Nov. 23, 2014
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Inside The Game: #3/2 Notre Dame 104, Holy Cross 29
November 23, 2014 – Notre Dame, Indiana (Purcell Pavilion)
It Was Over When: A layup by junior All-America guard Jewell Loyd with 12:20 left first half put Notre Dame ahead, 28-8. Holy Cross never cut the margin below 20 points the rest of the night.
Game Ball Goes To: Junior guard Michaela Mabrey, who scored 11 points, including three three-point baskets in the game’s first seven minutes as the Fighting Irish quickly seized control. The Belmar, New Jersey, native also tied a career high with seven assists – while not turning the ball over once – and grabbed three rebounds, all in only 19 minutes of action.
Unsung Hero: Freshman forward Kathryn Westbeld had a career-high 15 points (6-10 FG, 2-2 3FG, 1-1 FT), three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and two steals in only 19 minutes of action.
Unofficial Play Of The Game: After sophomore forward Taya Reimer gave Notre Dame a 20-5 lead with 14:00 left in the first half, Loyd followed with a steal and a quick outlet pass, leading to Mabrey’s second three-pointer of the night.
Stat Of The Game: Notre Dame held Holy Cross to 29 points, the fewest points by a Fighting Irish opponent since Dec. 28, 2011, when Notre Dame defeated Longwood, 92-26 at Purcell Pavilion. Sunday’s game marked the first time in program history the Fighting Irish scored more than 100 points while holding its opponent to less than 30 points, and the 75-point margin of victory is the fifth-largest spread in school history (largest since Jan. 17, 2012, when Notre Dame downed Pittsburgh, 120-44, also at Purcell Pavilion).
Additional Notes: Notre Dame extended its home winning streak to 31 games, its regular season winning streak to 56 games and its winning streak against unranked opponents (according to the Associated Press poll) to 54 games–the first two streaks are the longest active runs in the nation in NCAA Division I, while the latter streak is the second-longest current run in the country by a Division I program … Notre Dame’s 64 rebounds tied for seventh-most in a single game in school history and most since Jan. 2, 2011, when the Fighting Irish had 66 rebounds in a 97-21 win over Southeast Missouri State at Purcell Pavilion … Notre Dame’s 42 field goals tied for seventh-most in a single game in program history and most since Dec. 22, 2013, when it also made 42 baskets in a 106-72 win over Central Michigan at Purcell Pavilion … Holy Cross shot 18.6 percent from the field, the lowest single-game percentage by a Notre Dame opponent since the Jan. 2, 2011, win over Southeast Missouri when the RedHawks shot an opponent record-low 12.5 percent (seven of 56) … Holy Cross shot 17.6 percent in the second half, the first time a Fighting Irish opponent shot below 20 percent in a half since Dec. 19, 2012, when Alabama A&M connected at an 18.2-percent clip in a 100-39 Notre Dame win at the World Vision Classic in Las Vegas … the Fighting Irish have won 22 consecutive games against first-time opponents and 35 in a row against new foes at Purcell Pavilion … the Fighting Irish are 18-3 (.857) all-time against teams from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including an 11-0 record at home, and they have won their last seven games against the Commonwealth … Notre Dame has won 35 of its last 39 regular season tournament games (multi-game events only) … junior guard Hannah Huffman grabbed a career-high seven rebounds … freshman guard Mychal Johnson collected career highs of six rebounds and five assists … Reimer tied her career high with four blocked shots … Turner had a career-high three steals … senior forward Markisha Wright tied her career best with three steals … sophomore forward Diamond Thompson tied her career high with four points.
Up Next For The Fighting Irish: Notre Dame continues the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge at 6 p.m. (ET) Monday with a matchup against perennial Ivy League contender Harvard (Quinnipiac takes on Holy Cross in the nightcap at 8 p.m. ET). The Fighting Irish wrap up the three-day round-robin event at 6 p.m. (ET) Tuesday against Quinnipiac, followed by Harvard meeting Holy Cross at 8 p.m. (ET). All games in the Hall of Fame Challenge at Purcell Pavilion are being streamed live and free of charge on the official Fighting Irish athletics multimedia platform, WatchND (see the official tournament home page for broadcast links). Live stat links also are available.
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director