NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 90, MICHIGAN STATE 59
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Hall of Fame Coach Muffet McGraw got exactly what she wanted from third-ranked Notre Dame in its first home game in 25 days with a quick start on the way to a 90-59 victory over Michigan State.
"I was a little worried -- we're coming into final exams, we finally get a chance to play at home and I wanted to make sure we came out ready," McGraw said after Arike Ogunbowale scored 23 points to lead four Irish players in double figures Wednesday might.
"It's an honor to play for her and to be coached by her every day," Ogunbowale said after hitting 7 of 15 shots and finishing one rebound shy of a double-double.
Three days after losing at No. 1 Connecticut, Notre Dame (8-1) ran out to a 47-16 halftime lead as McGraw, who was honored with a new banner in the Purcell Pavilion for her recent induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame, got plenty of production out of a seven-player rotation.
Junior transfer Jessica Shepard had 19 points, Jackie Young added 13 points and graduate transfer Lili Thompson had 12 and 10 rebounds off the bench for Notre Dame, which went 6-1 during its time away from campus.
Jenna Allen led Michigan State (5-3) with 28 points, and Lexi Gussert had 11.
"It was so important that we set a tone at the beginning of the game," McGraw said.
Notre Dame did, especially in the second quarter while shooting 80 percent (8 of 10) from the field and holding the Spartans scoreless over the final 6:16 of the half.
Despite shooting just 33 percent in the third quarter, including a 2:23 scoreless streak to end it, Notre Dame maintained a 63-40 lead heading into the final quarter. Notre Dame shot 50.9 percent from the field while holding Michigan State to 30.8, and the Irish outrebounded the Spartans, 45-34.
In other Top 25/SEC women's games Wednesday, Jaime Nared scored 20 of her 27 points in the first half, Tennessee set a record for points in a quarter and the No. 11 Lady Vols rolled to a 131-69 victory over Troy for the third highest point total of their storied history. Nared opened the game with a three-pointer and had seven points as the Lady Vols scored the first 12 points and raced to a 34-15 lead after one quarter. It was 61-39 at the half and then they got hot, setting a school record with 44 points in the third and holding Troy to 9 for a 105-39 advantage. Kortney Dunbar added 17 points, Rennia Davis, Meme Jackson and Cheridene Green had 16 apiece, Merecedes Russel 13 and Anastasia Hayes 12 as Tennessee (9-0) had seven players in double figures for the first time since Dec. 17, 2003, against DePaul. Shaterrika O'Neal had 15 points and Amber Rivers 14 for Troy (5-1). ... Kelsey Mitchell became Ohio State's all-time leading scorer in the first quarter and the No. 12 Buckeyes beat Florida 103-77. Mitchell, who leads the nation with 25.7 points per game, needed just eight points to tie the record and she broke it on a runner in the lane. She passed Jantel Lavender (2,818 points, 2008-11) of the Los Angeles Sparks. Sierra Calhoun added 3 three-pointers and 21 points for Ohio State (9-2). Haley Lorenzen led Florida (5-4) with 17 points. ... Reserve Ieshia Small scored 21 points, three starters added 16 and No. 15 Maryland rolled to a 97-57 victory over Mount St. Mary's for its sixth consecutive victory. Stephanie Jones, Kaila Charles and Kristen Confroy each scored 16 points and combined for 18-of-32 shooting and 23 rebounds. Blair Watson added 13 points and seven assists for the Terrapins (8-2). Katrice Dickson led the Mountaineers (1-7), who shot 34.5 percent, with 16 points. ... Freshman Chennedy Carter had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, Khaalia Hillsman added 22 points, and No. 21 Texas A&M beat TCU 71-58. Danni Williams added 13 points for Texas A&M (7-2) and Anriel Howard grabbed 16 rebounds. The Aggies were 22 of 27 (82 percent) from the free-throw line. Amy Okonkwo had 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists for TCU (6-2). Jordan Moore added 11 points and nine rebounds. ... Adrianna Hahn made 5 three-pointers and scored 21 points, Bridget Herlihy added 4 threes and a career-high 19 points, and No. 22 Villanova beat Fairfield 73-44. Kelly Jekot, who was coming off a career-high 27 points in Sunday's 79-44 victory over Saint Joseph's, scored 7 points for Villanova (8-0). The Wildcats play 10 of their first 12 games of the season on the road. Sam Kramer scored 11 points for Fairfield (3-5), which shot just 26 percent. ... Jessica Lindstrom had a career-high 29 points and 17 rebounds to help No. 23 Green Bay beat Dayton 75-64. Lindstrom was 8-of-12 shooting in the first half, with 5 three-pointers, and scored 21 points as Green Bay built a 40-27 lead. Allie Leclaire added 14 points and Frankie Wurtz had 12 for Green Bay (7-1). Lauren Cannatelli had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals for Dayton (5-3). Jenna Burdette added 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting as the Flyers shot just 37 percent.
Sports on 12/07/2017