Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 23, 2019 49 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL said. "There were so many things that we could have controlled and we didn't. It looked like an experi- enced team playing a bunch of fresh- men — and that's what it was — but our mistakes were really inexcusable. "We can't just keep saying that we're young. We have to start fo- cusing and executing and doing the things that we do at practices." "We have so much potential we have yet to reach," said Brunelle, who added eight rebounds, three as- sists and three blocked shots while continuing to adjust to her role, which includes playing in the middle of Notre Dame's zone defense. SLOW STARTS Most exasperating to McGraw was the game's outset when Michigan State built a 17-4 advantage while Nia Cloudin buried her first four three-point attempts in the initial 3:30. Notre Dame cut the deficit to one point on three occasions at 21-20, 58-57 and 70-69, but could never move ahead. Although McGraw referred to Brunelle as Notre Dame's lone bright spot in defeat, sophomore forward Danielle Cosgrove provided a boost off the bench, tallying 12 points (dou- bling her career high), five rebounds and one blocked shot in her 14:15 of action. Health setbacks to 6-3 junior Mi- kayla Vaughn (knee sprain) and sophomore guard Abby Prohaska (pulmonary embolism) have left the Irish with basically six scholarship players, with senior and former walk- on guard Kaitlin Cole the next option. Using vastly superior height, plus depth and experience, Tennessee controlled the contest despite the loss of leading scorer Zaay Green to an ACL injury a few days earlier. The Irish battled defensively and generated 28 turnovers (compared to 12 by the Irish). But it wasn't enough to overcome a poor shooting night in which Notre Dame was 22 of 70 (31.4 percent) from the floor. Tennessee's significant height ad- vantage showed with a 55-28 advan- tage in rebounds while blocking 12 Irish shots to Notre Dame's one. A dominant performance by 6-2 Rennia Davis (33 points, including 5 of 9 from three, and 10 rebounds) propelled the Volunteers. When Davis opened the first min- ute of the second half with back- to-back threes to provide a 42-28 cushion, the game was pretty much clinched. The largest lead came at 52-34 before Notre Dame came as close as 71-63 in the closing minute. Through four games, sophomore Katlyn Gilbert paced the team in scoring (17.3 points per game), while Brunelle (15.3), freshman guard Anaya Peoples (13.5) and gradu- ate transfer Destinee Walker (12.8) also were in double digits. The top rebounders were Brunelle (6.3) and Peoples (5.5), while graduate transfer Marta Sniezek's 24 assists are nearly three times higher than anyone else. However, she has converted only 1 of 11 shoots from the floor. ✦ Three-Point Play 1. You Can't Teach Height The size discrepancy was stark with every Tennessee starter at least six feet tall, up to 6-5, while the 6-2 Brunelle was the lone Irish starter taller than 5-10. It showed in the Volunteers; rebounding dominance (55-28), but just as significant was the Volun- teers' size also ran well, thus negating any perceived advantage Notre Dame might have had in the open court or on fast breaks. Plus, if you can't rebound, there is no opportunity to create any fast-break buckets. 2. Sam Brunelle Seeking Her Shooting Stroke One of the nation's top recruits and pure shooters, the personable freshman was 4 of 22 from three- point range through her first three contests, but her two treys in the fourth quarter versus Michigan State provided a spark in the closing minutes. Some of the woes for the former McDonald's All-American three-point champion can be chalked up to a freshman adjusting to the college game. However, she also is in an unfamiliar role on defense — because of her size she has to be in the post or middle of the zone, which takes her a little out of her comfort zone and could potentially be affecting her rhythm and flow on offense. There also is no established veteran ahead of her to allay some of the scoring need. "Sam is putting a lot of pressure on herself," head coach Muffet McGraw said. "She's going to hit her shots. I'm not worried about her." 3. Consistency And Cohesion There is quality individual talent on the roster, but basketball is not about the five best individuals, but rather a quintet that plays better as one, which is a primary construction phase. After scoring a team-high 18 points versus Tennessee, graduate transfer Destinee Walker was 0 of 2 from the floor in 35:23 versus the Spartans. Sophomore Katlyn Gilbert matched Brunelle's 19-point total versus MSU, but also had eight turnovers. There are good shooters on the team, but game pressure is a whole different situation, especially for youth. Brunelle and classmate Anaya Peoples were only 6 of 13 from the foul line versus Michigan State. Two years from now in clutch situations they will be more like 11 of 13 in victory. — Lou Somogyi 2019-20 NOTRE DAME WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Nov. 5 at Fordham W, 60-55 Nov. 8 Loyola Maryland W, 84-60 Nov. 11 Tennessee L, 74-63 Nov. 14 Michigan State L, 72-69 Nov. 20 Toledo (ACCN) 7 p.m. Nov. 23 at Michigan (BTN) 1 p.m. Nov. 28 vs. Florida Gulf Coast^ 1:30 p.m. Nov. 29 vs. South Dakota State^ 11 a.m. Nov. 30 vs. South Florida^ 11 a.m. Dec. 4 Minnesota (ACCN) 8 p.m. Dec. 8 at Connecticut (ESPN) 4 p.m. Dec. 11 DePaul (ACCN) 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21 Guelph& 1 p.m. Dec. 29 Clemson* (RSN) 4 p.m. Jan. 2 at Pittsburgh* (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Jan. 5 at Syracuse* (ACCN) 4 p.m. Jan. 9 Boston College* (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Jan. 12 NC State* (ACCN) 4 p.m. Jan. 16 at Duke* (ACCN) 8 p.m. Jan. 19 Miami* (ESPN2/ACCN) 1 p.m. Jan. 26 at Virginia* (ACCNE) 12:30 p.m. Jan. 30 Louisville* (ESPN/2) 7 p.m. Feb. 2 at Georgia Tech* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Feb. 6 at Wake Forest* (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Feb. 9 Pittsburgh* (ACCN) 4 p.m. Feb. 13 at Boston College* (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Feb. 16 at Louisville* (ACCN) 3 p.m. Feb. 20 Virginia Tech* (RSN) 8 p.m. Feb. 23 Syracuse* (ACCN) 12 p.m. Feb. 27 North Carolina* (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Mar. 1 at Florida State* (ESPN2/ACCN) 2 p.m. Mar. 4-8 ACC Tournament$ (ACCN) TBA ^ Cancun Challenge at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Cancun, Mexico; & Exhibition; % ACC/Big Ten Challenge; * ACC game; $ at Greensboro, N.C; ACCN — ACC Network; BTN — Big Ten Network; RSN — Regional Sports Networks; ACCNE — ACC Network Extra