Nov. 28, 2015
By Chris Masters
Inside The Game: #3 Notre Dame 92, UCLA 84 (OT)
Nov. 28, 2015 – Freeport, Bahamas (St. Georges High School)
It Was Over When: Graduate student guard Madison Cable drew a charge on UCLA’s Nirra Fields with 30.1 seconds left in overtime and Notre Dame leading 88-82. The play not only resulted in a turnover back to the Fighting Irish with a six-point lead in the final half-minute, but it also was Fields’ fifth personal foul, sending the Canadian National Team guard to the bench for good.
Game Ball Goes To: Cable, who scored a career-high 22 points (6-9 FG, 3-5 3FG, 7-8 FT) and grabbed nine rebounds in a career-best 39 minutes. The fifth-year standout from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, whose three-pointer 31 seconds into overtime put Notre Dame in front to stay, was named the Junkanoo Jam Freeport Division Most Valuable Player after averaging 17.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game with a .688 field-goal percentage (11-of-16) and .667 three-point percentage (6-of-9) during the two-day tournament.
Unsung Hero: Sophomore forward Kathryn Westbeld turned in another blue-collar effort on the blocks, narrowly missing her first double-double of the season (second career) with 12 points and a team high-tying nine rebounds in a career-high 38 minutes. The Kettering, Ohio, native also had Notre Dame in position to win in regulation after her layup with 22.8 seconds left gave the Fighting Irish a 75-74 lead (following a free throw by Notre Dame junior guard Lindsay Allen, UCLA’s Jordin Canada tied the game with 4.3 seconds left, forcing overtime).
Unofficial Play of the Game: You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would argue with Cable drawing a charge in the final minute of overtime as the turning point. However, just as important was Allen’s three-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock expired with 2:02 left in overtime, giving Notre Dame a two-possession lead (84-80) and UCLA never got any closer the rest of the way.
Stat Of The Game: Notre Dame has won its last 20 games decided by single digits and/or in overtime. What’s more, the Fighting Irish have won their last six overtime games and eight of the last 11 times they have gone to an extra period (or more).
Additional Notes: Notre Dame wins its second Junkanoo Jam Freeport Division title in as many trips to the Bahamas tournament, having also claimed the crown in 2011 (56-54 over No. 7/6 Duke on a buzzer-beating jumper by Natalie Novosel) ââ’¬¦ the Fighting Irish have won 40 of their last 44 regular season tournament games (multi-game events only) and have won six tournament titles since 2009-10 (Junkanoo Jam in 2011 and 2015; Paradise Jam in 2009; WBCA Classic in 2010; State Farm Holiday Hoops Classic in 2010; World Vision Classic in 2012) ââ’¬¦ since the start of the 2009-10 season, Notre Dame is 8-0 when playing outside the continental United States (4-0 in the Bahamas; 2-0 at the 2009 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands; 1-0 vs. Duquesne in Toronto, Ontario, on Dec. 1, 2013) ââ’¬¦ the Fighting Irish improve to 94-14 (.870) in the month of November, dating back to the 1995-96 season ââ’¬¦ Notre Dame has won 31 of its last 32 November games and completes the month undefeated for the fourth consecutive season ââ’¬¦ dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season, the Fighting Irish are 57-11 (.838) when playing on one day’s rest or fewer ââ’¬¦ Notre Dame wins its fourth consecutive game against UCLA and six of its last seven against the Bruins, who still lead the series, 9-8 ââ’¬¦ nearly half of the 17 games in the Notre Dame-UCLA series have been decided by single digits, including four that have gone to overtime ââ’¬¦ Saturday’s game marked the fourth time in the past seven games between the Fighting Irish and Bruins that both teams topped the 80-point mark, while at least one team has done so in eight of the last nine series matchups ââ’¬¦ Notre Dame is 30-20 (.600) all-time against current Pac-12 Conference teams and has won 27 of its last 34 contests against the present Pac-12 alignment (including a nine-game winning streak) ââ’¬¦ Notre Dame’s 46 free throw attempts tied for the second most in school history, and most since the Fighting Irish tried a school-record 52 foul shots at Mercer on Dec. 30, 2011 ââ’¬¦ Notre Dame’s 31 made free throws tied for ninth most in school history, and most since Nov. 25, 2014, when the Fighting Irish converted 32-of-40 foul shots against Quinnipiac at Purcell Pavilion ââ’¬¦ Cable’s 22 points were one more than her previous career high, also set against UCLA on Dec. 7, 2013, at Purcell Pavilion ââ’¬¦ freshman guard Marina Mabrey joined Cable on the Junkanoo Jam Freeport Division All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.5 points and 5.0 steals per game (on the heels of her triple-double at Valparaiso on Monday).
Up Next For The Fighting Irish: Notre Dame returns home at 7 p.m. (ET) Wednesday as the Fighting Irish play host to No. 11 Ohio State in the 2015 Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Purcell Pavilion. The game will be televised live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, while radio coverage will be available in South Bend on Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) and free of charge around the world through the official Notre Dame athletics online multimedia platform, WatchND (watchnd.tv).
– ND –
Chris Masters, associate athletics communications director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2001 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s basketball and women’s golf programs. A native of San Francisco, California, Masters is a 1996 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, earned his master’s degree from Kansas State University in 1998, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).