| GAME 12 | No. 3 Notre Dame (9-2) vs Loyola MD (5-4) |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Sunday, Dec. 22 | 12 p.m. |
| WHERE | South Bend, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center |
| WATCH: | ACCNX |
| LISTEN: | Notre Dame Radio Network |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Wednesday will be the first ever meeting between Notre Dame and Lafayette, but it wasn’t supposed to be. Last season, Notre Dame was slated to play Lafayette on Dec. 6. That game was postponed due to health and safety protocols within the Lafayette program. Exactly a year later, the teams will meet in South Bend.
No. 14 Notre Dame (6-1) enters the game coming off of a much-needed bye week. The Irish are currently playing without Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron and Cassandre Prosper. All three guards are out with injuries. The only likely timeline available at this time is Citron; she is expected back around the end of December.
Thankfully for Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey, she has had numerous other players step up in the absence of Miles, Citron and Prosper. Freshman Hannah Hidalgo continues to lead the ACC in scoring (23.3) and the nation in steals (6.0). Forward Nat Marshall has seen increased playing time and has been hot from the floor in recent weeks. Marshall is averaging 15.7 points per game over the last three contests.
Turning to the other bench, Lafayette (4-4) guard Abby Antognoli is coming off of a great week. She was named Patriot League Player of the Week on Monday after scoring 25 points against UMBC and 15 points against Rutgers. She leads the Patriot League in assists, ranks sixth in scoring and fourth in steals. An Antognoli-Hidalgo battle at the point will be something to watch on Wednesday.
On the whole, the Irish should have a major defensive advantage. Notre Dame is posting 11 more rebounds, 7 more steals and nearly 2 more blocks per contest than the Leopards. Lafayette is averaging just 58 points per game, which ranks 289th in the nation. On the contrary, Notre Dame boasts a top-10 offense nationally at 91.6 points per game.
Wednesday’s game can be streamed on ACCNX beginning at 7 p.m.