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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish beat Wake Forest by 30

By Jordan Small

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts to her team against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs during the second quarter 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: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts to her team against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs during the second quarter 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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The Notre Dame women’s basketball team got their fourth win in ACC play on Sunday afternoon after taking down Wake Forest 78-48.

After a big win against Louisville on Thursday night, the Irish had to stay focused and welcome Wake Forest to town. Another steady offensive performance got the Irish going, but it was strong defense that ultimately helped the Irish pull past the Demon Deacons. Marina Mabrey led the way for Notre Dame with 18 points. Brianna Turner also dropped a double-double to help propel the Irish to victory.

Once again, Jessica Shepard had an all-around solid game

By now, you have probably heard about Jessica Shepard’s weight loss journey over the past few months. Coming into this season, Shepard was in the best shape she’d been in in quite a long time. But it was hard to predict just how dominate she would become because of that transformation. Sunday’s game was a perfect example of the type of effort Shepard is able to put in game in and game out.

Shepard recorded 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals against Wake Forest. As a 6’4” forward, the points and rebounds are pretty standard numbers. But her ability to pass and cause turnovers is something special. A great example of Shepard’s passing abilities was in the second quarter when she flung the ball almost the entire length of the court like a quarterback throwing a football. She hit Marina Mabrey square in the numbers for an easy layup. It’s just another example of why Shepard is helping this team dominate in ACC play.

Tough game for Arike Ogunbowale

After dropping 30 points against Louisville on Thursday night, Arike Ogunbowale came into Sunday’s matchup with Wake Forest feeling it. But the Irish star guard would go cold after tip-off, scoring just four points on the afternoon. She had just two points at halftime, both coming off free throws. It took her until almost halfway through the fourth quarter to score her first and only basket of the game. She’s not going to be on every single game, so it’s good that it came against a weaker opponent and that the rest of the team came to play.

Next. Irish Men top Boston College. dark

Next Up

The Irish will now travel to Blacksburg to face off against Virginia Tech on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. This will be the first time Marina Mabrey will go up against her younger sister Dara.