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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish Set for Semifinal Rematch with UConn

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 will be back in action on Friday. After beating Stanford in the Elite 8, the Irish will face UConn in the Final Four.

On Monday night, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team took on Stanford in the Elite 8. The Irish defeated the Cardinal 84-68. Jackie Young led all scorers with 25 points while also recording 10 rebounds and Arike Ogunbowale added 21 points in the victory. The Irish will now take on UConn in the Final Four for the second year in a row.

The Irish

Against Stanford on Monday night, the Irish had one of the worst offensive halves of the season. They could not get anything to fall and had just 26 points at the break. But they came back in the second half and pulled away from Stanford to advance to their second straight Final Four. Jackie Young led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds to bring the Irish back from a halftime deficit. Arike Ogunbowale had to sit out a portion of the second half due to foul trouble, but Young and Shepard made sure that they would not fall behind.

UConn provides a bit of a tougher challenge than any other team that the Irish have played this season. In the first game between these two earlier in the year, Notre Dame struggled to keep pace and failed to rebound effectively. If the Irish can rebound well offensively and make their free throws, they should be able to make it back to the National Championship game for the second straight year.

UConn

UConn comes into Friday’s matchup at 34-3. They are coming off an 80-73 win over Louisville in the Elite 8. One player to keep an eye out for is Napheesa Collier. She is averaging 21.0 points per game this season, good for first on her team. Against Louisville on Sunday, she had 12 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.

Young's Heroics Propel Irish to Final Four. dark. Next

How to watch

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