NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team performed its final tune-up ahead of the 2018-19 season on Tuesday evening, hosting Lewis University in an exhibition bout. The Fighting Irish offense soared to a 107-65 win against the Flyers, powered by 48 combined points from Jackie Young (25 pts) and Jessica Shepard (23 pts).
Furthermore, Arike Ogunbowale (14 pts, 11 ast) and Mikayla Vaughn (11 pts, 15 reb) each tallied doubles-doubles, while the return of Brianna Turner resulted in an 18-point, eight-rebound performance.
“I think we’re a really capable offensive team,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “We’ve got a lot of different weapons and a lot of people that can score.”
How It Happened
The Irish jumped out to a 10-0 lead, then a 17-4 advantage, before ultimately shooting 11-of-18 from the field (61.1 percent) in the first quarter. The Irish ended the period with a 26-15 lead thanks to the trio of Young, Ogunbowale and Shepard who combined for 24 of the points.
The second quarter was powered by a trio once more, this time in Turner (nine points), Shepard (eight points) and Young (eight points). Turner and Shepard played a major role in the Irish tallying 22 points in the paint for the quarter and a 25-12 rebounding advantage at the half. All-in-all, the Irish took a 51-31 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Irish defense had its best quarter in the third, limiting Lewis to 10 points on 2-of-15 shooting. On the opposite end of the quarter, Notre Dame tallied 18 points in the points and 10 fast break points. The Irish extended their lead to 80-41 heading into the final quarter, at which point Shepard and Young had 23 points each.
Notre Dame’s freshmen saw plenty of playing time in the fourth and, at one point, all four were all out there at the same time. Both Jordan Nixon and Mikayla Vaughn poured in nine points in the period.
Player of the Game
Both Shepard and Young were proficient from the field on Tuesday. Shepard converted 11-of-13 for her 23 points, while Young knocked down 10-of-12 for a game high of 25 points.
Ogunbowale dished out what, during the regular season, would have been a career-best 11 assists and was three rebounds shy of a triple-double.
Stat of the Game
Notre Dame recorded 26 fast-break points tonight. The Irish did not have 20-plus fast break points in any game last season.
Up Next
The Irish officially kick off the 2018-19 season on Friday, Nov. 9, when they host Harvard at 4 p.m. ET inside Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame will then host Penn for its 2018 national championship banner drop on Monday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. ET.
For tickets, fan can either visit und.com/buytickets, visit the Murnane Family Ticket Center inside the main entrance of Purcell Pavilion from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., or call the ticket office at (574) 631-7356.
— ND —