How Olivia Miles led Notre Dame women’s basketball to revenge win over Boston College

Notre Dame gave fans inside Purcell Pavilion Sunday afternoon a reason to think, “Uh-oh, here we go again.” And it didn’t take long. All of 12 seconds.

Freshman point guard Olivia Miles inexplicably dribbled the ball off her foot on the first possession of the game against Boston College. She didn’t react poorly to the turnover. Didn’t break stride, either. Just ran down to the other end of the floor to get set defensively.

Shake it off, she thought. It’s not going to be like the last time out.

It wasn’t.

Notre Dame had 23 turnovers against Syracuse last week. Getting the tally started a dozen ticks into the game wasn’t a great start in trying to right some wrongs. It wasn’t a sign of things to come, though. The turnover total didn’t creep that high, but Miles’ point total did — and then some.

Miles shattered her career-high with 30 points in Notre Dame’s 74-61 victory over visiting Boston College. The No. 20 Irish (16-4, 7-2 ACC) lost to the same Eagles (14-7, 5-5) team by two on the road 10 days prior. It was a different story Sunday, and Miles was the main reason why. She shot 12 of 19 from the floor and made 4 of 8 from three-point range, which was also a career-best.

“I think the mic should go to Liv,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey joked before the postgame press conference. “I don’t need to say anything.”

Fair. Let Miles explain for herself how it all unfolded.

“Our game plan coming in was to use the ball screen and look high-low,” she said. “I feel like they were taking away a lot of our high-low looks, so I went to work and was aggressive. I found my spots and got open.”

BOX SCORE: NOTRE DAME 74, BOSTON COLLEGE 61

Miles had a strong first half. She scored 14 points. The jumper was clicking at a higher level than which she has displayed it all season. With every sinking shot, her confidence grew. She came out of the locker room and drilled her first attempt of the second half; a three, her third.

That’s the one that made her realize she was in the zone.

“I was like, ‘OK, I got it now,'” Miles said. “I can just keep rolling. That was a really nice rhyhym shot and a good pass from Dara [Mabrey]. It was fun. It was just a lot of fun playing like that.”

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Miles’ fourth three came with the shot clock winding down later in the third quarter. When that one fell from what might have been NBA range, everyone in the arena knew Miles had something special cooking; the feeling didn’t solely belong to Miles by then. Three fourth-quarter layups gave Miles the first 30-point game of her young career.

Ivey left the mic for Miles. She dropped it in style.

Sonia Citron has strong start

Freshman combo guard Sonia Citron started for the second straight game and third time this season. She scored the first points of the game on a baseline driving layup and nailed a three two minutes later to give Notre Dame an 8-2 lead.

Citron scored 14 points to go along with four rebounds. Her highlight of the night was a soaring rebound snag, subsequent put-back layup plus a foul in the final five seconds of the third quarter. She missed the free throw, but her hustle and savvy awareness were on full display. She gave Notre Dame a 59-40 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Citron has scored 12-plus points in each of the last four games after being held scoreless for the first time in her career against Wake Forest Jan. 14. She has likely earned a permanent spot in the Notre Dame starting lineup.

Maya Dodson notches double-double

Graduate senior center Maya Dodson did not record a double-double in her first 15 games at Notre Dame. She now has double-doubles in three of the last five. Dodson scored 12 points and secured 10 rebounds against Boston College.

“She was amazing,” Ivey said. “Every night. Her bread and butter is her defense, and she was on the floor getting loose balls, 50-50 balls. We needed [her] physical play inside.”

Dodson also had six blocks, tying a season-high in that category. She increased her season-long total to 56 blocks, which ranks firmly inside the top 10 nationally. The blocks are valuable, but Ivey said her defensive prowess stretches beyond them.

“Sometimes she doesn’t get the block, but she alters shots,” Ivey said. “Her presence is everything for us. She brings our toughness. She’s our leader defensively. It’s great because we go as she goes. I was really proud of her effort and the way she competed today.”

Maddy Westbeld has season low

A sophomore slump hit a new low Sunday.

Forward Maddy Westbeld scored two points in 21 minutes of work. Her lone points came at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. She shot 0 of 7 from the floor and 0 of 4 from three, putting herself in danger of being held off the scoresheet for the first time in her Notre Dame career.

Westbeld was held under 10 points three times in 20 games as a freshman. She has not reached double figures in scoring seven times in 20 games as a sophomore. She has only hit that mark twice in the last seven games and is shooting 33.3% during that span.