Notre Dame Star Achieves ACC First in Season-Opening Blowout Victory

The Notre Dame women's basketball team opened the season in a big way Monday, and were thrilled to have Olivia Miles back

Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles brings the ball up the court during an exhibition game against Davenport on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend. Notre Dame won 101-41. | Michael Clubb / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Notre Dame women's basketball team has expectations to play deep into March this season and opened up the 2024-25 year with a blowout victory over Mercyhurst.

Notre Dame jumped out to an early lead in South Bend on Monday night, cruising to a 7-0 lead to start and 30-8 lead under nine minutes into the contest.

Notre Dame suffered some injuries in the preseason and played with a short bench so only seven players saw the floor in what wound up being a 106-61 victory over Mercyhurst. Pitt-transfer Liatu King led the way with 24 points but it was a star guard who returned to the Notre Dame lineup for the first time in over a year that set a little bit of ACC history.

tuffff @oliviamiles06

📺ACCN #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/P30VHEQNIe

— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) November 4, 2024

Olivia Miles missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in the 2022-23 campaign but wasted no time making a splash in her first game back in blue and gold.

Miles added 20 points herself but also dished out 10 assists and pulled in 10 rebounds. The triple-double was the fourth of Miles career as she became the first player in ACC history to record a triple-double in three different seasons.

History in her first game back 👏 @oliviamiles06

(📸 @ndwbb) pic.twitter.com/1qLpAeFTqN

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 5, 2024

Notre Dame will return to action next Sunday when it travels to West Lafayette to take on Purdue. The Irish look to move to 2-0 against a Boilermakers team that they beat 76-39 in South Bend last season.

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