On Thursday, Notre Dame had one of its highlights in a season that’s featured few of them, at least compared to what the program is known for. The Irish survived a fourth quarter that featured 13 of the game’s 19 lead changes and defeated Wake Forest, 75-71.
Notre Dame (9-14, 4-7) got a significant boost from Destinee Walker, who scored 22 of her game-high 24 points in the second half. She shot 8 of 15 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. There was nothing the Demon Deacons (12-11, 5-7) could do to stop her. She now has scored at least 20 points a team-high six times this season.
Katlyn Gilbert scored 12 points, Mikayla Vaughn added 11, and Sam Brunelle totaled 10 to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Marta Sniezek flirted with a double-double with nine points, her highest scoring output since Dec. 8, and eight rebounds.
The Irish led by three in the final seconds, and a missed jumper by Ivana Raca paved the way for a Vaughn free throw to end it.