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Strong second half carries No. 7 Notre Dame WBB to victory over Arizona St.

Notre Dame freshman KK Bransford goes up for two of her 14 points in a 85-65 win over Arizona State on Saturday.
Notre Dame freshman KK Bransford goes up for two of her 14 points in a 85-65 win over Arizona State on Saturday. (Notre Dame Athletics photo)

Getting an unexpected test from 5-0, but unranked, Arizona State probably wasn’t all bad for No. 7-ranked Notre Dame.

It was even better that the 6-0 Irish never let it become a serious scare.

In the second game of the Goombay Splash in Bimini, Bahamas on Saturday, the Irish women’s basketball team surged following a 34-31 first half deficit — its first of the season — for an 85-65 victory.

The Irish did it with a renewed effort in the paint, jumping from a 17-16 rebounding edge at the half to a 50-35 advantage (23 on offensive end) at the finish.

Oh, and it helped to have one of the nation’s top point guards, Olivia Miles, back on the floor, too.

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In her pregame look at Arizona State, Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey talked about how vital it was to grab momentum.

“Olivia Miles has done an incredible job of really setting the tone with her pace," Ivey said on the team’s radio network. “You know, there’s a difference when she's off the court. When she's on the court, she's so explosive. She really gets us going.“

The proof of just what she means to the club came 22 seconds into the second quarter after Miles picked up her second foul and went to the bench for the remainder of the first half.

Notre Dame’s lead grew to as many as nine in the next couple of minutes, before the misses piled up and the Sun Devils chipped their way back in. A late turnover by the Irish and a drive for a layup by ASU’s top scorer, Tyi Skinner, put the Irish in the three-point hole.

The Irish certainty missed Miles’ passing, her drives to the bucket and control of the offense, but there were other factors holding the Irish back.

They were 10-for-27 from the field for 37%, certainly an issue for a team shooting almost 50% coming in, and just 1-for-5 from 3-point range. In fact, the Irish were off all day from the perimeter and had only two 3-pointers in 10 tries. Adding to the struggles was a 10-for-16 effort from the line in the first half and a poor 21-of-36 (58.3%) for the game. The Irish came into the game shooting 74% from the line.

But credit ASU for some of ND’s woes. The Sun Devils pressed the Irish with a physical man-to-man defense — which worked until it eventually produced serious foul trouble for them. They were called for 26 fouls to ND’s dozen.

“Arizona State came out on fire," Ivey said. “We needed to match their intensity. In the second half, I really focused on my defense, and it got us a lead."

Getting Miles back on the floor in the second half settled some things down.

And Ivey’s switch to a zone defense was effective.

“We didn’t do a great job of containing the ball, so I wanted to throw something out to change the flow and rhythm," Ivey said. “It helped, so we stuck with it."

It was still just a three-point Irish lead with about two minutes to go in the third quarter.

Then the blitz began.

Sonia Citron got free for a layup on an assist from Miles.

Then Miles followed with a drive and layup for a 52-45 edge at the 1:10 mark.

Lauren Ebo, who was dynamic off the bench with 20 points and nine rebounds, hit a free throw, and Miles finished the push with a drive just ahead of the buzzer for a 55-45 lead and great momentum heading into the final quarter.

Irish freshman KK Bransford had a strong second half to finish with 14 points, her third straight double-digit scoring effort, and nine rebounds, a big number for a 5-11 guard. She also delivered three of ND’s 20 assists.

Citron, who had a nice spurt midway through the final quarter with a 15-footer and a 3-pointer, totaled 15 points and added seven rebounds.

Ebo, Miles and Citron wound up on the Goombay all-tourney team.

“We’re able to adapt to any situation, any environment," Miles said about the trip. “Wherever we are — at home or on the road — we can adjust."

Adjustments certainly seemed to come a lot easier with Miles on the floor.

The 5-11 sophomore wound up with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists in three quarters.

Encouraging for the Irish was how they protected the ball well against the pressure, committing only eight turnovers, half of their season average coming in.

Kylee Watson was the fifth Irish in double figures with 10 points, and though Maddy Westbeld had just three points, she contributed six assists and five rebounds.

All in all, the Irish got what they wanted out of the holiday junket.

“It’s such an amazing trip,” Ivey said. “Bimini has been so great to us. The games (also a 90-65 win over American on Thursday) and the competition is really going to help us as we count down to ACC play.”

The Irish host 14th-ranked Maryland (5-2) of the Big Ten Thursday at 6:30, before a Sunday showdown with No. 3 Connecticut (4-0).

“Those two opponents, they're just battle ready,” Ivey said. “It's gonna give us an opportunity to see where we're at with some highly ranked teams.”

NOTRE DAME 85, ARIZONA STATE 65: Box Score

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