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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish face Stanford for spot in Final Four

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 will be back in action on Monday. After beating Texas A&M, the Irish will face Stanford in the Elite 8.

On Saturday afternoon, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team took on Texas A&M in the Sweet 16. The Irish defeated the Aggies 87-80. Arike Ogunbowale led all Irish scorers with 34 points and Jessica Shepard added a double-double in the win with 24 points and 14 rebounds. The Irish will now take on Stanford in the Elite 8.

The Irish

Saturday’s contest was the first time the Irish were really tested in the tournament. The defense had its hardest assignment as they were faced with Chennedy Carter and the electric offense of the Aggies. Carter went off for 35 points, but in the end the Irish were able to get stops when they needed to. The game was close all game, but once the Irish took the lead early in the fourth, they made sure to take care of business down the stretch. Notre Dame will need to avoid getting into a trap in Monday’s matchup with Stanford. In their Sweet 16 matchup, Stanford shot just 25 percent from the floor. But as a number two seed and Pac-12 champions, Stanford is no slouch. The Irish will need another big performance from the defense if they want to move onto Tampa.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Irish did a good of keeping the ball moving. Four of the five starters came up with double digit point totals, including 34 from Arike Ogunbowale and 24 from Jessica Shepard. If you are looking for a big game player, Ogunbowale is it. She has proven time and time again that the bigger the stage, the better she plays. She took over for the Irish in the fourth quarter and made sure the Irish were able to advance. It would be nice to get Marina Mabrey going a little bit more but if everyone else is putting up big numbers, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Stanford

Stanford comes into Monday’s matchup at 31-4. They are coming off a 55-46 win over Missouri State in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. One player to keep an eye out for is Alanna Smith. She is averaging 19.6 points per game this season, good for first on her team. Against Missouri State on Saturday, she had a team high 13 points and six rebounds.

How to watch

Tip-off for the matchup is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.