Nov. 1, 2017
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 5 University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team cruised past Indiana University (PA) 108-40 in an exhibition victory on Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
The Fighting Irish received a double-double from Jackie Young and four double-figure scoring contributions, guiding Notre Dame to a win against the Crimson Hawks in its final test before the regular season begins.
“It was a double victory today,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Women’s Basketball Head Coach Muffet McGraw said. “Getting the clearance for Jessica Shepard a couple hours before game time was great for our team, great for our depth.”
How It Happened
Irish sophomore Jackie Young opened play with 11 of Notre Dame’s first 21 points in the game, helping the Irish to a 21-6 advantage over the Crimson Hawks in the opening minutes. Notre Dame capitalized on a dominant offensive showing in the quarter, holding IUP scoreless for 3:52 midway through the period to build its lead.
Notre Dame entered the second quarter with a 35-8 advantage after receiving points from six different Irish scorers. Irish junior Arike Ogunbowale contributed seven points in the second quarter, bringing her total to 14 in the half. Had the contest been a regular-season game, Ogunbowale would have finished the first period in the 1,000-career point club.
Freshman Mikayla Vaughn came off the bench for Notre Dame and made an immediate impact, accounting for 17 points along with six rebounds in the first half and guiding the Irish to a 60-22 lead at the half.
A layup from junior Marina Mabrey added to Notre Dame’s lead at the start of the second half. Mabrey, who totaled 20 points, scored five straight and seven of the next nine points for the Irish.
Young, who played 25 minutes, finished with a double-double, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds in the game. Young came just three points shy of her career high (20).
“I thought Marina and Jackie played well,” McGraw said. “I thought they shot the ball well, they defended. I’m really impressed with the way they played.”
In the fourth quarter, Irish walk-ons Kaitlin Cole and Maureen Butler tallied their first points of the game, putting all 10 Irish players in the scoring column in the 108-40 victory.
Player of the Game
In her first game in a Notre Dame uniform, Vaughn’s 30 points spurred the Irish to a double-digit lead that reached as many as 69 points in the fourth quarter. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native also collected five blocks and eight rebounds.
The Irish received just three 30-point efforts throughout the entire 2016-17 season.
“Mikayla Vaughn was outstanding,” McGraw said. “She missed one shot from the field. Not a bad way to start your Notre Dame career.”
Transfers Make Irish Debuts
Just prior to Wednesday’s game, the Irish received word that the NCAA approved of junior forward Jessica Shepard‘s waiver, granting her eligibility to compete for the 2017-18 season.
Shepard joined fellow transfer Lili Thompson on the court on Wednesday, checking into the game at the first media timeout. The former Nebraska forward recorded her first points on a shot in the paint, courtesy of a ball from freshman Mikayla Vaughn in the first quarter.
The two-time All-Big Ten selection finished the game with seven points and four rebounds.
Thompson, a Stanford graduate and two-time All-Pac 12 team member, led the Irish at the point guard position, contributing five points with four assists in the game.
Stat of the Game
All 10 Notre Dame players that appeared in the game tallied at least one point for the Irish.
Coming Up Next
The Irish return to action in their regular-season opener at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 11, when they host Mount St. Mary’s. The game will be streamed live by ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN. Be sure to arrive early to catch Kayla McBride being inducted into the Ring of Honor.
For more on the Notre Dame women’s basketball program, follow @NDWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. For tickets to an Irish basketball game, click here.
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Josh Bates joined Fighting Irish Media as associate athletics communications director in July of 2017, serving as the women’s basketball and men’s golf contact. Bates earned both his bachelor’s (2011) and master’s (2014) degree in sports management from the University of Illinois. He also worked as a grad assistant at Illinois from 2012-14 and worked full-time at Tulane University from 2014-17.