STORRS, Conn. – The University of Notre Dame women’s basketball squad (5-6) outscored No. 4 University of Connecticut (8-0) 32-29 in the second half, but the Huskies used a strong first half to earn the 81-57 victory inside a sold-out Gampel Pavilion. Marta Sniezek, Katlyn Gilbert and Anaya Peoples combined for 46 of the team’s points.
“It’s a great learning experience for all of them, particularly the freshmen. It’s about continuing to battle, which we did. It’s about the little things that we can do better in practice, that we can control,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Muffet McGraw said. “You can’t control the ball going into the basket, but you can control rebounding and setting screens.”
Peoples recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, marking her fifth consecutive game with eight-plus boards. Sniezek supplied a career high 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go with her six assists. Meanwhile, Gilbert tallied her 11th straight game in double-figures with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
How It Happened
The Irish fell behind early after an 0-for-6 start from the field, as UConn jumped out to a 12-2 advantage in the early minutes, prompting a Coach McGraw timeout. Sniezek boosted Notre Dame’s offense in the first, scoring nine points – one shy of her season high. However, UConn recorded a 7-0 run over the final two minutes of the period to go up 29-13.
Turnovers plagued the Irish in the second quarter, committing six over the final five minutes, which resulted in a 14-2 UConn scoring spree. As a result, the Huskies claimed a 52-25 lead at the half. Notre Dame shot 6-of-13 (46 percent) in the quarter.
Gilbert and Peoples combined for a 7-0 Irish run midway through the third, cutting the deficit to 59-32. Ultimately, the Huskies just edged the Irish in scoring for the period at 17-14, for a 69-39 lead. Gilbert led the Irish in the third quarter, scoring eight points, followed by four from Peoples.
A Sniezek three-pointer at 8:43 in the fourth gave the grad transfer her career best of 14 points. The trey sparked a 10-2 Notre Dame start as the Irish limited the Huskies to two points over the first four-and-a-half minutes. Peoples registered nine points in the period to finish at 17, marking the third time she has led the Irish in scoring this season. Notre Dame outscored UConn 18-12 for the quarter.
Notes
- Today marked the 51st meeting between rivals Notre Dame and UConn.
- Gilbert kept her career high double-digit streak rolling with 15 points at UConn, making it 11 games in a row. Gilbert scored 11 points in the second half.
- Sniezek scored nine points in the first quarter alone, which was one shy of her season high. She ultimately finished with a career high 14 points.
- Peoples notched her eighth double-digit scoring effort on the year with a team leading 17 points today, including 13 in the second half.
- Peoples tallied her first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
- Peoples reeled in eight-plus rebounds for the fifth consecutive game, collecting nine today.
- Peoples, Gilbert and Sniezek combined for 46 of the team’s points.
Up Next
The Irish return home to Purcell Pavilion for a boarder battle with No. 16 DePaul on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The contest will tip at an earlier start time of 6:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. The matchup will also feature the program’s annual Teddy Bear Toss at halftime.
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