Feb. 23, 2015
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Inside The Game: #4 Notre Dame 68, #8/7 Louisville 52
February 23, 2015 – Notre Dame, Indiana (Purcell Pavilion)
It Was Over When: After Louisville cut Notre Dame’s lead to five at 51-46 with 7:48 remaining, Notre Dame went on a mini 6-0 run during the next 81 seconds to hike the lead to 11. Louisville trimmed the lead to single digits just once more and trailed by a game-high 16 points twice in the final two minutes, including the final score.
Game Ball Goes To: Freshman forward Brianna Turner, who came within a rebound and three blocks of a triple-double. She had 11 points (4-5 FG, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds and a career high-tying seven blocks for the game, highlighted by seven points, six rebounds and six blocks after the halftime break.
Unsung Hero: Sophomore forward Taya Reimer, who shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and finished with 16 points. Many of Reimer’s baskets came on a mid-range jumper that Louisville had to step out to try and defend, helping Notre Dame score 38 points in the paint.
Unofficial Play of the Game: With Notre Dame lead just 51-46 and Louisville on a 9-0 run coming out of the eight-minute media timeout in the second half, Notre Dame called on its freshman post and Turner delivered. The Pearland, Texas, native cashed in an old-fashioned three-point play with 7:31 left, sparking a 15-4 Fighting Irish run down the stretch that cemented the victory.
Stat Of The Game: Notre Dame made the most of its free-throw opportunities on Monday night, connecting on 87 percent of its foul shots (20 of 23). The Fighting Irish were particularly efficient from the line in the second half, making 15 of 16 free throws (a 93.8-percent clip).
Additional Notes: Notre Dame improves to 8-1 against ranked opponents this season (winning its last six by double figures), including a 5-1 record against top-10 teams (all five wins by double figures) … the Fighting Irish have held seven of their last eight opponents to 61 points or fewer, including four of the past five to fewer than 60 points (Notre Dame is 15-0 this season and 307-15 since 1995-96 when holding opponents below 60 points in a game) … Notre Dame’s .870 free-throw percentage was its second-best mark of the season (minimum of 10 attempts), topped only by a .905 efficiency (19 of 21) on Nov. 30 in a win over Kansas at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut … the Fighting Irish move to 11-0 all-time on ESPN2’s “Big Monday”, including a 3-0 record this season … Notre Dame is 120-28 (.811) in the month of February since 1995-96, including an active 25-game February winning streak — the Fighting Irish also are 67-6 (.918) at home in the month of February in the past 20 seasons … Notre Dame rises to 11-4 all-time against Louisville and wins its eighth consecutive game against the Cardinals (all by double figures) … Monday’s 52 points tied the fewest allowed by the Fighting Irish in the series, duplicating a 89-52 win on March 6, 2010 (BIG EAST Tournament second round at Hartford, Connecticut) and a 68-52 victory on Feb. 20, 2012, at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville … Reimer’s perfect shooting night was the first by a Fighting Irish player (minimum of seven attempts) since Jan. 2, 2014, when Kayla McBride went eight for eight against South Dakota State at Purcell Pavilion … Reimer’s shooting percentage tied for fourth-best in program history and third-best in arena history by a Notre Dame player … junior guard Jewell Loyd posted her ACC-leading 17th 20-point game of the season, tying current Fighting Irish associate coach Beth Cunningham for the third-most 20-point games in one season in program history (as Beth Morgan, Cunningham had 17 such outings in 1996-97) … Loyd has scored at least 20 points in eight of nine games against ranked opponents this season and is averaging 26.1 points against Top 25 teams this year … Turner tied her career high with seven blocks, having previously hit that mark on the road against two other ranked teams — at No. 21/22 Syracuse on Jan. 4 and at No. 12/10 North Carolina on Jan. 15 … Turner’s seven blocks tied for fourth-most rejections in one game by a Notre Dame player at Purcell Pavilion, and most since March 20, 2012, when Devereaux Peters recorded seven blocks against California in an NCAA Championship second-round game … Allen tied her career high with nine assists, having previously dished out nine at No. 12/10 North Carolina on Jan. 15 … the Notre Dame senior class of guards Madison Cable and Whitney Holloway and forward Markisha Wright, which will be honored prior to Thursday’s regular season home finale vs. Pittsburgh (7 p.m. ET on ESPN3/WatchESPN) improves to 133-9 (.937) in its four-year career, including a 49-7 (.875) record against ranked opponents and a 21-7 (.750) mark against teams in the top 10 of the AP poll.
Up Next For The Fighting Irish: Notre Dame remains at Purcell Pavilion for its final home regular season game, as it plays host to Pittsburgh on Senior Night at 7 p.m. (ET) Thursday. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. In addition, radio coverage will be available in South Bend on Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) and free of charge worldwide online through the official Notre Dame athletics multimedia platform, WatchND (watchnd.tv).
–Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director