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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish welcome Demon Deacons to town

By Jordan Small

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a shot against the Connecticut Huskies during the second 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: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a shot against the Connecticut Huskies during the second 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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After passing their toughest test of ACC play against Louisville on Thursday night, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team will play host to Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team came into Thursday night’s meeting with No. 2 Louisville with a terrible record in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups. They were just 1-4, with one of those losses coming this season against UConn. But Thursday night, they came to play in the second half and pulled away from the Cardinals. Now they welcome Wake Forest to town for a Sunday midday matchup at Purcell Pavilion.

The Irish

Notre Dame went into halftime against Louisville down by two. They were not playing well and were turning the ball over a lot. But in the second half, Arike Ogunbowale came to play and it was all Irish. She had just two points in the first half, but was able to drop 28 in the second to help the Irish win by 14 points over the No. 2 team in the country.

The fast break was the difference for the Irish against Louisville, as they outscored Louisville 23 to 6 points. The Irish have had great success against teams this season when they can get out and run. Without a true point guard in the starting lineup, it is better for the Irish to get the ball going in transition instead of slowing it down and setting up in the half court. Look for them to do the same thing on Sunday against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons come to town with a record of 9-6 on the year. Wake Forest is 0-2 so far in ACC play with their losses coming to Miami and Boston College, both at home. On the road they are 1-2 with their only win coming at Charlotte in early December. Senior forward Elisa Penna is leading the Demon Deacons in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game. Four of their five starters are averaging double-digits, so the Irish will have to be on top of their game defensively once again.

Irish top Louisville. dark. Next

How to watch

Tip-off for the matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.