SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Following a record-breaking regular season for the Irish, Notre Dame graduate guard Olivia Miles has been named one of five finalists for this year’s Nancy Lieberman Award, which is given to the nation’s top point guard.
To date, Miles is averaging 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. She is one of four players nationally averaging 16, 6 and 5. The New Jersey native leads the ACC in assists per game (14th nationally) and ranks ninth in the conference in scoring. She is shooting 50.9 percent from the floor (eighth in the ACC) and 41.6 percent from deep (third in the ACC). Miles is one of two ACC guards shooting 50 and 40 this season.
Additionally, Miles leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season and became the first player in ACC history with back-to-back triple-doubles (Loyola and Virginia). Her 20-point triple-double in Notre Dame’s opener against Mercyhurst came on the heels of a year off while rehabbing a torn ACL, making her the first player in NBA, WNBA or college basketball history to sit out for a year due to injury and post a 20-point triple-double in their first game back.
Miles has also had several notable single-game performances, including tying the school record for single-game 3-pointers (eight) against Pittsburgh on Feb. 13. She started 5-5 from beyond the arc and finished with a season-high 28 points.
Finally, Miles is the NCAA’s active leader in career assists per game (6.6). She has scored 1371 points in her Irish career, which is 26th in program history. She is one of three Notre Dame players all time who has amassed 1000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists while in South Bend, joining Skylar Diggins and Lindsay Allen.
Miles is joined on the finalist list by Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore, Texas’ Rori Harmon, UCLA’s Kiki Rice and UConn’s Paige Bueckers. Diggins is Notre Dame’s only winner of the award, having earned it in 2012 and 2013.