Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish complete sweep of Georgia Tech

By Jordan Small

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Marina Mabrey #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates her teams lead late in the game 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. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Connecticut Huskies 91-89. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Marina Mabrey #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates her teams lead late in the game 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. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Connecticut Huskies 91-89. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Notre Dame Women’s Basketball team got their eighth win in ACC play on Sunday afternoon, taking down Georgia Tech, 90-50.

The Notre Dame Women’s Basketball team returned home on Sunday afternoon after finishing a three game road trip to Tennessee, North Carolina, and Clemson. It was a strong performance at home as the Irish rolled over Georgia Tech, 90-50. Marina Mabrey led all scorers with 20 points. Jackie Young added 18 points of her own to help lead the Irish to victory.

A strong first half does the trick

For the past three games, the Irish were on a grueling three game road trip. On Sunday, they returned home and proved that they were ready and excited to be back in front of their fans. Right out of the gate, Notre Dame put up 28 points in the first quarter while only allowing 10 points for Georgia Tech. But it was in the second quarter when the Irish were able to pull away.

Between the last few minutes of the first quarter and the start of the second, Notre Dame shut down the Yellow Jackets offensively. For 11 minutes and 3 seconds of game time, Georgia Tech was unable to score a single point, let alone make a field goal. In the stretch, the Irish scored 24 straight points. The Irish would only allow three points in the quarter. By halftime, the Irish were able to balloon their lead out to 41.

Three point shot comes alive

The Irish definitely have some three point shooters on their team, but Irish shooters haven’t always been all that successful with the three-point shot this season. However, that has changed the past few games as Marina Mabrey, in particular, has come alive. She had made 10 threes in her previous two games coming into Sunday afternoon. Sunday, she went six for seven, including three in a row in the third quarter. If Mabrey can stay hot and the Irish are able to get one or two from other players on the floor, it will make this team even more dangerous.

This hot shooting is largely a result of great inside play from Jessica Shepard and Brianna Turner. Because those two are attracting so much attention under the basket, it forces teams to collapse in and leaves the wings wide open for outside shots. With Mabrey shooting so well, it will now force teams to step out and guard her, thus opening up the inside play for Shepard and Turner.

Irish get quality minutes from Mikayla Vaughn

It’s no secret that the Irish struggle to get much production from their bench players. But on Sunday afternoon, they were able to get much needed reinforcements from sophomore forward Mikayla Vaughn. In the first matchup between these two teams, it was also Vaughn who helped lead the Irish to victory. She had eight points and four rebounds off the bench in 12 minutes played. On Sunday, she added two blocks and three rebounds in the win. While those numbers don’t jump off the page like the numbers the starters put up, it gives head coach Muffet McGraw the luxury of sitting starters like Jessica Shepard and Brianna Turner in games that are not close. This will come in handy as tournament time nears. She did leave the game in the middle of the third quarter though after appearing to injure her left knee, which is the same knee she injured last season.

Next Up

The Irish will hit the road once again as they travel to Miami on Thursday night to take on the University of Miami. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.