Notre Dame Women Host Big Monday Showdown With Duke

No. 2 Notre Dame looks to continue its 17-game winning streak when the Fighting Irish host No. 13 Duke Monday night. Here is all the information to know for the matchup:

Where: Notre Dame, Ind. - Purcell Pavillion
When: Monday, Feb. 17 – 6:00 PM EST
Network: ESPN – Beth Mowins (Play-by-Play); Debbie Antonelli (Analyst)
Radio: ND Radio Network, 96.1 FM WSBT in South Bend all games also stream on the Audacy App/Audacy.com – Sean Stires (PBP)

Let's take a look at today’s matchup:

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (22-2, 13-0 ACC)

Head Coach: Niele Ivey (111-34– 5th season at Notre Dame)

The Fighting Irish trounced Pittsburgh 88-57 last Thursday to win their 17th straight game. Olivia Miles tied the Notre Dame program record by hitting eight 3-pointers on her way to a game and season-high 28 points. Sonia Citron was on fire as well, hitting four 3s of her own to score 22 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Miles and Citron combined to hit their first 12 shots in the first half in the rout of the Panthers. 

Liatu King scored 11 points against the team she played four years for before transferring to Notre Dame in the offseason. Hannah Hidalgo had an off shooting night, going 3 for 17 overall and 1 of 6 behind the 3-point arc but still scored 11 points. She has scored in double figures in all 57 games of her career. Hidalgo also dished out five assists and snatched seven of the team’s 14 steals.

Projected Irish Starting Lineup

G Olivia Miles - 5-10, Grad – 17.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.3 APG
G Hannah Hidalgo – 5-6, Soph – 25.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.9 APG, 4.0 SPG
F  Liatu King - 6-0, Grad – 12.0 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 21 BLK
G Sonia Citron - 6-1, Sr – 13.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.0 SPG
F  Maddy Westbeld - 6-2, Grad – 8.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 12 BLK

DUKE BLUE DEVILS (20-5, 11-2 ACC)

Head Coach: Kara Lawson (88-38 in 5th season at Duke/overall)

Duke is led by fifth-year head coach Kara Lawson, who has led the Blue Devils to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Toby Fournier and Ashlon Jackson are Duke’s two lone double figure scorers, averaging 13.5 and 12.8 points per game, respectively. Fournier is a 6-2 freshman forward who ranks No. 6 in the ACC with 29 blocked shots. She has come off the bench in all 24 games she has played this season. Jackson is a 6-0 guard who was a 2022 McDonald’s High School All-American. She ranks No. 4 in the ACC making 2.5 3-pointers per game.

Duke has won three straight games since suffering its second conference loss of the season to NC State on Feb. 3. The Blue Devils’ only other ACC loss was to North Carolina on Jan. 9. Both the Tar Heels and Wolfpack are ranked.

Projected Starting Lineup

G Ashlon Jackson - Stats – 12.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.0 APG
G Reigan Richardson - Stats – 9.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.5 APG
F  Delaney Thomas - Stats – 7.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG
G Taina Mair - Stats – 7.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.0 APG
F  Jadyn Donovan - Stats – 6.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 24 BLK

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

With five games to go in the regular season, the Fighting Irish have their sights set on locking up their second regular season ACC championship. Duke is in third place heading into Monday’s game with two conference losses. NC State is in second place with one loss. The Irish will face the Wolfpack next Sunday in Raleigh.

Notre Dame has rarely been tested during its 17-game winning streak that began on Dec. 5 with an 80-70 overtime win over then No. 4 Texas. The only game not decided by double figures during the streak was a nine-point win at unranked Clemson on Jan. 12. The Irish are outscoring its opponents by an average of 28.1 ppg during the 17-game win streak.

Duke figures to be a worthy challenge for the Irish as the two teams head toward the finish line of the regular season. The Blue Devils have the No. 2 scoring defense in the ACC at 58.4 points allowed. They also have the No. 5 offense, scoring 76.4 ppg. Notre Dame (No. 1) and Duke (No. 3) are two of the three best shooting teams in the conference, making 50% and 45% from the field, respectively.

The Blue Devils will be the eighth ranked opponent the Irish have faced this season. The Irish are 6-1 against their first seven ranked foes. Hannah Hidalgo has averaged 26.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game against ranked teams this season.

Monday’s matchup marks the 23rd all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Duke. The Fighting Irish own an 18-4 advantage in the all-time series, but Duke has won three of the past four games against the Irish. Notre Dame won last year’s lone meeting at Duke.