Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Recap: Irish Beat Tennessee On The Road 77-62

The Irish Stay Number 1

Tonight, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s basketball team took on the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. The Irish (19-1, 6-0 ACC) went to Tennessee to play a team that was unranked and on a 4 game losing streak. It wasn’t a walk in the park, however.

Both teams struggled out of the gate, and the Irish really struggled. The score at the end of the first quarter was 17-14 Tennessee. The Irish ended that quarter only shooting 31%, and before that only hit 10% of their first 10 shots (1-10). It truly was a slow start to the game. It was sloppy and forced with passes and shots.

In the second quarter, both teams got more of a groove. The Volunteers took a 7 point lead 28-21 before the Irish got the ball on good passes to Jessica Shepard, Jackie Young, and Brianna Turner. That led to an 8-0 run for the Irish. After a bit more back and forth basketball, the Volunteers took a 34-31 lead into halftime.

The second half, though, was the time for the Irish to shine. Arike Ogunbowale, who only had 4 points in the first half, came out firing throughout the whole half. Like many times before, she took over and exploded. 24 points came her way in the second half. In the third quarter, the Irish actually settled down and were able to open up shots inside as well as around the perimeter. The Irish took a 55-46 lead into the fourth quarter and never looked back.

Much of the same happened in the 4th quarter, and the Volunteers couldn’t come close to a comeback. After all was said and done, the Irish won 77-62 after shooting 47.5% and going 18-28 at the free throw line. Also, in probably the most stealth mode ever, Jackie Young “messed around and a got a triple-double” (shout out to Adam Amin on the ESPN call for throwing that Ice Cube reference into the telecast). But literally, Jackie Young got probably one of the quietest triple doubles ever. She was part of the well-oiled machine tonight. She ended with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Insane. Young is the seventh player in school history to achieve a triple-double.

Next Up

The Irish go back to ACC play after this midseason nonconference tilt. The Irish travel to Chapel Hill on Sunday to take on UNC. That game is at 2 PM and can be found on ACC Network Extra and WatchESPN. Next Thursday, the Irish continue their road trip in Clemson to take on the Tigers. That is at 7 PM and also on ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports