Notre Dame Women's Basketball Notebook After A Win Over Virginia
Notre Dame women’s basketball is starting to roll again. The No. 7 Fighting Irish (16-2, 7-1 ACC) beat Virginia 76-54 on Sunday to earn their fourth consecutive victory.
All four of those wins, over Wake Forest, Syracuse, Clemson, and UVA, were against teams that hang their hats on their defense. Two Irish wins in the stretch have been lopsided, one was close going into the fourth quarter and the other (at Clemson last week) saw the Irish hang on for a three-point victory.
“I think it's good for us to be in these situations, especially in the ACC,” Irish associate head coach Carol Owens told the Notre Dame Radio Network after the Virginia win. “The ACC is tough. Day in and day out, you don't know who's going to win the game. You can't predict it. And so, we have a conference that's really athletic. (Teams) are pressing, they're showing different types of defenses. And I think that only prepares us for postseason. I really appreciate and respect the teams that are in here because they really help us be better as well.”
A Physical Game
Virginia entered Sunday’s game with a 14-5 record under first-year head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton (known as Coach “Mox”). The Hoos were just 5-22 last season and lead the nation with a +9 win improvement this season.
Agugua-Hamilton has built the new-look Cavaliers on a physical defensive style that has them ranked 2nd in the ACC and 19th in the nation in field goal percentage defense as well as 9th in the nation and second in the ACC in rebounds per game.
“It was very physical, and we knew that coming in,” Owens commented. “This Virginia team, it's led by Coach Mox, who I know very well, and I know that they would mirror her passion and her energy. And she's got this team, like the turnaround that they have had from last year to this year is incredible. So, we knew that they were going to come out and they were going to play and they were going to fight for 40 minutes. And we tried to prepare our team for that.
Doubling Down On The Block
Notre Dame was able to score 28 points in the paint, with forward Lauren Ebo leading the way with 15 points. Virginia made it tough for the Irish by double-teaming Ebo and fellow Irish forwards Maddy Westbeld, Kylee Watson and Nat Marshall in the second half.
“We thought they would do it sooner,” Owens remarked. “Because that's kind of what we've been seeing and it's the reason why a lot of teams play zone is because (of) our post play and how we get the ball inside and the ability to get to the basket. But we knew that as soon as they passed it in, they were going to collapse. We were trying to prepare, and they didn't do it until like the fourth quarter. And then we didn't expect it. We saw it and then we didn't expect it. So again, something else that we've got to continue to work on is to be able to not bring the ball down and get it out when we can recognize that double and we're communicating when that double happens.
Defensive Poise
The recent run of good defensive opponents has made the Irish raise their own defensive game. Notre Dame held Virginia to 30% shooting (19 for 64) from the field and they are holding all opponents to 32.6% this season.
“Our defense in every category has been up, which is (something) we're very proud of because we've been talking about this since June,” Owens said. “And we continue to hold teams under their average. And I think that's the thing that as coaches were the most proud of, even though we're going to continue to harp on our defensive rotation and guard the ball and all that, but (freshman midseason enrollee) Cassandre Prosper, she adds to that. I mean she's relentless. She doesn't give up, she'll get hit, she'll keep coming at you, but her length can take so much space if she gets hit or she falls or something like that. So, I'm just so happy with her addition, as well.”
Dara Mabrey’s Injury
Graduate student guard Dara Mabrey went down with a knee injury less than two minutes into the game and never returned to action. She was on the Irish bench in the second half with crutches and a leg immobilizer on her right leg. No official word has been given on the extent of her injury, but the prognosis was not good after the game.
“Dara is a such an integral part of our team and she's the heart and soul,” Owens said of Mabrey. “And if there's any motivation behind it, they will play for her. They will definitely play for her. She's being strong and now she has a new position on our staff as coach, you know. She knows the game so well. It's disappointing that she didn't get to finish this game out, but we've been in these situations before. And the most important thing is that we continue to just follow through with our goals and know that now we're playing for something even greater.”
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