Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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90 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BY LOU SOMOGYI I t is referred to as "the game we don't talk about," by head coach Muffet McGraw. On Jan. 11 at No. 3 Louisville, the Naismith Hall of Fame head coach and her then-No. 2 Fighting Irish were humbled to the core dur- ing a 100-67 pasting that ended an 11-game winning streak the Irish had against the Cardinals. During the mind-boggling eve- ning, Louisville shot an unconscious 65.1 percent (41 of 63) from the field, while Notre Dame was in a 40-min- ute trance. It was the first time a team reached the century mark against Notre Dame since a 106-81 victory by No. 1 UConn on Dec. 8, 1998. Following the attention-getting night, Notre Dame has fought back with a vengeance with eight straight victories — highlighted by an epic comeback from 23 points down ver- sus then-No. 6 Tennessee (84-70), a sizzling 100-69 win at No. 8 Florida State and a 14th straight triumph at Duke (72-54) — the seventh away- from-home win this season against a ranked foe, the most in Division I. As of Feb. 13, the eight ranked victories overall are tied with No. 1 UConn for best in the country. Down to seven healthy scholarship players — plus sophomore Jackie Young's broken nose that requires her to wear a protective mask the rest of the season and have surgery afterwards — this might rival any coaching job McGraw has had in 31 seasons at the school. "I'm so proud of this team," Mc- Graw said. "We have been on an in- credible grind. It's really been a battle of mental toughness. "We have flashes of brilliance. There are times we look really, really good — I don't know how I would guard us sometimes when we're operating on all cylinders and we're moving the ball. … But I always think there's room for improvement." The Louisville game serves as that reminder — even without having to talk about it. IRON FIVE Despite the plethora of injuries, one fact can't be overlooked: Notre Dame's starting five were all elite, top-25 recruits and McDonald's All- Americans who have meshed to play as one. As long as they remain healthy, the Irish remain a bona fide Final Four contender. • Entering the Feb. 15 game at Virginia, junior guard Arike Ogun- bowale's 20.0 scoring average paced the ACC, but she also has been up- grading her game as a passer, on de- fense and as a leader. "When Arike gets going, it makes everyone else get going," classmate Marina Mabrey said. "She's super motivating." • Junior Jessica Shepard's post pres- ence with her 6-4 height, powerful frame and highly underrated passing skills has been the ideal complement in the Princeton motion offense. The two-time All-Big Ten player was av- eraging 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as of Feb. 13 — which is virtually what Irish All-American Brianna Turner averaged last season (15.3 and 7.1, respectively) before tear- ing her ACL and putting her out of commission this year. • Young, the team's best athlete and all-around player, averages 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. • With its top two point guards — Lili Thompson and Mychal Johnson — both sidelined because of ACL tears, Mabrey has taken on point guard duties, and a case could be made for her as the Team MVP. In the 2-3 zone, she and Young have been ball-hawks at the top (Mabrey's 57 steals lead the team), and during the eight-game winning streak she has averaged 5.8 assists, among the tops in the ACC. Masking ProbleMs Notre Dame has overcome much to return to Final Four form A broken nose has not deterred sophomore guard Jackie Young from remaining productive on both ends of the floor. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND