NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame women’s basketball sophomore guard Katlyn Gilbert poured in a career high 25 points against No. 9 N.C. State on Sunday afternoon, but it was the visiting Wolfpack (15-1, 4-1) who left Purcell Pavilion with the 90-56 victory. As a result, the Fighting Irish slipped to 6-11 on the year and 1-4 in ACC play.
Gilbert logged her 15th game in double figures and second of 20+ this season. The Indianapolis native shot 12-of-26 from the floor and tallied 10 points in the first quarter alone.
“N.C. State is a great team. They have all the weapons you need and that’s why they’re ranked in the top-10. Even when I thought we played well defensively, there were so many little things that didn’t go our way,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Muffet McGraw said. “I thought Kate was our bright spot, but obviously we are struggling to score so we have to figure out how to defend better.”
How It Happened
Notre Dame got off to a 5-0 start behind a Brunelle three-pointer and Gilbert basket; however, N.C. State countered with three separate 6-0 runs during the quarter to claim a 22-15 lead after one. Gilbert powered the Irish offense with 10 points in the period on 5-for-9 shooting.
The Wolfpack outscored the Irish 17-10 in the second to extend its lead to 39-25 at the half. The Irish were only able to connect on three made field goals (3-for-11) for the quarter as Gilbert boasted 15 of the team’s 25 points at the half.
Furthermore, the Irish suffered from the loss of starter Anaya Peoples, who reaggravated her shoulder injury midway through the second quarter and missed the remainder of the game.
N.C. State jumped on a shortened Irish roster in the second half, starting the third on a 16-1 run, before outscoring Notre Dame 30-11 for the period.
Gilbert tacked on 10 more points in the second half to bring her game total to 25. In addition, Nicole Benz got her first points of the season when the junior connected on a late-game three.
Notes
- Today marked the ninth all-time meeting between Notre Dame and N.C. State. The Wolfpack victory gave them their second win as the Irish still lead 7-2.
- Marta Sniezek took a charge today marking her 20th on the season tonight and 10 straight game. The 20 taken charges set a program record.
- Gilbert poured in a career high 25 points on 12-of-26 shooting. It marked her 15th double-digit scoring effort on the year and second 20+ effort. Gilbert had 10 points in the first quarter alone.
- Notre Dame is 66-89 all-time against top-10 ranked opponents.
Up Next
The Irish hit the road on Jan. 16 for Durham, North Carolina, for a Thursday night showdown with Duke. Tip is slated for 8 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
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