Category: Women’s Basketball

Notre Dame: Women’s Basketball Gets Much Needed Win Over Miami

Freshman Sam Brunelle led the way with 25 points while Destinee Walker finished 21 points and seven rebounds herself.

It has been a trying year for Muffet McGraw and the Fighting Irish so Sunday’s win over previously 10-7 Miami had to be satisfying.

Especially considering the second half the now 7-12 Fighting Irish went on.

Holding a the slightest of leads at halftime Notre Dame came out on fire after intermission Sunday, outscoring the Hurricanes 24-7 in the third frame en-route to a 76-53 takedown of Miami.

Freshman Sam Brunelle led the way with 25 points while Destinee Walker added 21 points and seven rebounds.

Mikayla Vaughn (16) and Katlyn Gilbert (12) also reached double-figures.

Notre Dame shot a lights-out 70% from beyond the arc while Miami struggled from the outside, making just four of 23 attempts (17.4%).

The win was just the second for Notre Dame in ACC play as they now sit at 2-5 in the conference.

They’ll look for win number three of the ACC season on January 26 as they resume action with a trip to Virginia.

Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Trying Season Continues at Duke

Haley Gorecki went on an 8-0 run by herself to draw Duke within one at 42-41 before Notre Dame’s final field goal of the night came with Sam Brunelle hitting her career-high fourth three and the Irish a 45-41 lead with 6:34 to go.

On a night that the Notre Dame Women’s basketball team played their best defensive quarter and half of the season, they fell in perhaps their most-frustrating loss of the season, a 50-47 decision at Duke on Thursday night as three turnovers in the final minute did the Irish in.

“I thought we lost that game entirely on our own – the turnovers were just so costly down the stretch. We couldn’t even get shots” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said after the game.

The Irish got off to a very fast start, going on a 14-2 run in the first quarter and not allowing a point the final 6:37 of the first frame, taking a 14-4 lead to the second quarter.

Duke’s offense came alive to the tune of 16 second quarter points but Notre Dame’s Mikki Vaughn led the Irish with eight points in the quarter herself to help aid Notre Dame to 15 themselves in the second quarter which led to a 29-20 halftime lead.

A 9-0 Duke run in the third quarter cut the Irish lead to three at 34-31, but Notre Dame responded with a run of their own to stretch the lead back to 40-33 entering the fourth.

Destinee Walker kicked off the fourth with a layup that pushed the Irish lead to nine but unfortunately that accounted for half of her made field goals on the night and Notre Dame would score just five more points on the night.

Haley Gorecki went on an 8-0 run by herself to draw Duke within one at 42-41 before Notre Dame’s final field goal of the night came with Sam Brunelle hitting her career-high fourth three and the Irish a 45-41 lead with 6:34 to go.

The Irish however would be turnover-happy down the stretch and only score again by sinking a couple of free throws as Duke rallied to win 50-47 on their home court.

The loss drops Notre Dame to just 6-12 overall and 1-5 in ACC play while Duke improved to 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the ACC.

Notre Dame looks for their second conference win of the season again Sunday when they return home to take on Miami in a game that can be seen on ACC Network.

 

Watch: Muffet McGraw’s Emotional Response to Blowout Loss

As frustrating as it’s been for fans and players, it’s been that much harder on legendary head coach Muffet McGraw and she let it show after Sunday’s game.

It’s been a trying year for Notre Dame Women’s Basketball.

Rebuilds are tough and whether you like it or not, it’s what you get when your five best players from a season ago are playing in the WNBA now.

After a decade of Final Four appearances being the norm, getting even a home victory has become tough as the Irish sit just 6-11 overall and 1-4 in ACC play after getting routed Sunday by No. 9 North Carolina State.

As frustrating as it’s been for fans and players, it’s been that much harder on legendary head coach Muffet McGraw and she let it show after Sunday’s game.

An incredibly rare moment to see a coach wear their emotions on their sleeve quite like that, especially one as accomplished as McGraw.

Hopefully this dark season is an exception and things get turned around soon because seeings videos like this much longer will get rather tough to watch.

Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Roughed Up by NC State

Three separate 6-0 runs by the Wolfpack in the quarter helped guide them take 39-25 lead to halftime before a monstrous 16-1 run to start the third quarter but things out of reach.

A frustrating season met an incredibly frustrating match Sunday as the Notre Dame Women were blown out at home against No. 9 North Carolina State, 90-56.

Anaya Peoples left halfway through the second quarter, aggravating a shoulder injury that has bothered her throughout the year. Three separate 6-0 runs by the Wolfpack in the quarter helped guide them take 39-25 lead to halftime before a monstrous 16-1 run to start the third quarter but things out of reach.

Elissa Cunane was too much as the Wolfpack starting center put up a team-high 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Jada Boyd added another 16 points and six rebounds off the bench for the now 15-1 Wolfpack who improved to 4-1 in ACC play.

Katlyn Gilbert led the Irish with a game-high 25 points while Destinee Walker was the only other Irish player to score more than six, as she put down 11 points on the afternoon.

Notre Dame falls to 6-11 overall and just 1-4 in ACC play. They return to action Thursday night when they travel to Durham to take on Duke in a game that can be seen on ACC Network.

What Was Up at Notre Dame Last Time the Patriots Lost This Early?

The women’s squad was led by a freshman by the name of Skylar Diggins who put down a game-high 18 points

The New England Patriots haven’t been eliminated from the NFL Playoffs as early as the Wild Card round since the Ravens knocked them out back in early-January of 2010.

Ten years.

In that time my local professional football team (that I refuse to claim) has one won playoff game, that coming in January of 2011 when in the Divisional round the Chicago Bears beat a Seattle Seahawks team that finished the regular season under .500.

Last night’s Tennessee Titans victory got me wondering though – what was happening in Notre Dame’s athletic department the last time the Patriots didn’t see the AFC Divisional Playoffs?

You have to go back to January 10, 2010 to find the answers.

Spoiler alert:  things have changed a little bit around campus.

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Notre Dame: Women’s Basketball Nears .500 Mark With Victory at Pitt

Notre Dame flew out of the gate to start the second half, going on a 7-0 run, with five points coming from Destinee Walker.  An 8-0 run by Pitt later in the quarter kept things closer than anyone associated with the Irish would have liked, but ultimately they still took a 46-36 lead into the final frame.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team (6-8, 1-1) kicked off 2020 with a 60-52 over now 3-10, Pitt. Destinee Walker helped lead the way with with sixteen points, five of which proved to be huge in the stretch run.

Mikki Vaughn tied her career high of 17 points and nearly earned a double-double with nine boards while Anaya Peoples earned her third double-double in the last four games with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

How It Happened

The opening quarter saw the teams play to an 8-8 draw before the Irish got off to a much quicker start in the second. Midway through the period, the Notre Dame offense found a little rhythm, recording a stretch in which they made 5-of-6 from the field to take a 24-18 lead before Peoples drained a jumper at the buzzer, to give the Irish a 30-22 halftime lead, in large part due to the 17 turnovers they forced in the first half.

Notre Dame flew out of the gate to start the second half, going on a 7-0 run, with five points coming from Walker.  An 8-0 run by Pitt later in the quarter kept things closer than anyone associated with the Irish would have liked, but ultimately they still took a 46-36 lead into the final frame.

A quick fourth quarter start for Pitt saw them cut the Irish lead to three before the Notre Dame weathered the storm and closed things out.  Leading by five with 23 seconds left, Walker came up big again with a crucial steal which translated to two Irish free-throws from Walker, as the grad transfer helped seal the victory.

The women return to the court Sunday afternoon when they’ll take on 7-6 Syracuse.

Notre Dame Football: We’ve Got a Forum!

We have launched a forum for exactly that and it costs you nothing to be a contributing part of the message board.

Hey you.

Yeah, you.

Have you been looking for somewhere other than Facebook or Twitter to share your thoughts about your favorite college sports team?

Good news.

We have launched a forum for exactly that and it costs you nothing to be a contributing part of the message board.

Mad about last night’s game?

Have a best guess on who the bowl opponent will be?

Or do you need to vent because your favorite player isn’t getting the respect they deserve nationally?

Now you’ve got a community to share all of your thoughts on all things Notre Dame athletics.

Simply go to our Fighting Irish Forum, create an entirely free account and start posting your thoughts immediately.  It’s as easy as that!

We hope to see you and your thoughts over there soon.

Thanks and Go Irish!