| GAME 13 | No. 3 Notre Dame (10-2, 1-0) vs Virginia (8-5, 0-1) |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Sunday, Dec. 29 | 12 p.m. |
| WHERE | South Bend, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center |
| WATCH: | ACCN |
| LISTEN: | Notre Dame Radio Network |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After a week away from competition for the holidays, No. 3 Notre Dame (10-2, 1-0) will be back in Purcell Pavilion on Sunday afternoon to host Virginia (8-5, 0-1) in this season’s ACC home opener.
The Irish are coming off of three consecutive home victories over UConn, Eastern Michigan and Loyola MD. Over that stretch, Notre Dame averaged 98 points per game, drained 36 3-pointers, and recorded an assist on 68 of 115 made buckets (59. 1 percent).
It’s been a team effort over the last few contests, starting at the point with Olivia Miles. Notre Dame’s floor general posted her second triple-double of the season on Sunday with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Greyhounds. Hannah Hidalgo added a season-high 33 points, and Liatu King had her seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 boards.
On the topic of Notre Dame’s star players, the Irish currently have a player in the top 10 nationally in all five major statistical categories:
- Hidalgo: 25.8 ppg (second) and 4.3 spg (first)
- Miles: 6.7 apg (t-sixth)
- King: 11.4 rpg (seventh)
- Kate Koval: 3.5 bpg (second)
The program also leads the ACC in several categories, perhaps most notably in 3-point shooting at 43.4 percent.
Sunday’s matchup will showcase two of the best rebounding teams in the country. Notre Dame is leading the ACC with 45.7 rebounds per game, while Virginia is third with 44.0. Both marks rank in the top 15 nationally.
The Hoos are led on the boards by Latasha Lattimore, who spent the last two seasons playing for Miami. She is averaging a near double-double with 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Virginia’s biggest scoring threat is Second Team All-ACC guard Kymora Johnson, who has continued to build upon an excellent rookie season last year. Johnson is a walking stat sheet stuffer, averaging 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. She has scored in double figures in every game this season.
Notre Dame is 10-3 all-time against the Cavaliers and 4-0 at home. This year’s contest is sold out, marking the third sellout of the season at Purcell Pavilion. Sunday’s game tips off at noon on the ACC Network.