related injuries into the mix and finding the right chemistry.
This will be a much-improved team from last year’s 13-18 implosion, but it wasn’t going to go from sub-.500 back to superpower, and Ivey will make her share of rookie coaching mistakes too. Getting into the NCAA Tournament still should be a reasonable expectation once continuity develops and the defense is appreciably tighter.
3. Quick Turnaround
The Irish host Miami (Ohio) on Sunday afternoon, with the players who were sidelined at Ohio still expected to be shelved, per Ivey. Vaughn might not be ready until later in December, while Brunelle reportedly has been battling a lingering foot problem.
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