Protecting Purcell: How Notre Dame women's basketball has remained unbeaten at home

NC State guard Diamond Johnson had two open attempts at a game-tying three-point shot against Notre Dame on Tuesday.

Neither of them fell.

It was as if over 5,500 fans inside Purcell Pavilion collectively joined forces in spirit and through vocal cacophony to will the ball off the rim not once, but twice.

“They got some good looks,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said. “Thank goodness they were away and they were on our court.”

Such has been the way the ball has bounced for No. 20 Notre Dame (17-4, 8-2 ACC) inside the friendly confines of its own arena this season. Ten games, 10 wins. Two triumphs over ranked ranked opponents in the last two and a half weeks. The victory over the No. 3 Wolfpack was as big as any the Fighting Irish have had in the last three years.

Irish supporters clad in green recognized that.

Any time NC State surged back from a double-digit deficit, Notre Dame fans got loud and urged the Irish to keep fighting. Not once did the arena go silent from the time the ball tipped off until the final buzzer sounded. It never made sense for it to. Whether Irish fans demanded a defensive stop or begged for a big bucket, Ivey’s team always seemed to deliver.

Just enough to squeak out a three-point victory over a top-five team, anyway.

It could have easily gone the other way had Notre Dame been on the road. The Irish might learn that the hard way against No. 4 Louisville and No. 12 Georgia Tech later this month. The Cardinals are one of nine teams in the top 50 of the NCAA NET Rankings that has yet to lose at home. Seven of those teams, including Notre Dame (No. 16), are inside the top 20.

Coincidence? Not at all. Protect home court, get rewarded.

“We just feed off the energy of our crowd,” Ivey said. “Bringing these talented teams into our house, we feed off of being home. It’s a huge advantage.”

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Notre Dame went nearly a full calendar month without playing at Purcell Pavilion, but the Irish picked up right where they left off with a 70-65 win over then-No. 21 North Carolina on Jan. 16. They’ve won three more times at home since then and have an opportunity to close out a four-game home stand with a victory over Virginia Tech (15-5, 7-2) Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.

It’ll be the third game in five days for Ivey’s group. The wear and tear hasn’t gone without some concern. Junior forward Sam Brunelle left the arena Tuesday with a walking boot on her right leg. She injured her ankle in toward the end of the first half against the Wolfpack. She scored eight points in 10 minutes before then and just two in six minutes thereafter. Forty-eight hours isn’t a whole lot of time to nurse an ankle ailment.

Senior guard Abby Prohaska was hit in the face fighting for a rebound shortly after Brunelle was helped to the locker room. She, like Brunelle, laid writhing on the court in pain before getting escorted to the room as well. She did not return to the floor in the second half. Had that been the case for Brunelle, too, Ivey would have been left with a six-player rotation.

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Fans can cheer all they want, but a team is only as strong as the players who comprise it. More minutes for the starters meant more chances to get into foul trouble, and that’s just what happened. Graduate senior center Maya Dodson and freshman combo guard Sonia Citron finished the game with four fouls. Freshman point guard Olivia Miles and sophomore guard Maddy Westbeld finished with three.

Avoiding foul trouble has been critical for Notre Dame no matter where the Irish play. Thursday’s game is no different. Depending on the status of Brunelle and Prohaska, it could be vital against Virginia Tech.

But as long as the Irish are playing on a court with an interlocking “ND” logo and a shamrock at center court, they’re always going to feel like they have a chance.

“Our crowd is electric here,” senior guard Dara Mabrey said. “We love playing at home.”

Virginia Tech (15-5, 7-2 ACC) at. No. 20 Notre Dame (17-4, 8-2)

When: Thursday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Purcell Pavilion (South Bend, Ind.)

TV: ACC Network

NET rankings: Notre Dame 16, NC State 20

Last meeting: Notre Dame won 65-60 on Jan. 21, 2021 in South Bend

Series history: Notre Dame leads 13-2

Notes on NC State: Virginia Tech is led in scoring (18.1 ppg) and rebounding (10.2 rpg) by junior center Elizabath Kitley, who stands at 6-6 … Kitley also leads Virginia Tech with 3.0 blocks per game … Kitley ranks tied for sixth nationally with 60 blocks; Notre Dame’s Maya Dodson checks in just behind her in solo eighth with 56 … Three other Virginia Tech players average 10-plus points per game … Three of Virginia Tech’s five losses have come to ranked opponents … Three of the five losses have also come on the road.