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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish win to advance to Sweet 16

By J.P. Scott

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 08: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish points from the bench against the Connecticut Huskies during the NCAA Women's Final Four Championship at Bridgestone Arena on April 8, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 08: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish points from the bench against the Connecticut Huskies during the NCAA Women's Final Four Championship at Bridgestone Arena on April 8, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame women’s basketball team withstood Villanova’s best effort early on Sunday.

That was a war for 20 minutes. Unlike their first-round game, there were several times in the first half where it didn’t look good for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team Sunday night against Villanova. The Wildcats threw everything they had at the Irish — and the tie halftime score was indicative of that.

Villanova hit a ridiculous 10 of 16 three-point shots in the first half against the Irish, keeping the game knotted up. Notre Dame struggled to contest shots outside the perimeter for the first two quarters.

Coach Muffet McGraw made some halftime adjustments that were noticeable immediately. The Irish began playing VIllanova’s guards closer and more physical on defense. That effort held Villanova to just eight point points in the third quarter.

Offensively, if Arike Ogunbowale is the bread and butter, Jessica Shepard is the meat and potatoes — and it was time for the main course. Notre Dame fed Shepard the ball repeatedly for easy baskets underneath. And when they weren’t coming easy, Shepard out hustled and ripped rebounds away from Villanova players for second-chance buckets.

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The Irish opened up a double-digit lead in the early in the third quarter and never looked back. By the end of the third quarter, they led by 20 — and that was all she wrote. Notre Dame cruised to a sound 98-72 win over a strong basketball team — making a statement to the rest of the teams still in the tournament.

Ogunbowale finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds. Jackie Young stepped up and had a great game with 24 points and 9 rebounds, while Shepard finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

One of the unsung heroes of the game was Kathryn Westbeld. The senior did was she does best — make hustle plays. She had a couple of key rebounds and blocks, but she was also a much-needed physical presence for the Irish in a game that got chippy at times. It was good to see her back healthy after the leaving the first-round game with a rolled ankle.

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The Irish now move on to the Sweet 16 for the ninth-consecutive season. They’ll play Texas A&M on Saturday in Spokane, Washington.

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