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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish Win First ACC Road Test

By Jordan Small

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Connecticut Huskies during the first half in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on March 30, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Connecticut Huskies during the first half in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on March 30, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame women’s basketball team got their ACC road play underway on Sunday afternoon. They took down Georgia Tech 76-55 in Atlanta to improve to 2-0 in the conference.

It wasn’t the best night on offense for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team, but the defense stood tall and the Irish were able to come away with the victory. The bright spot on offense was Notre Dame’s ball movement and their ability to pick up assists on baskets. They struggled, however, on free throws, which cost them some points, especially in the second half. But all in all, Notre Dame would walk away with a 76-55 win thanks to 19 points from Jessica Shepard and a double-double for Arike Ogunbowale.

The word for today’s game was assists

The Irish did everything right when it came to passing on Sunday afternoon. On 34 shots, the Irish registered 30 assists. One of the big plays that helped them rack up so many assists was hitting Jessica Shepard deep in the post. Georgia Tech was occupied guarding Brianna Turner in the high post, so Shepard was able to work one-on-one in the post, which is a place she excels.

Another way they racked up a good chunk of assists was by outlet passes from rebounds or steals. The ability of all five players to see up the floor and read the play has helped the Irish be dangerous in transition this season. Arike Ogunbowale led the charge for the Irish on the afternoon, registering 12 assists to go along with her 13 points.

Irish struggle from the free throw line

While the Irish did have a good shooting day once again, one place that they struggled was the free throw line. They shot just 46.7 percent from the line, going 7 for 15. On two trips to the free throw line in the second half, the Irish missed both shots, once by Arike Ogunbowale and the other time by Marina Mabrey. In the end, it did not make that big of a difference, but come time to play teams like Louisville and that could change the game.

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Next Up

The Irish will now play host to Louisville on Thursday night. The Cardinals are 14-0 on the year and ranked number three in the country, just behind the Irish. Last season, these two teams met in the regular season and the ACC tournament, both wins for Louisville. Tip-off for Thursday’s game is 7:00 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN.