No. 9 Notre Dame Women's Basketball Hosts No. 16 Duke In Key ACC Showdown

Notre Dame Women’s basketball returns home to begin its longest remaining home stretch of the season. The Irish are coming off a 72-59 win at Boston College Thursday night.

Where: Notre Dame, Ind. – Purcell Pavilion
When: Sunday, Feb. 5 – 1:00 PM EST
Network: Regional Sports Networks
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 (18-3, 9-2 ACC)

Head Coach: Niele Ivey (52-21 – 3rd season at Notre Dame)

Notre Dame earned a 72-59 win at Boston College Thursday night to snap a three-game at BC’s Conte Forum. ND’s last previous win in the building was in February of 2019.

The Fighting Irish never trailed in the game and there was only one tie all night, at 43-all in the third quarter, but the Eagles stayed within striking distance until a 14-0 Irish run in the fourth quarter put the game away.

Sonia Citron led Notre Dame with 23 points on 10 for 13 overall shooting, including a team-best three 3-pointers. Olivia Miles flirted with a triple-double with 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. The only other time this season two Irish players scored 20+ points was when Citron and Miles did it at Northwestern in November.

Projected Irish Starting Lineup

G Olivia Miles- 5-10, Soph. - 15.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 7.1 APG
G Sonia Citron - 6-1, Soph – 14.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.0 APG
F Kylee Watson - 6-4, Jr – 6.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 22 BLK
F Maddy Westbeld - 6-3, Jr. – 10.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 31 BLK
G KK Bransford – 5-11, Fr. - 8.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG

DUKE BLUE DEVILS (19-3, 9-2 ACC)

Head Coach: Kara Lawson (39-17 in 3rd season at school/overall)

Kara Lawson is in her second full season as head coach at Duke (her first season was cut short after four games when Duke canceled its 2020-2021 season due to Covid-19). The Blue Devils’ three losses this season are to No. 5 UConn, No. 11 North Carolina and No. 23 Florida State.

The Blue Devils have relied heavily on transfers over the past two seasons. Eleven of the current 16 players on the roster, including four of its five current starters, started their careers at other schools.

After last Sunday’s loss to the Seminoles in Tallahassee, Lawson protested and claimed a men’s basketball had been used in the game. The ACC investigated the claim and released a statement this week saying, “Following the thorough and objective review process, there was no evidence found to support the claim.” The Blue Devils shot just 26% from the field in the loss. Duke followed the loss with a 53-44 win over Pittsburgh this past Thursday night.

Projected Starting Lineup

F Kennedy Brown - Stats – 7.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 33 BLK
G Celeste Taylor - Stats – 11.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 17 BLK
G Elizabeth Balogun - Stats – 10.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 18 BLK
G Reigan Richardson – Stats – 6.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.2 APG
G Shayeann Day-Wilson - Stats – 9.6, 2.8 RPG, 2.5 APG

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

First place in the ACC is on the line when Notre Dame and Duke play Sunday. Both teams bring 9-2 conference records into the game. The Irish are 4-0 at home and 5-2 on the road in ACC play, while Duke is 6-0 at home and 3-2 in ACC road games.

The game will pit two of the best defenses in the ACC. The Blue Devils currently have the No. 3 scoring defense in the conference (51.7 ppg), while Notre Dame is No. 3 (58.0 ppg). Notre Dame scores at a much higher clip, though. The Irish boast the No. 2 scoring offense (78.1 ppg), compared to Duke at No. 11 (67.4 ppg). Both teams are also among the ACC elite in blocking shots. The Irish are No. 2 with 112 total blocks and a 5.3 per game average. Duke is No. 3 with 114 total and a 5.1 average.

Forward Lauren Ebo has missed Notre Dame's last two games against NC State and Boston College with a lower leg injury. Her status for Sunday's game is uncertain.

This is Duke’s first visit to Purcell Pavilion since Feb. 22, 2019, when the Irish won 89-61. The Blue Devils beat the Fighting Irish 72-70 at Cameron Indoor Arena on Jan. 2 last year in the only meeting between the two schools of the season.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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