Olivia Miles drops triple-double in Notre Dame women's basketball NCAA Tournament win over UMass
Olivia Miles knew.
As soon as the ball went in the bucket off the hands of sophomore forward Maddy Westbeld, Miles triumphantly raised her arms while getting to the other end of the floor at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday night.
Westbeld’s three wasn’t a game-winner or even a truly significant shot in the grand scheme of No. 5 seed Notre Dame’s 89-78 first-round NCAA Tournament victory over No. 12 seed UMass (26-7). It put Notre Dame (23-8) up 79-61 early in the fourth quarter. But it also gave Miles the second triple-double of her career, tying Skylar Diggins and Jackie Young atop the all-time chart in program history. She also became the first freshman in the history of the NCAA Tournament — men’s or women’s — to post a triple-double.
“It’s incredible she can come into her first tournament game and get a triple-double,” head coach Niele Ivey said. “She was mentally focused. She was ready.”
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Miles scored 12 points, snagged 11 rebounds and dished out 11 assists. She climbed into double figures in the former two categories first. The game dictated that. But if the freshman phenom had it her way, she would not have changed a thing. When she learned shortly before finding Westbeld in the corner that all she needed was a helper, she told her teammates it was going to happen right away.
And it did.
“The fact that it was an assist for the triple-double was just all the more special,” Miles said.
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Dara Mabrey heats up at the right time
The assist made it all the more appropriate, too.
Notre Dame came storming out of the gates, scoring 32 points on 12 made field goals in the first quarter. Seven of those makes were assisted on. The Irish, with just two players on the roster who had ever played in an NCAA Tournament game, looked like March veterans from the opening tip. Passing was crisp. Transition movement was smooth. Shots were falling.
Senior guard Dara Mabrey connected on her first two three-point attempts. She ultimately made 5-of-8 from deep and finished with 18 points. Mabrey had not shot the ball particularly well heading into the tournament. She only made 2-of-12 attempts in the ACC Tournament two weeks ago.
But like with Miles, the big stage of the big dance brought out Mabrey’s best.
“Our scout was really good so we knew what type of shots we were going to get,” Mabrey said. “I practiced those shots all week, so it was really good to see them go through the net.”
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Abby Prohaska returns to the floor
March Madness is all hands on deck.
Notre Dame has not been able to embody that mantra for most of the season. Scholarship players dropped like flies for various reasons, Ivey with just seven to work with for the last month and a half. Senior guard Abby Prohaska, one of the two Irish players who had NCAA Tournament experience before Saturday, saw the floor for the first time since fracturing her orbital bone on Feb. 1.
She made an immediate impact.
Prohaska scored six points in a span of 1:06 in the first quarter. Her first four points came off an offensive rebound that led to two free throws and then a steal that led to a coast-to-coast layup. Prohaska’s presence is enough to give Notre Dame life. When she’s making plays like that, though, the Irish are a totally different team.
“She has battled so many injuries this season and has had so much adversity, but she’s just ready to play,” Ivey said. “She’s ready to contribute. She gives us that toughness and energy we need. She’s an incredible spark off the bench. I’m just so happy she’s back with us.”
“Abby is one of a kind,” Mabrey added. “She’s one of those players who is willing to sacrifice anything for the betterment of the team. She presented that right away today.”
Maya Dodson is the difference down low
The smaller UMass lineup couldn’t contain graduate senior center Maya Dodson. Ivey figured that would be the case going into the game, and it played out in the Irish’s favor. Dodson scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. She only secured six rebounds, but she was a major reason why Notre Dame held a 50-38 advantage in points in the paint.
Eight of Dodson’s points came in the first quarter. She also scored six of her points at the free throw line, the most of any player on either team.
“She set the tone,” Ivey said. “She had two fouls, and the past couple weeks she struggled and was tentative with two fouls. She found a way to still stay aggressive. Her play was amazing.”
Notre Dame survives a March moment
Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Sam Breen did all she could to spring an upset. Her game-high 31 points weren’t enough, but the performance sure was theatrical. Breen drilled a half-court buzzer-beater at halftime to pull the Minutewomen within a single-digit deficit, 49-41. It might stand up as one of the best shots of the tournament. At the time, it was a significant one within the context of the game.
Building upon the momentum from that shot, UMass pulled within six points multiple times in the third quarter. Had the Minutewomen completed a comeback from trailing by as many as 17 in the first half, Breen’s shot would have been looked back on as the turning point. Instead, Notre Dame never let it get to there. The Irish showed resiliency to build an even larger lead in the fourth quarter. Ivey’s team led by 18 on multiple occasions.
“I had a good few words at halftime to stress the importance of keeping our tone, keeping our foot on the gas, making sure we did an even better job on defense, having awareness of their shooters and taking care of the ball,” Ivey said. “I felt like they responded to that.”
The Irish earned their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2019 with the win. It was the first tournament victory of Ivey’s head coaching career. Notre Dame will play the winner of No. 4 seed Oklahoma and No. 13 seed IUPU on Monday.
