Notre Dame Bounces Back, Beating Wake Forest 79-72
Notre Dame got back on track, beating Wake Forest 79-72, giving the Fighting Irish their third win in the last four games.
The last time Notre Dame took the court it blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, and those offensive struggles appeared to continue early against the Deacons, who jumped out to a 7-2 lead.
Following a basket by Wake Forest guard Alexandria Scruggs, the Irish offense started to heat up. A put back by forward Mikayla Vaughn was followed by a basket from Anaya Peoples and a triple from guard Dara Mabrey to put the Irish on top.
The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the opening quarter, and Notre Dame took a 19-16 lead into the second quarter.
Period two saw the Irish continue knocking down shots, but it was the defense that fueled the surge heading into halftime. Notre Dame forced six turnovers in the second quarter, and the ball movement on the offensive end resulted in seven assists on eight made baskets.
It was a balanced offensive output in the first half, as all eight players that saw the court scored as the Irish took a 37-25 lead into the intermission. The combination of good defense and aggressive offense allowed Notre Dame to finish the half on a 14-4 run that was capped off by a triple from Maddy Westbeld at the top of the arc as the buzzer sounded on quarter number two.
Wake Forest heated up a bit in the third quarter, knocking down three triple and getting to the line five times as they tried to chip away at the Notre Dame lead. Guard Gina Conti went off in the period, scoring 12 points in the third alone, knocking down 3-4 shots from behind the arc.
Notre Dame was able to weather the storm, answering every Wake Forest run, and they did it in the post. Westbeld and Vaughn scored 16 of the team's 20 third quarter points, and all were in the paint.
The Irish swarmed Wake Forest in the fourth quarter and continued attacking the basket. Notre Dame kept pushing its lead to double figures, and even the hot shooting of Conti couldn't allow the Deacons to keep pace with the Irish.
Conti scored 24 in the second half alone, and her outside shooting (7-9 from three-point territory in the second half) is what kept Wake Forest in the game, but Notre Dame kept answering the Deacons.
Westbeld knocking down a triple from the wing stopped the first Wake Forest charge, and the Irish were able to hold off Wake Forest from the free throw line down the stretch.
The talented freshman led the Irish 25 points points and nine rebounds; she also dished out four assists, had three steals and stayed out of foul trouble. Vaughn chipped in with 14 points and four blocked shots.
Conti finished the game with 29 points.
The Fighting Irish are now 6-5 on the season and 4-3 in conference play.
Notre Dame gets back on the court Sunday when it hosts Boston College at 12:00 PM ET. It was the Eagles that beat the Irish with a late fourth quarter surge, so Notre Dame will be looking to get a bit of redemption.
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