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Villanova in way of Notre Dame's ninth straight Sweet 16 (Mar 17, 2018)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Top seed Notre Dame will try to advance to the Sweet 16 for the ninth year in a row when it tips off against No. 9 seed Villanova on Sunday night at Purcell Pavilion.
Notre Dame (30-3) cruised past No. 16 seed Cal State Northridge 99-81 in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tournament. That marked the Fighting Irish's eighth straight year with 30-plus wins under longtime coach Muffet McGraw.
Now, McGraw's squad has new goals in mind.
A win Sunday would push Notre Dame's home winning streak to 25 games in a row. The Fighting Irish have won their past 13 NCAA Tournament games at home and need one more victory for their 20th all-time tourney win on campus.
Villanova (23-8) would love to spoil Notre Dame's grand plans. The Wildcats are coming off an 81-74 overtime victory over No. 8 seed South Dakota State, a game that went past regulation despite Villanova never trailing.
The Wildcats held on for the program's first tournament win since 2004. They are undaunted by the odds against them heading into the next matchup against a top-ranked powerhouse.
"Show up and play," Villanova coach Harry Perretta said to the school's official website. "Rollie Massimino told me that 30 years ago -- just show up and play, and see what happens."
For the Fighting Irish, success has not come without a price.
Notre Dame lost senior forward Kathryn Westbeld to an ankle injury less than three minutes into its first-round game. The team already was playing without four key players because of injuries sustained over the past year.
Westbeld was scheduled to undergo an X-ray on Saturday. Her status for Sunday's game is uncertain.
"You just have to keep playing," junior guard Arike Ogunbowale said to the South Bend Tribune. "I mean, we've had injuries before. Kat's strong, though, so we're just going to keep focusing on the next game and I'm sure she'll be back."
Ogunbowale will look to stay hot after pouring in 30 points -- only two points shy of her career high -- on Friday against Cal State Northridge. Teammate Jessica Shepard scored 24 points and Marina Mabrey contributed 23. The trio's outburst represented the first time since Jan. 7, 1999, that three players scored 20-plus points for the program.
Notre Dame matched a season high with 28 assists. Mabrey hit six 3-pointers, a career high, which surely will attract Villanova's attention when it reviews the game tape of its next opponent.
"When we share the ball, we're really hard to guard," Ogunbowale said to the South Bend Tribune. "We have five people on the court that can score in any position, and it's hard to guard that. I think if we can put together four quarters like that, we'll be really hard to stop."
Villanova junior guard Adrianna Hahn will look to spark her teammates once again. Hahn scored a team-high 24 points and made six of 12 3-point attempts against South Dakota State. Senior guard Alex Louin will seek another double-double and perhaps more after recording 10 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in the opening round.
