CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The No. 6 Notre Dame women’s basketball team posted its most prolific quarter this season en route to a dominate 97-47 victory over Boston College (14-11, 3-9) on Wednesday night. All five Fighting Irish (23-3, 10-2) starters finished in double figures for the eighth time this season, led by double-doubles from Jackie Young and Jessica Shepard.
Shepard tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds, marking her second double-double in three games. Young collected 15 points and 10 boards, earning her fifth double-double on the year.
“I thought we rebounded well and got the break going,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “We could score in transition and we’re hard to stop. That was the best part of our game.”
How It Happened
The Irish started the game on an 8-0 run over the first 1:21, while all five starters got on the scoreboard by the 4:21 mark, building a 17-4 lead. The Irish defense held Boston College to without a field goal from 7:30 to 1:54, as Notre Dame finished the period up 22-11.
The Irish went on to outscore the Eagles, 29-11, in the second quarter as Turner, Ogunbowale, Shepard and Young all boasted double digits by the half. In fact, the foursome combined for 46 of the team’s 51 points, as the Irish were up 51-22 at the midway mark.
The Irish defense posted another impressive stretch in the second quarter, ending the last 5:01 on an 18-4 scoring spree, limiting the home team to 7-of-31 shooting for the half (22.6 percent).
After two missed shots to begin the third, Notre Dame caught fire, finishing the period 15-of-17 from the field. The Irish outscored the Eagles, 37-7, marking the most points they’ve scored in a quarter this season. In addition, Notre Dame notched a 23-0 run from 6:53 to the 3:03 mark.
Heading into the fourth with an 88-29 advantage, the Irish cruised to the 50-point victory. Ogunbowale earned her ACC leading 16th game of 20-plus points with 23 tonight. In addition, Ogunbowale surpassed Associate Coach Beth Cunningham for second place all-time in scoring with 2,324 points.
Turner was nearly perfect from the field at 9-for-10, resulting in 19 points to go with her three blocks and six boards. Lastly, Mabrey finished with 12 points, which included two three-pointers, thus tying Sheila McMillen for the No. 2 spot in Notre Dame history for career treys with 249.
Stat of the Game
Tonight completed the home-and-home sweep against Boston College with Young and Shepard recording double-doubles together in both games.
Notes
- With the win, Notre Dame now leads the overall series, 24-5, against Boston College, with a 10-4 mark on the road.
- Irish move to 87-5 all-time in ACC play since joining the league for the 2013-14 season.
- With 23 points tonight, Ogunbowale brings her career total to 2,324, which is just 33 points back from tying Skylar Diggins-Smith for Notre Dame’s all-time scoring record.
- With two threes tonight, Mabrey now boasts 249 in her career, which ties Sheila McMillen for the No. 2 spot in Notre Dame history. Alicia Ratay holds the record with 262.
- Turner entered Wednesday’s contest with three straight games with a season high tying five blocks. Tonight, Turner added three more.
- With 15 points tonight, Young achieved her seventh straight game in double figures.
- With 16 points tonight, Shepard achieved her 10th straight game in double figures.
- All five starters finished in double figures for the eighth time this year.
Up Next
The Irish remain on the road for a top ranked showdown against No. 12 NC State. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 18, airing live on ESPN2.
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