NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The No. 4 Notre Dame women’s basketball team bounced back with a 97-70 win over No. 24 Florida State (20-4, 8-3) on Sunday.

The Fighting Irish (22-3, 9-2) were powered by the duo of Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard, who combined for 53 points and 17 rebounds.

“I felt we had a lot more movement today,” said Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw. “We rebounded better and I was, overall, pleased with pretty much everything that happened on the offensive end. I thought Arike looked like her old self. She shot the ball really well and Jessica did a lot of really good things, so it was great to feel like we got it back a little bit.”

 

How it happened

Shepard and Ogunbowale combined for 19 points in the first quarter to give the Irish a 28-22 advantage by the end of the period. Notre Dame shot 12-for-21 in a quarter that featured no break for the media timeout.

At 4:46 in the second, Ogunbowale seized the momentum for the home team by scoring eight straight points in under a minute. The senior hit back-to-back threes, which included a fadeaway deep in the left corner. Ogunbowale then earned a steal down on the other end before Florida State was called for an intentional foul, resulting in a pair of free throws.

All-in-all, the Irish ended the half on a 13-5 scoring spree to take a 52-38 lead at the midway point. Ogunbowale boasted 19 points at the half, followed by 16 from Shepard.

The Seminoles scored the first bucket in the third at 9:15 then were held scoreless by the Irish defense for a six-minute stretch. Notre Dame recorded a 15-0 run in that span, which led to a 74-50 lead heading into the fourth. The defense was once again led by Brianna Turner, who earned a season high tying five blocks for the third straight game today.

Abby Prohaska scored four of her six total points in the fourth to go with her season high tying five rebounds. Danielle Patterson and Jordan Nixon got on the board as well with three points each as the Irish outscored the Seminoles 23-20 in the fourth to arrive to the 97-70 final.

Lastly, Notre Dame sported pink-detailed uniforms in support of the annual Pink Zone game, which honors those who have battled breast cancer.

“My mom was a breast cancer survivor and I lost both my grandmas to cancer,” Ogunbowale said. “It was definitely an important game and we definitely wanted to honor everyone that has been affected by cancer and their families.”

 

Player of the game

Ogunbowale nearly netted a double-double with 27 points and nine rebounds. The senior connected on 5-of-7 from three, which tied her career high. Shepard was two rebounds shy of a double-double with eight boards and 26 points, as the latter was two points shy of her season high.

 

Notes

• With the win, Notre Dame now leads the overall series, 9-0, against Florida State, with a 3-0 mark at home.
• Irish move to 86-5 all-time in ACC play since joining the league for the 2013-14 season.
• Irish win their 56th consecutive league game at home, which dates back to their Big East days in 2012.
• Ogunbowale tied her career high of five three-pointers, shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
• Ogunbowale finished with a game high 27 points, marking her highest scoring output since Tennessee on Jan. 24. It also marked her 15th game of 20 or more points this season, which continues to lead all players in the ACC.
• Shepard earned her third game of 20+ points this season with 22 on Sunday. The senior shot 12-of-22 from the field.
• For the third consecutive game, Turner collected a season high tying five blocks. It also marked the fourth time this season Turner earned five blocks.
• Turner finished with 13 points, her 19th game in double figures this season.
• Young added 10 points on Sunday, recording her 19th game in double figures this season.

 

Up next

The Irish complete their home-and-home with Boston College, making the trip to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, on Wednesday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. on ACCN Extra.