Notre Dame WBB downs Georgia Tech 71-53 to make first ACC Tournament semifinal since 2019

Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey answered the question. Even though she didn’t need to. The smile said it all. 

For the first time since 2019, the third-seeded Notre Dame women’s basketball team is back in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament after downing sixth-seeded Georgia Tech 71-53 on Friday night.

Following the game in Greensboro, N.C., Ivey was asked what it’s like to be back in the semifinal round — and to be there for the first time as a head coach — after a couple of tumultuous seasons for the program.

“I’m ecstatic,” she said, donning a massive smile. “I’m so excited to lead this group back. I know how challenging it is in this tournament. If you saw the games today, (they were) electric. We have such a strong league, so for us to be able to advance, it’s a big deal.”

While the victory was ultimately by 18 points, it wasn’t easy. Georgia Tech led the league in scoring defense entering Friday’s game, and Notre Dame was up by just seven points with 4:21 to go. 

The Irish scored the final 11, and they finished the evening shooting 52 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three-point range.

“They were so physical, they were so tough,” Ivey said. “I feel like we really matched (Georgia Tech’s) physicality, and we learned from the first time we played them.”

Georgia Tech-Notre Dame Box Score

Here are three late-Friday observations:

Miles posts another points-assists double-double

It’s Olivia Miles’ world. We’re just living in it. 

The freshman guard entered Friday evening’s contest averaging seven assists per game. She walked away from the first game in Greensboro with 13 more, plus 17 points and six rebounds. 

“We got a lot of shots in transition,” Miles said. “We ran the floor, and (Georgia Tech) ran to the paint. I kicked out to Sam (Brunelle) a couple of times, kicked out to Sonia (Citron). I think that’s how I was getting a lot of my assists and we were shooting wide open shots.”

It was the sixth time she’s had double-digit assists this year and just off her season-high of 14 back in November against Bryant.

Miles exuded an undeniable swagger in her 39 minutes of play, at one point throwing up a three-pointer that looked like something she could make in her sleep.

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The guard is now 1-1 in ACC Tournament quarterfinal games, as the Irish fell to Clemson last season and were eliminated from the postseason competition far earlier than usual. That memory played a role in Friday night’s victory.

“It was pretty tough on all of us given the season that was behind that,” Miles said of the Clemson loss. “Even though I didn’t experience a full season, I still felt the pain and the drive to be better. That really helped me come out here (tonight). We talked about that we’re not packing for one day, we’re packing for all three.”

Louisville behind her, Westbeld radiates confidence

Sophomore Maddy Westbeld was in quite the slump for a good portion of this season, but you’d never know it based on how she faced the Yellow Jackets on Friday night. 

Westbeld had 17 points — tied with Miles for the most on the team — and a team-leading eight rebounds when the buzzer sounded. It was a far cry from the two-point, three-rebound performance she had against Louisville just five days ago in a blowout 86-64 loss.

She radiated confidence with her aggression, aggression which saw her foul out in the waning moments of the game. But the Irish will take it. She looked fantastic in her 28 minutes of play, clearly unaffected by last weekend’s events. 

“Coming back from Sunday, it’s 0-0 now,” Westbeld said. “Everything that happened this season is over with. We were ready to play Georgia Tech even more.”

Unexpected showdown with the ‘Canes

While the Irish would tell you they’re ready to face anyone tomorrow night, there has to be a little bit of relief that “anyone” is not Louisville. The Cardinals have been Notre Dame’s kryptonite this year, beating them in both regular season games by a total score of 159-111.

Louisville fell 61-59 to Miami at the buzzer on Friday despite holding a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter. Miami scored the final 17 points of the game, and fifth-year senior Destiny Harden drained a basket as time expired to shock the Cardinals.

The No. 2 seed is out after just one game, so the No. 3-seeded Irish will face the No. 7 Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m ET with a trip to the ACC Championship on the line. Notre Dame won the regular season matchup between the teams 69-53.