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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish pick up huge non-conference win

By Jordan Small

TAMPA, FL - APRIL 05: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the NCAA Women's Final Four Semifinal at Amalie Arena on April 5, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 05: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the NCAA Women's Final Four Semifinal at Amalie Arena on April 5, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame women’s basketball team picked up a big non-conference win over Tennessee on Thursday night, 77-62.

The Irish hit the road on Thursday night after beating Boston College in South Bend on Sunday afternoon. It was not a strong performance on the road, but the Irish were able to take down Tennessee 77-62. Arike Ogunbowale led all scorers with 28 points. Jackie Young added 16 points, 10 assists, and 12 rebounds of her own for her first career triple-double, which helped lead Notre Dame to victory.

Irish struggle in the first half

The Irish had one of the worst halves of the season to start off against Tennessee on Thursday night. They shot just a season low 31 points in the first half. In the first quarter, they were shooting 31.3 percent from the floor. It improved to 46.4 percent by halftime, but Notre Dame still looked poor on the offensive side of the ball. One of the spots that the Irish typically do well in is the transition game. However, they struggled mightily even in transition and it made it difficult for them to get anything going. Luckily for them, they played well defensively and forced Tennessee into just 39 percent shooting.

Arike Ogunbowale comes alive in the second half

Coming into the second half, the Irish were trailing by three. But the fact that the Irish were able to go on a 9-0 run early in the third quarter, led by Arike Ogunbowale, made sure they were able to extend their lead out to double digits. Ogunbowale ended up finishing the game with 28 points on 11-21 shooting. She had just four points at the half, but being a second half type of player, she came alive and really helped the Irish separate from the struggling Tennessee squad.

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Next Up

The Irish will now travel to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels are 10-9 on the season and 1-4 in conference play. This will be the second game of a three game road trip for the Irish.