Olivia Miles joined elite company Wednesday night.
The freshman point guard became just the seventh player in Notre Dame history to record a triple-double. Miles scored 11 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 13 assists in the Fighting Irish’s 73-56 victory over Valparaiso.
Miles had the latter two categories in the bag with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. She scored the bucket that put her into double figures in points with 55 seconds left. It was a moment she will never forget.
Miles didn’t realize she had nine points. She could hear teammates from the bench imploring her to score one more time. When she did, the team went wild in celebrating her historic feat.
“That was super special because it shows our bond and how much they care,” Miles said.
“I’m so excited for her,” head coach Niele Ivey added. “I feel like the sky is the limit. In every game she gets better and better in the way she manages the team.”
As well as Miles played, it wasn’t a stat-padding kind of night for No. 22 Notre Dame (8-2). The Irish trailed winless Valparaiso (0-8) by five after the first quarter. The two teams were tied at 25 at halftime. Notre Dame only made 31.0 percent of its field goal attempts and turned the ball over eight times in the first 10 minutes.
The offense came alive in the third quarter. Notre Dame scored as many points in that frame alone as it scored in the entire first half. The Beacons scored 20 of their own, though, to stay within range of an upset.
Just when the Irish needed it most, bench players Sam Brunelle and Abby Prohaska nailed three-pointers in the first three minutes of the first quarter. Brunelle had another bucket and Miles made a free throw to get the Irish started in the fourth on a 9-2 run that put the game out of reach.
“This group has so much talent and they understand any game someone can step up,” Ivey said. “Very happy with the contributions and the adjustment in the way they refocused in the second half.”
Sophomore forward Maddy Westbeld scored seven of the Irish’s first 12 points and finished with a game-high 20 on 8-of-12 shooting. Freshman Sonia Citron finished one point shy of a double-double with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds off the bench. Senior guard Dara Mabrey connected on four three-pointers and finished with 14 points.
Notre Dame returns to Purcell Pavilion on to host Purdue Fort Wayne at 2 p.m. Sunday after five games in a row away from home. Former Irish head coach Muffet McGraw will be inducted into the Ring of Honor in a pregame ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m.
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