Tag: Dara Mabrey

Miles stars in Notre Dame’s season-opening win vs. Northern Illinois

Nice way to start things off.

Given all the preseason hype surrounding [autotag]Olivia Miles,[/autotag] it was only fair that she take center stage in Notre Dame’s season opener. She led the Irish in almost every category and thoroughly dominated. Exactly how dominant was she? Try a line of 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals, all of which were team highs in an 88-48 victory at the Purcell Pavilion.

The Irish (1-0) saw the Huskies (0-1) take a 4-3 lead early in the first quarter, but that was as good as it got for the visitors. It was an Irish stampede from there, and it happened largely thanks to suffocating defense in which they recorded 16 steals and forced 22 turnovers. They held the Huskies to 27.5% shooting from the field while shooting 47.9% themselves.

[autotag]Dara Mabrey[/autotag] scored 16 points in a game-high 34 minutes. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] had 13 points and a game-high four blocks. In her first game since transferring from Texas, [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] added 10 points off the bench.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=none image=https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey speaks at ACC media day

Think the Irish have another deep tournament run in them?

Entering her third season as the legendary [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag]’s successor, Notre Dame coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] has every reason for optimism. She went from .500 in her first year at the helm to 24-9 and an appearance in the Sweet 16. But for a late Irish collapse against NC State in their final game, the Final Four would have been within their reach. Alas, neither Ivey nor her team could be disappointed by how far they had come.

All of that is history now, and Ivey is ready to see what she can do with this year’s Irish. She answered questions about it during the ACC’s media day Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina:

NC State deals Notre Dame heartbreaking defeat in NCAA Tournament

This one hurts.

Notre Dame had top-seeded NC State on the ropes in the Sweet 16 of the Bridgeport Regional in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the Irish were mere seconds away from defeating the Wolfpack for the second time this season and getting back to the Elite Eight. Instead, the tables turned at the worst possible time, and the Irish will head home after losing a 66-63 heartbreaker.

The Irish (24-9) took the lead in the second quarter, during which they had a 26-14 scoring advantage over the Wolfpack (32-3). They led by as much as 10 without falling behind and still had a four-point advantage with 1:45 to go. That lead was cut to 66-63, and the game was about to be tied but for Elissa Cunane’s first missed free throw of the game. Maya Dodson got the rebound, and the Irish called a timeout hoping to milk the clock with 35 seconds left.

Out of the timeout, the worst possible thing happened, and it surely will haunt Dara Mabrey forever. Raina Perez picked the senior clean at the center-court logo and broke free for a wide-open layup with nobody in front of her, giving the Wolfpack the slimmest of leads. The Irish called their last timeout to set up a game-winning basket, but Maddy Westbeld missed a 3-pointer, and Perez got the rebound and was fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining. Perez made two free throws, and the stunned Irish could only watch the Wolfpack celebrate their incredible come-from-behind victory.

As predicted, Cunane was the Wolfpack’s most productive player with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but it was the defense that will be remembered most in this game. Kai Crutchfield had three of her four steals in the fourth quarter, and two of those led to four of her 14 points. Perez also had four steals, none bigger than the last one.

Olivia Miles nearly carried the Irish on her back to the finish line as she led all scorers with 21 points. Westbeld scored 13 points to go with eight rebounds and three steals. However, she also committed five of the Irish’s 16 turnovers.

This one will sting for the Irish for a while, especially after being outscored, 20-10, in the fourth quarter. At the same time, this was the season in which Niele Ivey was able to establish herself as the right person to lead the program going forward. Most of the team will be back next season, and only more progress can result. The Irish are back, and they’re not going away.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame dominates Oklahoma from start to advance to Sweet 16

That was a whooping.

The second-round NCAA Tournament game between Notre Dame and Oklahoma was competitive for about two-and-a-half minutes. After that, any semblance of a level playing field in this contest completely evaporated. That’s because the Irish began a complete embarrassment of the Sooners on their home floor. Their 108-64 win set a program NCAA Tournament record for offensive output and set up a meeting with top-seeded NC State in the Sweet 16.

After the Irish (24-8) found themselves down, 7-5, to the Sooners (25-9), they had absolutely nothing to worry about. Led by four 3-pointers from Dara Mabrey, they scored 20 unanswered points and never were threatened again. Their 35 first-quarter points were their most in any quarter this season. Helped by Sooners 28 turnovers, they continued to pour it on throughout, reminding everyone yet again that this program has emerged from the doldrums.

Mabrey finished with seven 3-pointers and a game-high 29 points. Sonia Citron wasn’t far behind with 25, and she made all 11 of her free throws. Maya Dodson scored 20 on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, and Maddy Westbeld flirted with a double-double as she totaled 13 points and nine rebounds. Also coming close to a double-double was Olivia Miles, who scored nine points and had 12 assists.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame beats Massachusetts in first round of NCAA Tournament

The Irish have past their first tournament test.

If Notre Dame had lost to Massachusetts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, no one would have been surprised. After all, two No. 5 seeds already had fallen, so it would have been forgivable not to bat an eye at seeing it happen again. But it didn’t happen this time, and the Irish are into the second round after an 89-78 win in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Irish (23-8) got off to a fast start, going up by as much as 17 in the first half. The Minutewomen (26-7) cut that lead by more than half going into the break when Sam Breen hit a buzzer-beating half-court shot. When the lead was whittled down to six in the third quarter, another No. 12 seed looked like it was on its way to victory. Instead, the Irish went on an 11-0 run, and that was all she wrote for the Minutewomen.

It was a historic game for Olivia Miles, who achieved the second triple-double of her collegiate career: 12 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. She joins Skylar Diggins and Jackie Young as the only players in program history with two triple-doubles. While she also had six turnovers, no one will remember that.

Maddy Westbeld led the Irish with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. The Irish also got 18 points apiece from Dara Mabrey and Maya Dodson.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame earns four selections on ACC All-Academic Team

Whatever Notre Dame does for the rest of the season, it can say there are some bright players in its program.

Whatever Notre Dame does for the rest of the season, it can say there are some bright players in its program. The ACC has released its All-Academic Team, and four Irish players made the cut. The Notre Dame players who shine best in the classroom while also performing at a high level on the court are Destinee Walker, Anaya Peoples, Dara Mabrey and Maddy Westbeld. This is Notre Dame’s best showing on the ACC All-Academic Team since entering the conference.

Mabrey and Walker are on this team for the third time, while this is the debut for Westbeld and Peoples. Players qualify for the list by achieving a 3.0 GPA for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative GPA throughout their academic career. Seeing how most collegiate athletes leave their competitive playing careers behind upon leaving school, this is a nice thing to put on a resume. Being able to balance your academic and athletic sides so well should be the goal for anyone who chooses to play sports in college.

Notre Dame adds Virginia Tech transfer to continue family tradition

Dara Mabrey is leaving Virginia Tech for Notre Dame, following the path her older sisters set before her. Find out the player ND is getting!

Niele Ivey has done wonders in the recruiting world early in her run as head basketball coach at Notre Dame but we get the feeling she received a decent amount of help from her staff, perhaps from one assistant coach in particular after the Irish gained a transfer guard on Thursday night.

Virginia Tech transfer Dara Mabrey announced she’ll be transferring to Notre Dame on Thursday night.  She follows in the footsteps of her sisters Marina and Michaela who have both previously played at Notre Dame while Michaela is currently a member of Ivey’s coaching staff.

Virginia Tech went a combined 43-21 in Mabrey’s two seasons in which she averaged 11.9 points per game.  The Irish get help in their outside shooting immediately as Mabrey shot 41.2% from beyond the arc in her two seasons in Blacksburg.  Her 80 treys