Aces And Wings To Tip Off Preseason At Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center will play host to a 2025 WNBA preseason game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Dallas Wings on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET. 

The contest will welcome back three former Notre Dame women’s basketball All-American student-athletes; Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas), Jewell Loyd (Las Vegas) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas) to Purcell Pavilion. 

“We are super excited to be able to welcome WNBA championship organizations in the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings to Purcell Pavilion while supporting Arike, Jackie and Jewell and inspiring the current Notre Dame team and the South Bend community,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Women’s Basketball Coach Niele Ivey said.  “I always want to bring new experiences to our program, and I am thrilled we are able to do this while elevating and showcasing women’s basketball.”

Presale tickets will be made available to the following groups: 

• Tuesday, March 4 | Notre Dame Women’s Basketball season ticket members
• Thursday, March 6 | Notre Dame Men’s Basketball, Football and Hockey season ticket members
• Tuesday, March 11 | University of Notre Dame students (discounted tickets)

More information to these ticket member groups will be sent via email closer to the presale dates and information can be accessed on the above dates at FightingIrish.com/buytickets. Tickets also will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, March 11. 

Ogunbowale, Loyd and Young are three of the most decorated student-athletes in Notre Dame women’s basketball history and three of the top players in the WNBA. 

The all-time leading scorer in Irish women’s basketball history, Ogunbowale was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 NCAA Final Four after making game-winning shots in the final seconds of the national semifinal and national championship game. She scored 2,626 points at Notre Dame, won 136 games over four years, three ACC titles, a national title and a national runner-up finish. 

A two-time WNBA All-Star and All-WNBA selection, Ogunbowale was the fifth overall selection of the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA draft and boasts a 20.6 points-per-game average throughout her WNBA career. 

Loyd was the 2015 ESPNw National Player of the Year and a member of three consecutive Final Four teams at Notre Dame, finishing as national runners up in both 2014 and 2015. Seventh on Notre Dame’s all-time scoring list with 1,909 career points, Loyd saw Notre Dame win 108 games against just six defeats during her three seasons on campus. 

She was the first overall selection of the Seattle Storm in the 2015 WNBA draft and quickly earned the league’s rookie of the year award. Loyd has since won two WNBA titles (2018 and 2020) with the Storm while making six all-star game appearances. Averaging 19.7 points-per-game throughout her WNBA career, the Illinois native was recently  traded to the Aces in January. 

Young, an Indiana native, returns to her home state and home court for this special WNBA preseason event. The 2016 Indiana Miss Basketball would win a national title at Notre Dame in 2018, finish as a national runner up the next year and be selected first overall by the Aces in the 2019 WNBA draft. The Irish won 103 games with Young on the roster, along with two ACC titles. In the 2019 ACC Championship, she was named the tournament MVP averaging 19.3 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game. 

A two-time WNBA Champion with the Aces, Young was the 2022 WNBA Most Improved Player and an all-star selection in 2023 and has averaged 15.8 points-per-game during her WNBA career.