Two key players available for Notre Dame women's basketball for first time in 2025-26 vs. Akron

For the first time in the early going of the 2025-26 season, we’ll get a true look at what Notre Dame women’s basketball can be at full capacity. Transfer Iyana Moore and Malaya Cowles will both be available to make their Fighting Irish debuts vs. Akron on Wednesday night.

Head coach Niele Ivey broke the news to a few local reporters in South Bend on Tuesday.

Moore is a potential starter in the backcourt with Hannah Hidalgo, though Duke transfer Vanessa de Jesus has made her case to hold on to that spot with her performances through two games so far. De Jesus is averaging 18.5 points, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game.

In three seasons at Vanderbilt, which included 100 appearances, 80 starts and 32.1 minutes per game, Moore averaged 13.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She has a career high of 37 points. De Jesus averaged between 4 and 5 points per game in four seasons at Duke, meanwhile, so she hasn’t been relied upon as a scorer as much as Moore has over the years.

Still, no matter what lineup Ivey chooses to run onto the floor first, her team is much deeper at the guard position with Moore as an availability. The front court is in much better shape with 6-4 Cowles, a former Wake Forest post player, whether she starts over Kansas State transfer Gisela Sanchez, who has excelled in her first pair of games with Notre Dame just like de Jesus.

Cowles played in 86 games with 51 starts as a Demon Deacon. She averaged career-bests 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season. That’ll pair nicely with the contributions of Sanchez, whose 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game so far this season are big boosts from what she gave the Wildcats of Kansas State in the last two seasons and the Wildcats of Arizona as a true freshman in 2021-22. She never averaged more than 5.5 points or 3.8 rebounds in any given season at those stops.

Moore and Cowles will be on a bit of a minutes restriction vs. Akron, per Ivey, and the most pressing issue introducing both of them into the rotation is having them assimilate into what’s clearly been working for Notre Dame in a pair of lopsided victories over Fairleigh Dickinson (98-52) and Chicago State (116-58).

“We’ve been working with them off the court, 3 on 3, 2 on 2, they’ve been jumping into practice a little here and a little there,” Ivey said. “Definitely going to continue working on building chemistry with them, but really excited that we have two great players that are going to join us.”