Notre Dame notches second top-10 win of season vs. Virginia Tech
Fourth quarters were a bit of a bugaboo for Notre Dame last season. Head coach Niele Ivey could attribute multiple losses to final frame breakdowns.
Sunday? Nope.
The Irish went into the fourth trailing No. 6 Virginia Tech by three points. They left the hostile environment with a 63-52 victory over the previously unbeaten Hokies to notch their second victory of the season against a team that was ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press Poll at the time of tipoff. This is a more mature, more equipped and, frankly, better version of the blue and gold from one year to the next.
“I’m really proud of this group for stepping up,” Ivey said. “What I learned is that we do have a lot of resilience and a lot of toughness. That’s something we’ve been talking about. It’s something that we’re stressing, especially defensively.
“But to see it for 40 minutes, I’m so proud as a coach. You never know the moments until you’re in it. I feel like we really grew up today.”
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Sophomore point guard Olivia Miles was the catalyst once again. Notre Dame’s leading scorer had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Eight of Miles’ points came in the fourth quarter. When the game was on the line, the Irish’s best player rose to the occasion.
Senior center Lauren Ebo helped get Miles to the point of taking over. She had 15 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Seven of her points came in a first half in which Notre Dame (9-1, 1-0 ACC) only shot 9-of-29 (31%) from the floor. Ebo was a perfect 3-of-3. Ivey called Ebo the most efficient post player she has coached.
Virginia Tech (10-1, 1-1) only put six players on the court for the entirety of the game. Two of them carried the load for the home team; guard Georgia Amoore had 20 points, and senior center Elizabeth Kitley had 16 points and 20 rebounds. The Hokies ended up shooting 29.4 percent from the field for the game. The Irish got up to 42.6.
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Notre Dame’s defense locked down. Miles got hot, making four of her last six shot attempts after starting 2-of-11 in the first three quarters. Graduate student guard Dara Mabrey scored 4 of her 8 points in the fourth quarter against her former team; she suited up for Virginia Tech for the first two seasons of her career.
Most of all, when winning time came calling, Miles answered the bell.
“She’s working a lot on her composure, which I’m so proud of her for,” Ivey said. “Normally she would have come out in the second half and been down on herself. She always feels like she’s letting the team down.”
Ivey said it was encouragement of coaches and teammates that kept Miles on track through her struggles.
“When she feels that energy, she feels that support, she can just play her game,” Ivey said.
The Irish host Western Michigan at 12 p.m. Wednesday before an eight-day holiday break. They’re back in action on Dec. 29 at Miami.
