Notre Dame Women's Basketball Continues ACC Play At Miami

Notre Dame is back in action from the holiday break to take on the Miami Hurricanes. The Fighting Irish last played on Dec. 28 when they beat Western Michigan 85-57 in their final non-conference game of the season.

Where: Coral Gables, Fla – Watsco Center
When: Thursday, Dec. 29 – 6:00 PM EST
Network: ACC Network – Sam Ravech (Play by Play); Kelly Gramlich (Analyst)
Radio: ND Radio Network, 99.9 FM WQLQ in South Bend – Sean Stires PBP

Let's take a look at today’s matchup:

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (10-1, 1-0 ACC)

Head Coach: Niele Ivey (44-20 – 3rd season at Notre Dame)

Notre Dame trounced Western Michigan 85-57 in their last game eight days ago. The Fighting Irish led just 38-30 at halftime, but opened the second half with a 17-0 run to put the game away.

Maddy Westbeld scored a season-high 23 points, 19 in the second half, while pulling down eight rebounds as well. The junior was just two points shy of matching her career high. Sonia Citron added 16 points for her 10th consecutive game in double figures. Kylee Watson scored 10.

Olivia Miles finished with eight points for her first game of the season not to reach double figures in points. But Miles did dish out 12 assists. It’s the third straight game in which she has reached double figures in either assists or rebounds.

Projected Irish Starting Lineup

G Olivia Miles- 5-10, Soph. - 15.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 7.6 APG
G Sonia Citron - 6-1, Soph – 15.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 APG
G Dara Mabrey - 5-7, 5th – 11.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG
F Maddy Westbeld - 6-3, Jr. – 10.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 20 BLK
F Kylee Watson - 6-4, Jr – 7.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 14 BLK

Miami Hurricanes (7-5 0-1 ACC)

Head Coach: Katie Meier (331-215 in 18th Season at school, 407-261 in 22nd year overall)

Miami head coach Katie Meier is the winningest men’s or women’s basketball coach in school history.

The Hurricanes opened ACC play against rival Florida State last Wednesday, falling 92-85. They lost to the Florida Gators 76-73 10 days before that. Miami’s five losses this season have been by an average of 6.8 points per game.

The Irish beat the Hurricanes 69-53 in the regular season last February at Purcell Pavilion, but Miami returned the favor with a 57-54 win over the Irish in the ACC Tournament semifinals in March. They had upset Louisville in the quarterfinals and ultimately fell to NC State in the tournament title game.

Projected Starting Lineup

F Destiny Harden - Stats – 12.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 APG
G Haley Cavinder - Stats – 11.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.8 APG
G Ja’Leah Williams - Stats – 10.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.8 APG
F Lola Pendande – Stats – 6.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG
G Karla Erjavec - Stats – 3.7, 1.8 RPG, 2.1 APG

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Notre Dame remains ranked No. 5 in the polls for a fourth consecutive week as they get into the thick of ACC play. The Fighting Irish will have an addition to the roster in Thursday’s game against the Hurricanes. Cassandre Prosper, who has enrolled midseason at Notre Dame, has been practicing with the team this week and is now officially on the Irish roster. She is expected to be in uniform for the first time when the Irish and Hurricanes take the floor.

Miami has a pair of high-profile transfers on the roster this season. Haley and Hanna Cavinder spent their first three seasons at Fresno State before transferring to Miami this season. The identical twins are two of the most high-profile social media influencers in women’s college basketball. Haley had three triple doubles at Fresno last season. She also set a single season NCAA free throw percentage record at 97.3%. Haley is one of five Hurricanes to start all 12 games this season. Hanna has come off the bench in all 12 games. The Cavinder twins were born in South Bend before moving to Gilbert, AZ at a young age.

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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

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