Dec. 21, 2014
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | USA Today 
Inside The Game: #5/4 Notre Dame 64, Saint Joseph’s (Pa.) 50
December 21, 2014 – Notre Dame, Indiana (Purcell Pavilion)
It Was Over When: Sophomore forward Taya Reimer hit a pair of baskets, sandwiched around a fastbreak layup from sophomore guard Lindsay Allen, with less than four minutes remaining to give Notre Dame a 62-46 lead and blunt a late rally by Saint Joseph’s, which had cut the margin to 10 points.
Game Ball Goes To: Freshman forward Brianna Turner showed little rust from her three-game injury layoff, making seven of eight shots and scoring a game-high 19 points, while adding a career-best five blocks and four rebounds in 30 minutes.
Unsung Hero: Freshman guard Mychal Johnson gave Notre Dame a strong defensive presence off the bench, particularly against Saint Joseph’s guard Kathleen Fitzpatrick, who had made two deep three-pointers early in the game, but scored just five points after Johnson came in to mark her.
Unofficial Play of the Game: Reimer grabbed a rebound and fired a long outlet pass to junior guard Jewell Loyd, who had her back to the basket, took one dribble and whipped a no-look pass to Turner racing down the floor and the rookie converted the easy lay-in for a 49-29 Notre Dame lead with 14:28 remaining.
Stat Of The Game: Notre Dame forced Saint Joseph’s into a staggering six shot-clock violations on Sunday. In their previous 11 games this season, the Fighting Irish had hounded their opponents into a combined eight shot-clock violations.
Additional Notes: After allowing at least 70 points in three consecutive games, including 93 in an overtime win at No. 25 DePaul, Notre Dame has given up just 50 points in each of its last two games … the Fighting Irish now have won 27 consecutive games coming off their final exam break, and 19 consecutive games heading into the Christmas holiday … Notre Dame takes a 2-1 series lead against Saint Joseph’s in the first meeting between the schools since 1990 … the Fighting Irish have won 12 in a row and are 47-13 (.783) all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, including a 21-6 (.778) record at home … Notre Dame is 31-18 (.633) all-time against members of the Big Five, including a 15-4 (.789) record at home … Notre Dame shot at least 50 percent from the field for the eighth time this season … the Fighting Irish had a season-low 27 rebounds … Notre Dame did not make a three-pointer for the first time since Nov. 9, 2012, against No. 19/21 Ohio State in the Carrier Classic aboard the USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (ending a string of 85 consecutive games with at least one triple) … Turner’s five blocks were the most by a Notre Dame player since March 29, 2012, when Natalie Achonwa had five blocks in a win over No. 21/18 Oklahoma State in the NCAA Sweet 16 at Purcell Pavilion … Loyd scored in double figures for the 55th consecutive game, continuing the second-longest run in program history … Notre Dame had four double-figure scorers for the seventh time this season … Allen’s eight rebounds were one off her career high set back on Nov. 19 in a win at No. 15/17 Michigan State … Saint Joseph’s had two assists, the fewest by a Notre Dame opponent since March 25, 2012, when No. 21/25 St. Bonaventure also had two assists in a 79-35 Fighting Irish win in the NCAA Sweet 16 at Raleigh, North Carolina.
Up Next For The Fighting Irish: Notre Dame will be off for the next week for the Christmas holiday before returning to the hardwood at 4 p.m. (ET) Dec. 28 to take on UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. The game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks, while radio coverage will be available in South Bend on Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) and worldwide online through the official Notre Dame athletics multimedia platform, WatchND (watchnd.tv).
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director