Ogunbowale sparks Irish offense against Wake Forest
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - A little home cooking made a big difference for No. 7 Notre Dame's struggling offense.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 points on Thursday night and the offense came to life in a 92-72 victory over Wake Forest.
Notre Dame was coming off six straight road games, the program's longest trip ever, and had not played at Purcell Pavilion since losing there to No. 1 Connecticut a month ago.
"There's no place like home," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said.
Brianna Turner finished with 15 points and six rebounds for the Irish (14-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), Marina Mabrey added 14 points and Lindsay Allen had 12.
Ogunbowale and Mabrey each made four 3-pointers, thanks in part to the comfort of finally shooting in familiar surroundings again.
"The energy of the fans really helps us when we're back in our gym," Ogunbowale said.
The Irish average 78.8 points per game but totaled 62 at North Carolina State on Dec. 29, just their second ACC loss since joining the league in 2013, and 55 points in a win Monday at Georgia Tech.
Against the Demon Deacons, Notre Dame had 55 points by halftime and shot 60 percent from the field. That high shooting percentage was helped by getting the ball down low often and transition layups, which led to a 48-16 advantage in points in the paint.
But the Irish were also on from deep, shooting 62.5 percent from 3-point range (10 of 16).
"I was really happy with the offense," McGraw said. "I'd like to see that same flow, that same rhythm. We've been missing that the last couple games."
Ariel Stephenson scored 17 points and Elisa Penna had 16 for Wake Forest (9-5, 0-1). Plagued by injuries with four players lost for the season, the Demon Deacons only dressed eight players.
Second-quarter runs of 10-0 and 9-0 got the Irish lead up to 19 points as they hit 15 of 17 from the field in the period.
"There's not a team in this league you can let go 15 of 17 in a quarter and come out with a victory," Wake Forest coach Jen Hoover said. "In that second quarter, it looked like they were running 5-on-0."
Erin Boley's 3-pointer with 1:26 left before the half pushed Notre Dame's lead to 23. The advantage reached 33 points with 3:48 to go in the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Mabrey.
Notre Dame's 92 points were its most since scoring 114 against Valparaiso on Dec. 4.
BIG PICTURE
Wake Forest: The short-handed Demon Deacons fell to 0-5 all-time against the Irish and are 2-5 on the road this season.
Notre Dame: The Irish defense had a role in turning around the struggling offense by forcing 19 turnovers which led to 29 points.
NEW ADDITION
Former Stanford guard Lili Thompson, a three-year starter who over the summer decided not to return for her senior season, announced Thursday on Twitter that she will transfer to Notre Dame in 2017-18 for her final season of eligibility.
POST HELPERS
The Irish finished with 28 assists, one off their season high. Back-up center Kristina Nelson had a career-high five assists and the starter, Turner, added four.
"In the Princeton offense, the post is like a point guard, she's making a lot of passes," McGraw said.
UP NEXT
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons will host their next two contests, beginning with North Carolina State on Sunday.
Notre Dame: The road-warrior Irish are headed back out of town to No. 14 Miami on Sunday.