Feb. 18, 2018
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — The No. 5 University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team completed a season sweep of Boston College on Sunday afternoon, rolling to an 89-55 victory. The Irish (25-2, 13-1) collected its 14th win away from home in the process, marking the second most in the nation.
Jackie Young and Jessica Shepard led five Irish in double figures with 18 points each, while Kristina Nelson poured in a career high 16 points. In addition, Notre Dame scored 64 of its 89 points in the paint today against the Eagles (7-20, 2-12) and finished with a season low of six turnovers.
“I thought Koko [Kristina Nelson] gave us great minutes off the bench. She was really solid, had a lot of energy,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Women’s Basketball Head Coach Muffet McGraw said. “Overall, we didn’t come out with enough energy. We were a little careless, I thought, and defensively had a lot of lapses.”
How It Happened
Five different Irish players scored seven minutes into the game as Notre Dame’s defense stalled the Eagles by keeping them off the scoreboard for a stretch of four minutes and 39 seconds. As a result, the Irish tallied a 10-0 run, which led to a 19-12 advantage after the opening period.
Jackie Young became the seventh Irish player to score at the 6:45 mark in the second quarter, extending the Irish lead to 27-16. However, Boston College would not go away, hitting six three-pointers in the first half, thanks to five treys from Taylor Ortlepp, as Notre Dame held just a 39-30 lead at the midway point. Kristina Nelson paced the Irish attack with 10 points by the half.
The Irish defense stymied Boston College yet again in the third quarter, keeping the Eagles scoreless for a four-minute stretch, ultimately outscoring the opposition 15-3 by the 4:03 mark. By the end of the period, Notre Dame led 61-42.
The Irish got off to another big start in the fourth, outpacing the Eagles 12-2. Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame’s best scorer in the final period this season, continued that trend with six points in the fourth, as the Irish cruised to the 89-55 final.
Player of the Game
Kristina Nelson recorded 10 points in the first half, before finishing with a career high 16 points on a career best seven made field goals (7-of-10). Nelson also earned a career best eight assists and a season high eight rebounds.
Stat of the Game
The Irish continued to pound it inside all game, recording 30 of its 39 points first half points in the paint. Notre Dame went on to finish with 64 points in the paint, surpassing the 60-point mark for the third time this season.
Notes
- Notre Dame now leads the all-time series vs Boston College, 22-5, including the winners of 12 straight. The Irish are 9-4 all-time in the Conte Forum.
- Irish are 75-3 all-time in ACC play.
- With today’s victory, the Irish captured their 14th win away from home this season, which marks the second most in the country, behind just UConn’s 15.
- Notre Dame extends its season high winning streak to 10 consecutive victories.
- The magic number is now down to two – two games left, two victories needed for Notre Dame to co-share the ACC regular season title.
- Kristina Nelson recorded her fifth game in double figures and eighth of her career, finishing with a career high 16 points. Also tallied a career high seven assists.
- Jessica Shepard notched her 22nd game in double figures with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
- Jackie Young also finished in double digits with 18 points, marking her 20th of the season. Also marked her fifth game leading the Irish in scoring.
- The Irish forced 15 Boston College turnovers, resulting in 26 points.
- Mabrey and Ogunbowale round out the double-digit scorers with 11 and 15 points, respectively. It marked Mabrey’s 20th and Ogunbowale’s 26th.
- The Notre Dame bench added 24 points in today’s contest, marking the third highest this year.
- Notre Dame has shot at least 50 percent from the field in six straight games. They shot 57.4 percent today.
- Irish finished with a season low six turnovers.
Up Next
The Irish return home for their final two games of the regular season, starting first with Virginia Tech on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. ET on ACCN Extra. Notre Dame then wraps things up with Senior Day at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, vs No. 25 NC State on ESPN2.
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