| GAME 27 | No. 1 Notre Dame (24-2, 15-0) at No. 13 NC State (21-5, 13-2) |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Sunday, Feb. 23 | 12:00 p.m. |
| WHERE | Reynolds Coliseum | Raleigh, N.C. |
| WATCH: | ESPN |
| LISTEN: | Notre Dame Radio Network |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 2 Notre Dame (22-2, 13-0) hosts No. 13 Duke (20-5, 11-2) on Monday night in a battle of two of the top three teams in the ACC. The game will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day and is presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Duke is known as a defense-first squad, and this year is no exception. The Blue Devils are one of two ACC teams holding opponents under 60 percent from the floor (North Carolina), and Duke is allowing just 31.7 rebounds per game. Notably, Notre Dame leads the conference with 44.0 total rebounds and 31.6 defensive rebounds per game. Unsurprisingly, the Irish lead the league with a 10.6 rebounding margin, and Duke is second at 7.5.
The Blue Devils have had the same five starters for all 25 games this season and often go as freshman Toby Fournier does. The Canadian product leads the team with 13.5 points per game and 29 total blocks. She is also averaging 5.3 boards per game, second on the team behind Jadyn Donovan (6.8). Ashlon Jackson is a big threat from beyond the arc for Duke, averaging 2.5 3FGM per game and shooting 42.5 percent from deep this season.
Notre Dame is coming off its third consecutive victory of at least 30 points. On Thursday, the Irish beat Pitt for the 11th consecutive time, this time by a score of 88-57. Olivia Miles had 28 points and knocked down eight buckets from the beyond the arc, tying the Notre Dame single-game 3-pointer record set in 1998 by Shelia McMillen. Sonia Citron also exploded from deep, starting 4-4 from 3-point range and finishing the game 8-9 from the floor with 22 points and 10 rebounds, her third double-double of the year.
While she had an off night at Pitt, Hannah Hidalgo continues to be the best two-way player in the nation, ranking second in points per game (25.2) and second in steals per game (4.1). She notched a season-high 7 steals against the Panthers and posted her 57th game with 10+ points in as many tries.
Notre Dame is 18-4 all-time against Duke and 6-1 at home. Monday’s game will air on ESPN at 6 p.m. Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli will be on the call, and the game is sold out.