NORMAN, Okla. – How sweet a feeling for second year Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey, whose Fighting Irish advanced to the Sweet 16 with an emphatic 108-64 victory against Oklahoma on Monday evening. It marks the program’s 18th time reaching the Sweet 16 in 27 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Notre Dame made history yet again in round two, for they are the first team in men’s or women’s NCAA Tournament history to beat a better-seeded team by 40+ points.
The Irish put up a 60-piece in the first half, its most in a half in NCAA Tournament history. In addition, they kept the third-best rated offense in check, 20 points below their season average
Dara Mabrey hit five three-pointers in a row in the first quarter, scoring 17 points in the period. She finished with a game-high 29 points on 7-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. The seven three-pointers tie Marina Mabrey for the most by an ND player in a tourney game.
Olivia Miles made history yet again in game two, dishing out 12 assists. Her 23 assists over the weekend are the most in a player’s first two NCAA Tournament games since at least the year 2000, surpassing Penn State’s Jess Strom’s 22. Miles also notched nine points and six rebounds.
Sonia Citron had a perfect 11-for-11 day from the free-throw line to finish with 25 points, her third of 20+ points this season. Maya Dodson was the third and final Irish player to finish with at least 20 points, converting 8-of-11 from the field. Lastly, Maddy Westbeld nearly notched a double-double with nine boards and 13 points.
Up next, the Irish will return home for a few days before traveling to Connecticut for the Bridgeport Regional semifinal against a familiar ACC foe in No. 1 seed NC State. The matchup will take place on Saturday, March 26.
How It Happened
Notre Dame was down 7-5 in the early moments then caught on absolute fire thanks to Dara Mabrey. The senior out of Belmar, New Jersey, hit five three-pointers in a row and ignited a 30-4 scoring run to give the Irish a demanding 35-12 lead after the opening quarter.
The Irish weren’t done just yet, out-scoring the Sooners 25-13 in the second quarter. Sonia Citron scored 13 points in the period behind a perfect 9-for-9 performance from the free-three line. All-in-all, Notre Dame ended the half on a 10-0 run to build its lead to 60-25.
The 60 points set a new program record for most points in a half in an NCAA Tournament game, topping the original ND record of 56 in the second half vs Duke in the Norfolk Regional final in 2013. Mabrey (19 points), Citron (17) and Westbeld (11) were all in double figures.
Meanwhile, the Irish defense was just as spectacular, holding Oklahoma to a first half season low in points. They also caused 16 OU turnovers in the half, in which they converted into 18 points. The 35-point halftime lead was the largest halftime lead by a lower-seeded team in women’s NCAA Tournament history.
Mabrey tacked on two more treys in the third quarter to lead the Irish in that period as well with eight points. As a team, the Irish shot 11-of-21 and outpaced the Sooners again, 25-22, to keep distance at 85-47.
The Irish scored at least 20 again in the fourth, outscoring the Sooners 23-17. Mabrey had four attempts at tying the all-time program record for three’s in a game, but came up just short. Sheilla McMillen holds the top spot with eight treys versus St. John’s back on Feb. 28, 1998.
— ND —