Women's basketball: Everything you need to know about Notre Dame's game with Boston College
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WHO: Boston College (14-6, 5-4 ACC) vs. No. 20 Notre Dame (15-4, 6-2).
WHEN: Sunday, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion (9,149), Notre Dame.
TICKETS: Available.
WATCH: ACC Network.
LISTEN: WQLQ (99.9 FM).
► One game at a time: A journey through Notre Dame's 2021-22 women’s basketball season
ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE: In their last 10 games — which includes their 73-71 home win over Notre Dame just last week — the Eagles are 7-3 with two of the losses coming to currently No. 5 Louisville and the other Thursday at No. 14 Georgia Tech. The Jackets did roll, though, 68-49. … BC’s led on the season by the senior quartet of Taylor Soule (15.6 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 54.6% from the field), Cameron Swartz (14.2 ppg, 47-of-57 at the line for 82.5%), Makayla Dickens (10.2 ppg, 3.2 assists, 37-of-99 on 3-pointers) and Marnelle Garraud (9.1 ppg, 3.8 assists, 2.0 steals, 38-of-100 on 3s). … Three of the four had glossy games in that win over the Irish, too, with Swartz striking for 28 points and 5-of-8 shooting outside the arc; Dickens 20 points, five assists, and 6-of-10 from deep; and Soule 15 points and 10 rebounds. … Center Maria Gakdeng is adding 9.0 points, 5.6 boards and 2.0 blocks a game to go with 64.1% from the field, and has been named ACC Freshman of the Week four times. … The Eagles have beaten the Irish in four of the teams’ last five meetings, starting in January 2020 with their only-ever win at Purcell. It’s come on the heels of ND taking 14 straight matchups from November 2007 to February 2019.
ABOUT NOTRE DAME: The Irish are looking to exactly duplicate last year, when they narrowly lost at Boston College, then won at home 10 days later. The scores a season ago were 64-61 and 83-73. … The crazy-close point numbers continue among ND players, and for the first time, freshman Olivia Miles is the season leader heading into a game. She’s at 12.7 per outing, with Maya Dodson at 12.6, Maddy Westbeld 12.4, Dara Mabrey 11.5 and Sonia Citron 11.3. … Miles is also second in the nation in assists at 7.7 (Iowa sophomore Caitlin Clark, who listed Notre Dame among her three finalists a couple years ago, leads at 8.1 and leads in scoring at 25.1). … Top rebounding figures for the Irish are tight, too. Dodson’s averaging 7.4, Miles 6.5, Citron 6.4 and Westbeld 5.9. … Dodson’s blocking 2.6 shots a game, Mabrey’s hit 47-of-116 on 3s for 40.5% and Citron’s 46-of-51 at the line for 90.2%. … Sam Brunelle led the Irish with 15 points off the bench on Jan. 20 at BC, part of a surge in which she’s averaging 11.8 points, 1.8 blocks, 1.8 steals and shooting 56.8% from the field in 22.8 minutes per contest across ND’s last five outings. … Notre Dame’s rapid-fire succession of home challenges continues Tuesday when No. 3 North Carolina State (18-2, 9-0 before Sunday) invades Purcell for a make-up game and wraps Thursday when Virginia Tech (15-5, 7-2) visits.
QUOTING: “I had a nasty taste in my mouth leaving BC, because it’s been three years in a row I’ve gone there and lost by (three or fewer) points. I absolutely was very angry leaving there, and I’m ready to just take it on Sunday. I think we all are.” — Sam Brunelle, Notre Dame junior forward.
— By Anthony Anderson
