Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2019 51 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Jackson's game-winning drive, a su- perb individual play. While Cox's injury was the first ma- jor turning point in the contest, the fi- nal 3:18 was equally crucial after Notre Dame went ahead 77-76. The Irish attacked aggressively, but could not quite build the coveted two-score lead they did in the closing minutes ver- sus UConn. Maybe best reflecting how hard Notre Dame battled was its 44-38 rebounding advantage — including 21-14 on offense — against the nation's No. 1 team in rebounding margin at about 17 per game. With the score 43-31 at halftime, the Bears dominated in the paint with a 30-8 result, and beat Notre Dame at its own game by holding a 14-2 advan- tage in fast-break points. Notre Dame began to display flick- ers of another comeback when it cut the deficit to 53-46 at the 4:15 mark of the third quarter with an Ogunbowale basket, but Baylor responded with a 7-0 run to keep the Irish at bay — until Cox's injury. Notre Dame did not lose the game; Baylor won it and deserved to raise the championship hardware. The Bears controlled, if not dominated, the action for three quarters. Then when their best player on both ends of the court was sidelined the final 11:22 and they fell behind and incurred foul trouble, head coach Kim Mulkey's squad found amazing resolve to finish with the victory. It was reminiscent of that same toughness the Fighting Irish possessed last year while overcoming so many setbacks, including four season-ending ACL injuries. Epitomizing the Bears' determination this year was Baylor freshman NaLyssa Smith, who as Cox's replacement tallied 14 points, six rebounds and one block. McGraw maintained that winning it all last year was not a salve for this year's agony of defeat. "You're always looking at that one thing you could have done differently to make the difference in the game," she said. "I'm just disappointed about our start. But knowing what this group has meant to us, it makes it tougher to lose this way." Like Ali-Frazier in their prime, as the years and decades pass, both of these teams will be forever champions while their exploits deservedly grow with the progress of time. ✦ She joins Skylar Diggins (2009-13) and Karen Rob- inson (1987-91) as the only three Notre Dame players to score more than 1,500 points while also handing out at least 500 assists. 17 Career double-doubles recorded by Young, which ties the career record (in only three seasons) by a Notre Dame guard with Lindsay Schrader (2005-10). Her 12 this year bested the previous season-high mark by a guard that Schrader had with seven. Young also joined Diggins as the lone Notre Dame players to record two triple-doubles, with Young achieving it this season during victories against Tennessee and Virginia. 19 Double-doubles produced by Shepard this year in points and rebounds, tying the single-season record set by Natalie Achonwa in 2014. She had double-doubles in 11 of the last 14 contests, including both Final Four games, and finished the year averaging 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds. 21.8 Scoring average for Ogunbowale this season — which broke the school standard she set on last season's national champions with 20.8. Likewise, her 27 games this season with 20-plus points surpassed the single-season standard of 25 set the year prior. Her seven scoring outputs of 30-plus points this year were a single-season school record, as were the 11 in her career. 88.8 Points per game scored by Notre Dame during this year 's 35-4 campaign, No. 1 in the nation (2.6 more than anyone else) and a school record, while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor (No. 2 nationally), the second best ever by the Fighting Irish. 272 T h re e - p o i nte rs co nve r te d b y Mabrey in her career, surpass- ing 1999-2003 sharpshooter Alicia Ratay (262), whose 47.6-percent accuracy beyond the arc is still the NCAA career record. Mabrey went out with a flourish by converting 4 of 8 threes in the title game versus Baylor, including three in the fourth quarter when Notre Dame rallied from a 17-point deficit earlier in the game to earn a short-lived one-point lead. 372 Blocked shots recorded by Turner, surpassing the 370 by Riley for the all-time Notre Dame career record. In this year's NCAA Tournament, she blocked 22 — tied for fourth all time — highlighted by five versus UConn in the Final Four. 636 Total assists recorded this season by Young (192), Mabrey (171), Ogunbowale (147) and Shepard (126) — it's a rare feat to see a quartet of players on any team eclipse 100 assists. 2,626 Career points tallied in 149 games by Ogunbowale, set- ting the all-time program record that previously was held by 2009-13 standout Skylar Diggins (2,357 points in 150 games). Ogunbowale's 414 career points in the NCAA Tournament ranks sixth all time among all players, and her 155 this year were the fourth most ever (she had 145 the previous year as Tournament MVP for the national champs). Her 31-point output against Baylor was the second-most ever in the title game. In addition to Ogunbowale, the elite list of players who have reached 400 career points in NCAA Tournament play includes: Chamique Holdsclaw (Tennessee), Maya Moore (UConn), Breanna Stewart (UConn), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Stanford), Diana Taurasi (UConn) and Brittney Griner (Baylor). 10,230 Career points totaled by Ogunbowale (2,626), Shepard (2,340, with 1,228 in two seasons at Notre Dame after first starring at Nebraska), Turner (2,017), Mabrey (1,896) and Young (1,351). The 2017-18 Ohio State squad is in sec- ond place among women's teams with 8,492 points (even excluding Shepard's first two years at Nebraska, the Irish finished at 8,891). The highest total on the men's side was the 2008-09 national title North Carolina team, led by Tyler Hansbrough, with 8,216 points. The 2018-19 starting lineup etched them- selves into the Notre Dame and NCAA record books like no other. From left to right: Jackie Young, Brianna Turner, Marina Mabrey, Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA