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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish roll over Pitt in ACC opener

By Jordan Small

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Marina Mabrey #3 and Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate their comeback during the third quarter against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on April 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Marina Mabrey #3 and Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate their comeback during the third quarter against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on April 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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It was all Irish, all the time in the ACC opener on Thursday night. The Notre Dame women’s basketball team took down Pittsburgh 100-44 in the first game of league play.

Right from the beginning, it was all Notre Dame in the first game of ACC play. The Fighting Irish put up 60 points in the first half and 100 in total for another productive offensive night. While the offense was impressive, it was the defense that really stood out for the Irish. All in all, the Irish walked away with a 100-44 victory to improve to 1-0 in ACC play. Marina Mabrey led all scorers with 20 points and added 7 assists. Arike Ogunbowale and Jackie Young were both in double figures, and with her 16 points on the night, Young officially joined the 1,000 point club at Notre Dame.

Irish continue hot shooting form

That now marks the fifth-straight game over 50 percent shooting. It also marks the fifth-straight game that the Irish have scored over 85 points. All three guards for the Irish had a big impact on the shooting percentage, as Jackie Young, Arike Ogunbowale, and Marina Mabrey all shot over 50 percent from the field on Thursday night. Between the three of them, they scored 54 of Notre Dame’s 100 points.

This isn’t something that fans should expect to continue, but it definitely is a good sign as league play gets under way. With Louisville coming up next week, it is important that they are hitting their form offensively right now.

Defense steps up in a huge way

It’s no secret that the Irish have not been good defensively so far this season. Whether it was against the three, in transition, or simple half court zone, Notre Dame has not looked cohesive at all. On Thursday night, they took a step in the right direction against Pittsburgh. In the first game of ACC play, the Irish held the Panthers to just 14 points at halftime. They had forced 14 turnovers in the first half and 24 total for the game. The score had to do in large part with the shooting percentage of Pittsburgh — a dismal 26.6 percent. The Irish made them uncomfortable and forced them into tough shots. This helped propel the Irish to a 56-point win to start the ACC schedule.

Next. Football: ND, UCF in similar position. dark

Next Up

The Irish will hit the road for their first ACC away game of the season. They will face off against Georgia Tech on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m. ET and can be found on the ACC Network Extra.