Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/440225
BY LOU SOMOGYI N o. 4-ranked Notre Dame's drive to return to a fifth con- secutive Final Four this spring suffered a blockade when 6-3 freshman post Brianna Turner suffered a dislocated shoulder in the opening minutes of the 92-72 victory against No. 15 Maryland Dec. 3. Without the 2013 Female National High School Player of the Year, the Fighting Irish had pretty much no shot against the much taller and physical Connecticut dynasty (a 76-58 defeat Dec. 6), and were fortunate to escape with a 94-93 victory at DePaul Dec. 10. One week after the Dec. 13 victory against Michigan (70-50), though, Turner was back in the lineup Dec. 21 versus Saint Joseph's, and the block- ade went to "block aid." Turner blocked five Hawks shots, many coming from out of nowhere on the weak side, altered numerous oth- ers and helped the Irish defense record a half dozen shot-clock violations by Saint Joseph's in the slow-paced 64-50 victory. For good measure, Turner also converted 7 of 8 field goal attempts in 30 minutes of action. With Turner back in the post, the game plan was to pound the ball in- side, and a remarkable 22 of Notre Dame's 25 baskets came in the paint. "I didn't want to rush anything, so I just really tried to be good defensively and let my offense come as the game went on," the soft-spoken Turner said. After holding Saint Joseph's to 38.5 percent shooting from the field with Turner 's presence, the Irish traveled to UCLA — which signed the nation's No. 1 freshman class last fall — and Turner blocked five more shots while the team defense held the Bruins to 33.3 percent shooting in the 82-67 Irish win Dec. 28. With explosive leaping ability that allows her to dunk, a sizable wing- span, excellent footwork to recover defensively — and even putting her hair in a bun that makes her look 6-7 instead of the listed 6-3 — a healthy The Stat Lines During Notre Dame's 12‑1 start and prior to the ACC opener versus Florida State Jan. 2, here were some of the data on the Irish players: Top Scorers: Jewell Loyd (21.8 points per game), Brianna Turner (14.0), Lindsay Allen (10.6), Taya Re‑ imer (10.0), Michaela Mabrey (7.8), Kathryn Westbeld (6.8) and Madison Cable (6.0). Top Rebounders: Turner (6.3 boards per game), Reimer (6.2), Loyd (5.5) and Westbeld (5.0). Most Assists: Allen (51), Mabrey (43), Loyd (42), Reimer (27) and Westbeld (23). Loyd's 28.2 minutes per game were the most on the team, and the top five players off the bench all were averaging double‑digit minutes, led by Westbeld and Cable with 18.5 minutes per contest apiece. Also included in that group were freshman guard Mychal Johnson (14.5), senior center Markisha Wright (13.9) and junior guard Hannah Huffman (13.8), whose 19 steals tied Loyd for second most on the team behind Allen's 22. The Irish ranked fifth nationally in scoring with 86.6 points per game, fourth in field goal shooting (49.8 percent) and third in three‑point shooting (40.6 percent).