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No. 2 Notre Dame Tops Kansas 89-47; Face No. 10 Maryland Next

By Nicholas D. Blazek

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The early season tests for the  No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Women haven’t really been tests at all. With the 89-47 romp of the Kansas Jayhawks in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, the Irish have had an average margin of victory of 47 points.

The Irish (7-0) have used unselfish play to keep everyone involved. It’s rarely the same top scorer from one game to the next, and that’s all part of what coach Muffet McGraw looks for in her players.

More from Notre Dame Men's Basketball

"“A lot of people have been contributing so far, which is great,” McGraw said. “We know Wednesday is going to be different. That’s the most important game right now.”"

The Jayhawks (5-2) were able to keep pace early with the Irish, staying within five halfway through the first, but a 20-4 run to end the half all but ended the day for Kansas. Michaela Mabrey helped spark the rally with one of her five 3-pointers on the day, leading to 17 points. Jewell Loyd led all Irish scorers with 23 points.

The run was sparked by their solid defense, which continues to create matchup issues due to their length and size. The Irish began to pull away, and McGraw was able to start emptying the bench midway through the second half. The result was all 12 players for Notre Dame scored, which is becoming a pleasant normality.

The meeting was only the second between the two schools, the other a Notre Dame win in the regional semifinals of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame will see it’s schedule toughen up over the next few games, with a meeting against No. 10 Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in Fort Wayne. The men’s team is playing at Purcell that, forcing the “away” game. The Irish will then face former Big East foe No. 3 Connecticut on Saturday in South Bend.

The contest with Maryland is scheduled for a 7 pm ET tip-off.

Here are some of the highlights from tonight’s action, courtesy of UND.com