| GAME 22 | NO. 8/9 NOTRE DAME AT BOSTON COLLEGE |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | THURSDAY, FEB. 2 | 7 PM E.T. |
| WHERE: | CHESTNUT HILLS, MA | CONTE FORUM |
| WATCH: | ACCNX |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| NOTES: | ND NOTES |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — For the second time this season, No. 8/9 Notre Dame and Boston College will square off on the basketball court. The Irish won the first matchup handily (85-47), but this time the game is in the Eagles’ house.
Notre Dame will obviously be without emotional leader Dara Mabrey, and center Lauren Ebo remains day-to-day with a lower body injury. Because of those setbacks, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey has challenged the entire team to step up.
“It has definitely put us in an adverse situation,” Ivey said this week. “It’s a lesson and growing experience for us, and adversity builds character. Next woman up. Everyone knows they have to do a little more, even 10 percent more.”
The Eagles have struggled in conference play, but they aren’t to be overlooked. After falling to Notre Dame on New Year’s Day, they beat both NC State and Florida State back-to-back. Those are both AP Top 25 teams in the most recent poll. Boston College had many issues on defense when they played in South Bend, but Maria Gakdeng’s 6 blocks were a bright spot. No player has posted more than 4 against Notre Dame since then.
Boston College’s leading scorer Dontavia Waggoner has missed the last couple of games with an ankle injury, and she has been dealing with those issues for much of the season. Whether or not she will face Notre Dame is unknown. She leads the Eagles in points (13.1) and rebounds (7.5). Freshman Taina Mair is pacing the team in assists. Both Mair and Miles lead the ACC with 7 assists per game.
Maddy Westbeld has been the hot hand for Notre Dame recently and eclipsed the 900-point mark against NC State. She had a season-best 13 rebounds against the Wolfpack as well. Miles continues to stuff the stat sheets, posting 15.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and the previously mentioned 7 assists each time she sees the floor. She’s also shooting 50.9 percent on the year and 49.6 percent in conference play.
Thursday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX. Notre Dame is 27-9 all-time against Boston College and 10-7 at Conte Forum.