Notre Dame defeated Stephen F. Austin in front of a raucous crowd that also featured a number of high-profile names including Marcus Freeman.
On Friday, the Fighting Irish took on the Ladyjacks and defeated them with ease, with Notre Dame putting up 106 points on a Stephen F. Austin defense that looked overmatched. With the game being played in South Bend, Notre Dame had the advantage with the crowd playing a big part in helping energize the team.
Among those in the crowd was Freeman, the head coach of Notre Dame’s football team, who made it to the College Football Playoff National Championship game, before falling to Ohio State. Freeman is a supporter of head coach Niele Ivey and did his part to show his support for the women’s basketball team.
Along with Freeman, former Notre Dame basketball stars Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brianna Turner and Devereaux Peters also were in attendance to see the 106-54 win. After the win, Ivey shared what it meant to her to have the fans come out in force to support the team in the NCAA Tournament.
“Well, really grateful for today,” she began to reporters after the win. “It was a great performance from our team. So excited about this win, excited about the fans. I thought they did a great job of coming up and coming out to support us. So a bunch of great basketball today in South Bend.”
What’s more, because of the lopsided victory, Ivey was able to play all of her players, which gives her stars time to rest, especially with a matchup against Michigan on the docket. Because of the win, Ivey shared how the team is well-balanced heading into the Fighting Irish’s game against the Wolverines.
(Image: Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“I’m hoping that our depth can help us on and got a scout to see what that looked like because I was back preparing for this game,” she continued. “But I’m hoping that our depth can give us an advantage moving forward.”
And while the win was impressive in and of itself, the mood was dampened severely when star guard Olivia Miles sustained an ankle injury with 8:44 remaining in the fourth quarter and Notre Dame up 39 points, at the time. Miles remained on the ground after sustaining the injury and while she was able to walk off the court, she did not return.
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Fans on social media were upset with Ivey for keeping Miles in the game, despite the large lead Notre Dame had. After the game, the head coach gave an update on how her star was feeling, sharing a conversation she had with Miles before Ivey spoke to the media.
“Yes, ankle injury, stepped on someone’s foot,” Ivey told reporters. “So she’s going to be OK. But she’s got to get treatment. I haven’t heard anything, but she walked off and she verbally said she was OK.”
Notre Dame will face off against Michigan on March 23, in a matchup Ivey says is “everything.” “We’re excited to play,” she continued. “And no matter who our matchup was, we’re going to be ready on Sunday. But I’m excited for women’s basketball to see two great programs matched up together.”
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
