NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 1 Notre Dame women’s basketball team displayed its most complete game thus far this season, toppling No. 14 Iowa, 105-71. The Fighting Irish (7-0) received double-digit scoring games from all five starters, led by Arike Ogunbowale’s 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting. With the win over the Hawkeyes (4-2), the Irish move to 6-0 in ACC/B1G Challenge games.
“That’s probably one of our better games this season,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “I’m really excited about the assist to turnover ratio. That’s the thing that has been missing. We threw a lot of extra passes, a lot of really good passes.”
How It Happened
Mabrey got the offense rolling with a three in the first seven seconds of the game, igniting a 14-6 scoring start for the Irish. By the end of the quarter, seven different Irish players had scored, resulting in a 28-17 lead.
Notre Dame and Iowa traded points in the second, 17 each, leading to a halftime score of 45-34. Ogunbowale had 15 points by the midway point, while Turner neared her double-double with nine points and seven rebounds.
The Irish struck fast and often in the third, starting the half on a 12-0 run that ballooned to a 20-3 scoring spree over the first four minutes and 53 seconds. The Irish shot 8-of-9 from the field in that span, building a 65-37 advantage over the Hawkeyes. Ogunbowale had 27 points entering the final period, while Turner, Mabrey and Young were all in double-digits, as well.
The Irish put up 26 more points in the fourth to cap a 105-71 total. It marked the second game this season Notre Dame scored over 100 points against a ranked team and the Irish have scored at least 90 against all three ranked opponents they have faced.
Player of the Game
Ogunbowale scored 15 points in each half to reach her total of 30. It marked the third game in which the senior has scored at least 30. No other Division I player has yet reached 30 points three times this season.
Stat of the Game
Eleven of the 12 dressed Irish players scored in tonight’s win. All five starters scored in double digits. Ogunbowale led with 30 points, followed by 18 from Mabrey, 15 from Young, 14 from Turner and 10 from Shepard. Turner made it a double-double night with 11 rebounds.
Notes
- Notre Dame now leads the all-time series, 4-0, against Iowa.
- Coach McGraw earned career win No. 895.
- The Irish are now 6-0 in ACC/B1G Challenge matchups.
- Notre Dame’s 105 points marks the second time the Irish scored over 100 points against a ranked team this season, formerly tallying 101 points against No. 15 DePaul. In addition, the Irish have scored at least 90 points against all three ranked teams they’ve played, dropping 91 against No. 9 Oregon State.
- The Irish picked up their second consecutive ranked win and third on the year.
- Ogunbowale has recorded seven straight games with 20-plus points, marking a new career-high stretch for the senior. Last season, she shattered the Notre Dame single-season record for 20-plus scoring games with 25.
- Ogunbowale now has 40 career games with 20-plus points, which is good for fourth all-time at Notre Dame. Skylar Diggins-Smith sits in third place all-time with 45.
- Big Game Jackie: In the three ranked games this season, Young is averaging 22.0 points and 5.0 assists.
- Limiting turnovers: For the third consecutive game, the Irish have maintained single-digit turnovers.
- Ogunbowale entered the night averaging 13.7 points in the first half. The senior had 15 at halftime.
- Turner picked up her fourth double-double on the year and 25th of her career.
- The Irish recorded their fifth straight game with over 50 points in the paint. The win was their sixth in seven games hitting that mark.
Up Next
Up next, the showdown between the top-two teams in the country – as No. 1 Notre Dame hosts No. 2 UConn on Sunday, Dec. 2, inside Purcell Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.
–ND–