SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 20/19 Notre Dame women’s basketball completed the four-game homestand sweep on Thursday night, defeating (RV/RV) Virginia Tech 68-55 inside Purcell Pavilion. The Fighting Irish (18-4, 9-2) not only kept its undefeated home record intact (11-0), but also moved into a tie for third place with No. 12/17 Georgia Tech.
Defensively, it was one of the strongest outings for the Irish, as the Hokies’ (17-6, 7-3) 55 points are the fewest ND is allowed thus far in ACC play. Not to mention, Notre Dame allowed just six points in the second quarter. The Irish also kept Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley in check, as she totaled 10 points under her season average.
Olivia Miles put on a highlight reel for the home fans tonight which included 24 points and two behind-the-back passes. Fellow freshman Sonia Citron joined her in double figures with 11 points to go along with her seven rebounds.
Maya Dodson collected a career high five steals to go with her two blocks, seven rebounds and six points. Anaya Peoples got fans to their feet with an electric and-one in the fourth, as she finished with five points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Irish also posted another tremendous effort on the boards, outrebounding Virginia Tech, 40-33, resulting in 13 second-chance points.
How It Happened
Virginia Tech showed no signs of being out in the cold, starting the game a hot 4-for-5 from three-point range to go up 16-9. Notre Dame weathered the storm, as a Mabrey three at 2:31 ignited a 9-0 scoring run which included an and-one from Miles.
Tied at 18-all to start the second, Notre Dame’s defensive intensity picked up, keeping VT off the board all the way through the 4:28 media timeout. In the meantime, the Irish received baskets from Brunelle, Miles, Citron and Westbeld to go up eight points.
Miles hit a pair of three-pointers in the final 2:20 of the half as the Irish claimed a 34-24 lead at the break. Miles was the lone player in the game in double figures at halftime with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
For the second consecutive quarter, the Irish defense limited the Hokies to two points or less heading into the under-five media timeout, building a lead as large as 14 in the meantime. Citron and Virginia Tech’s Emily Lytle traded back-to-back treys late in the quarter as Notre Dame ultimately took a 48-36 lead into the fourth.
Virginia Tech scored the first five points in the fourth until Peoples got the Irish on the board at 8:01. Fast forward to 5:01 and a nifty behind-the-back pass from Miles led to a momentous Peoples and-one.
Mabrey hit a dagger three in the corner with 3:12 remaining to keep the Irish up by double-digits and that was all she wrote as Notre Dame won its fifth straight.
Up Next
After four games at home, the Fighting Irish return to road life for one game when they travel to Tallahassee for a matchup against Florida State. Tip is set for Sunday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
— ND —