CLEMSON, S.C. — When Notre Dame left Chapel Hill on Jan. 8 with its first ACC loss, Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey challenged her team to better rely on defense when the shots were not falling, particularly on the road. On Thursday night, they answered that call. Thanks to a suffocating defensive showing, No. 7 Notre Dame (15-2, 6-1) topped Clemson (12-8, 3-5) at Littlejohn Coliseum, 57-54.
The Tigers had a total of 29 turnovers, and the Irish had 21 steals. Both marks are Notre Dame’s best of the season, and it was the most steals the Irish have had under Ivey.
“If our shots are not going in, we have to rely on our defense,” Ivey said during her press conference after the game. “That’s a focus of ours and something we learned against North Carolina. I’m very proud of that stat line. It shows that we are [improving] on that end. It shows our toughness. I felt like we showed it more in the second half.”
As far as scoring goes, the Tigers had the early momentum, holding the Irish to just 8 points in the opening frame. They led by as much as 9.
Then Olivia Miles happened, taking over the game with a pair of buckets from deep and finishing the first half with 12 points, 3 assists and a rebound. It was 29-26 in favor of the home team at the break.
The start of the third quarter belonged to the Irish, while the Tigers came back to tie it up entering the final 10. Notre Dame then outscored Clemson 13-10 to bring the 3-point victory back to South Bend.
Miles finished with 20 points, posting her second consecutive contest with 20+ for the first time since December 2021. The passing wizard added 8 total assists to her ever-growing repertoire, often dishing it off to Maddy Westbeld. She finished with 15 points and went 5-11 from the floor.
“Maddy and I work off of each other really well,” Miles said. “I know where she likes to get the ball and where her spots are, so she makes my job easy.”
Up next, Notre Dame heads home for a matchup against Virginia. Six of the Irish’s next eight games will be played at Purcell Pavilion, a welcome change after the road gauntlet that started at the beginning of ACC play at Virginia Tech. Notre Dame is 8-3 all-time against the Hoos, including a 3-0 mark at home.