Tag: Olivia Miles

Notre Dame women’s basketball keeps up winning ways vs. Boston College

This fell under the “typical victory” category for the Irish.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team is proving time and again this season that no opponent is safe. Someone might give the Irish a scare for a time, but they’ll find a way to overcome that and win. Boston College learned this the hard way in an 89-63 Irish victory.

The first quarter saw the Irish (17-2, 8-0) locked in a tight battle with the Eagles (12-9, 3-5), who found themselves with a one-point lead at the end. But the Irish took the lead on the opening possession of the second quarter and never gave it back.

Though the Eagles kept the game within striking distance for the rest of the first half, the Irish stayed on the gas pedal in the second and built their lead to the point where it was insurmountable. While there weren’t a lot of highlights that will be watched over and over, that was fine because the Irish did everything they needed to make this game a blowout by the end:

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had a typical night, leading all players with 23 points and five steals. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] picked up two first-quarter fouls but stayed away from fouling the rest of the game en route to scoring 16 points.

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], making her third start of the season, continued to show she’s all the way back from her injury with 14 points. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] came agonizingly close to a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds to go with a game-high six assists

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Notre Dame plays without Hannah Hidalgo again but beats Georgia Tech

The victories continue to pile up in all circumstances.

With [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] still out with a sprained ankle, Notre Dame needed to rely on other players to defeat Georgia Tech. An Irish win would have showcased just how deep the team is. If that was indeed the goal, the Irish accomplished it with an 81-66 victory.

Despite never trailing, the Irish (15-2, 6-0) saw the Yellow Jackets (15-3, 3-3) tie the game early in the second half, completely erasing what had been a 13-point lead. The Jackets were intent on proving they could give the Irish a challenge, especially with Hidalgo out, and even if they didn’t win, this game looked like it wouldn’t be decided until late.

Finally, the Irish found the wind they needed to bring the win home. Nursing a four-point lead late in the third quarter, they went on a 19-4 run that lasted into the fourth. Although the Jackets never showed any quit even after that stretch, the Irish continued to answer them until the clock ran out on this convincing victory:

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] led all players with 21 points and six assists. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], starting in place of Hidalgo in only her fourth game of the season, made up for lost time with 20 points. [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] came off the bench and just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds.

This wasn’t one of [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag]’ better games, at least not at the start. However, she came alive in the second half with 11 of the 13 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] grabbed a game-high 12 boards.

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Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo out for second straight game

So much for a one-game absence.

The hope for Notre Dame was that it only would miss All-American guard [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] for one game. Her absence against Clemson proved a footnote as the Irish picked up a win on the road.

However, the sprained ankle Hidalgo suffered against Wake Forest the week before still was bothering her ahead of the Irish’s next game against Georgia Tech. Consequently, Hidalgo missed her second consecutive game. That allowed [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] to make her first start of the season in the fourth game she’s played since coming back from her own injury.

The question is how long the Irish can survive without their best player. There’s no doubt [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] can be equally lethal in Hidalgo’s absence, but the Irish have been unstoppable with both of them in the backcourt.

Even taking Miles out of the equation, Hidalgo has had plenty of on-court highlights so far this season. Here are a few of them:

Hopefully, Hidalgo won’t be out for much longer.

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Notre Dame has to grind out tough win vs. Clemson without Hidalgo

This one wasn’t always easy.

Notre Dame never trailed Clemson after the first four minutes of the game. But the Irish were missing their best player in [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. That was the result of her rolling her ankle in their previous game, so she was ruled out for this one.

The result was a game that almost never truly felt safe. At least the Irish won, 67-58.

The Irish (14-2, 5-0) didn’t reach their biggest of 12 until there was just over a minute left in the contest. That was the result of Hidalgo’s absence disrupting the flow on both ends, and the Tigers (10-7, 3-3) were only too happy to stick around to the point where they nearly tied the game early in the fourth quarter. The good news was the Irish had the clear edge in talent, and the remaining healthy players proved to be enough to carry them across the finish line.

[autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] showed why the Irish valued her this past offseason, leading all players with 23 points and 11 rebounds:

Without Hidalgo to help her in the backcourt, [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] came close to her own double-double thanks to 17 points and nine assists.

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Notre Dame beats North Carolina for fourth win over ranked opponent

The Irish simply have more talent than the Tar Heels.

Typically, ACC play signifies tougher competition for Notre Dame. But the Irish have played so many quality teams already that they might be on the easy part of their schedule now.

That said, the Irish had to fight hard against North Carolina to earn their fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season, 76-66. Then again, that should be expected in such a game.

The Irish (12-2, 3-0) never trailed after the Tar Heels (13-3, 1-2) scored the first four points of the game, but even their biggest lead of 14 never truly felt safe. Perhaps energized by playing on their home court, the Heels went on a few second-half runs that prompted [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] to call timeouts.

This game ultimately came down to talent, and the Irish have women’s basketball’s best backcourt in [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag], who scored 24 and 19 points respectively with five 3-pointers apiece. Miles’ five 3s represented a career high for her.

[autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag] and [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] scored nine points apiece, and [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] tied her season high with 15 rebounds while also collecting eight points:

The Irish also got a boost from the return of [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], who made her season debut after recovering from a foot injury. She had one rebound, one steal and one block in 13 minutes off the bench.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball reaches milestones in win over Virginia

A lot was accomplished in this game.

It’s hard to pinpoint the most impressive part about Notre Dame’s ACC home opener against Virginia. So we’ll just say everything was great. Still, we’ll talk about what made this 95-54 win so great.

Initially, the Irish (11-2, 2-0) appeared they would get a competitive game from the Cavaliers (8-6, 0-2), who scored the first four points and deadlocked the score at 9 midway through the first quarter. It was all Irish after that though as they rattled off 28 consecutive points. The Cavaliers didn’t score again until near the halfway point of the second quarter.

The game was never remotely close after that, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] became the fastest coach in both Irish and ACC history to reach 100 career victories. That only was the tip of the iceberg for the Irish’s accomplishments though.

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] recorded the sixth triple-double of her career with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, which tied a career high. She also became the third player in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. Only [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag] and [autotag]Lindsay Allen[/autotag] had done it before her.

Miles also tied the ACC record for career triple-doubles. Alyssa Thomas was the first to reach that total during Maryland’s final years in the conference.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] tied her season highs with 25 points and 11 rebounds. She also set her season with five 3-pointers.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] led all scorers with 28 points. [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag] scored 12 points and blocked three shots before fouling out, and [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] came close to a double-double with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

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Olivia Miles has fifth career triple-double in Notre Dame win

This is routine for her now, or so it seems.

Even though Notre Dame is better known for [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] now, [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] frequently reminds us that she was the face of the Irish first. The latest example of that came in the Irish’s 97-54 win over Loyola (Maryland), which accounted for the final game of their nonconference schedule.

Miles recorded the fifth triple-double of her collegiate career to the tune of 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. That’s the most for any Notre Dame basketball player, men or women. There’s a reason she’s projected to be a lottery pick in the next WNBA draft.

Miles wasn’t the only impressive Irish player in this game though. Hidalgo set a season scoring high with 33 points and also had five steals. [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards, and [autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag] scored 15 points.

Irish fans will want to get out to Purcell Pavilion and watch Miles play for their team while they still can. If you need any convincing to do so, here’s her highlight reel for this game:

The Irish now will take a week off for the holiday before beginning their ACC home schedule against Virginia in front of a sellout crowd. Now, the games really will count.

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Notre Dame player honored by USBWA for fifth time in six weeks

Yes, the Irish are that good.

(This story has been updated to include additional information.)

At this rate, it will be shocking if the USBWA isn’t honoring a Notre Dame player almost every week for the rest of the season. The Irish have been that good.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] was one of five players to earn weekly national honors by the organization for the week ending Dec. 15. She previously earned them for the week ending Nov. 24.

Through six weeks of the season, Notre Dame has had one of its players honored by the USBWA every week except for one. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] and [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] have earned national honors once, and [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag] was honored as the nation’s top freshman once. The only thing the Irish haven’t won is the weekly team honor, but it would not be surprising if they did so before season’s end.

This hardly is a surprise given that Hidalgo already was named the ACC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for this past week. She also was the AP national player of the week. What probably stood out the most among voters was finishing two assists shy of a triple-double against UConn:

You know more awards will be coming for her very soon.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball cruises to record-setting win against Eastern Michigan

Notre Dame flew by the Eagles with ease.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team had a bit of a slow start on offense against the Easter Michigan Eagles.

Fortunately for the Fighting Irish (9-2, 1-0), so did the Eagles (1-6). Notre Dame did finally settle in with its second basket with 7:18 left in the first quarter — and once the shots started falling, they never stopped. The Irish would have a 15-0 run before EMU finally got a point. Notre Dame would go on to win 118-49.

The Irish rocketed out to a 33-9 lead and essentially had the game in hand once the buzzer sounded to mark the end of the first quarter. Notre Dame would lead 61-20 at halftime.

Not that there was any real doubt, even in the first few minutes when the score was 2-0 in favor of the Irish. Even as the Irish’s first few shots didn’t fall, it was clear Notre Dame was in command of the game — unless the Eagles got on an early run, the Irish would be fine.

Of course, it was Notre Dame that then had the early run. And the mid-game run. And the late run.

The Irish crossed the century mark with more than six minutes remaining in the game. Eastern Michigan had yet to reach 40 points, and the Eagles of course finished with just 49.

Notre Dame set a team record with 17 made three-point shots during the contest — breaking the old record of 15. The Irish scored the fifth-most points in team history.

Fighting Irish guard [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] led all scorers with 27 points while fellow guard [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] had 17 and forward [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] had 15. Guard [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] was also in double figures with 11.

King also had 15 rebounds for a double-double.

[autotag]Emma Risch[/autotag] was a huge story for the Irish — the guard came off the bench and had 23 points, including 7-of-9 from three-point land. Guard [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] had 20 off the bench.

Next up for Notre Dame, after a brief break for final exams, will be a visit from Loyola Maryland at noon EST on Dec. 22.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball defeats UConn for third straight season

That’s three wins over top-five teams, too.

Notre Dame and UConn is as anticipated a matchup as you’ll find in women’s basketball. With numerous former Irish players on hand along with a sellout crowd at Purcell Pavilion, not to mention [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], all eyes were on whether the Irish could beat a top-five opponent for the third time this season.

With the university nearing final exams, the Irish passed its own exam and won, 79-68, for their third victory over the Huskies in as many seasons. That means UConn, Texas and USC are a combined 0-3 against the Irish but 26-0 against everyone else.

The Irish (8-2) led the Huskies (8-1) for most of the game but never by more than 13 points. That lead was cut to one in the waning seconds of the third quarter, but [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] hit her career-high sixth 3 at the buzzer, and the Irish proceeded to score the first six points of the fourth quarter to go back up 10.

Although the Huskies got within six with 3:12 left, the Irish doubled their lead over the next two minutes, and that was that. This was the latest in a series of statement wins:

Hidalgo led all scorers with 29 points to get the better of fellow All-American Paige Bueckers, who had 25 points. She achieved a double-double with 10 rebounds and also had a game-high eight assists.

[autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] had her own double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] overcame an early ankle injury to also score 16 points.

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