The No. 3 Notre Dame women’s basketball team looks to extend its 11-game winning streak in ACC play on Thursday as they take on the 7-7 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
It has been a dominant year for the Fighting Irish in the women’s college basketball scene. Sitting at 12-2 on the season, the Irish haven’t lost a game since Nov. 30 and aren’t looking to slow down anytime soon. With depth, health and a lot of highlight-worthy plays, Notre Dame has set itself up to be competing for a conference and national championship in the coming months.
Before looking ahead to March, the Irish must get through January which got off to a great start on Jan. 5 against No. 17 North Carolina. Once the calendar flips from one year to the next, the time in between games quickly shrinks. Week-long breaks turn into just days, leaving the door open for a slip-up at any time.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons make the trip to South Bend for a date with the No. 3 ranked team in the country. They enter Purcell Pavilion dropping their last two games, as well as four of their last five games, losing by an average of 13 points.
It’s the worst offense in the entire conference as Wake Forest is the lone team to not accumulate 1,000 points, averaging just 61.9 points per game. Rylie Theuerkauf, a 5’9” sophomore guard from New Jersey, is the leading scorer for the Demon Deacons averaging 10.2 PPG on 42.6% shooting.
Theuerkauf’s averages drop significantly when playing on the road, scoring 7.5 PPG on 30.6% shooting in just four games. However, she’s coming off her best game of the season in the Demon Deacons’ overtime loss to the Louisville Cardinals. She scored 17 points on 6-9 shooting, including a season-best 5-8 from behind the arc. Considering she had only made 13 threes on the entire season entering last Sunday’s matchup, Theuerkauf may have found some confidence from range.
Down low, the Irish will have to deal with 6’3” junior Malaya Cowles, who enters scoring 9.9 PPG on 59.4% shooting, while grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. Although, in her last three games, Cowles is averaging 8.7 RPG, including an 11-rebound game against UNC-Greensboro on Dec. 20.
Theuerkauf and Cowles combined for 10 turnovers when they took on the Cardinals, who have the second most takeaways in the ACC with 319. With a defense like Notre Dame’s, taking care of the basketball will be the biggest point of emphasis for Wake Forest. However, Notre Dame isn’t the only team good on the defensive side of the ball in this matchup.
Despite having one of the worst offenses in the conference, Wake Forest has allowed the least number of points in the ACC, and the third lowest points per game with opponents scoring an average of 57. However, the Irish scored 76 against the Tar Heels this past Sunday, a team that gives up just 54.1 PPG, the lowest in the conference. It was once again the duo of Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles against the Tar Heels, with the dynamic backcourt combining for 43 points on 15-33 shooting. Hidalgo, a sophomore guard, finished with 24 points, five assists, three assists and three steals in the ten-point victory.
Hidalgo, the nation’s second leading scorer, was named as Sports Illustrated’s top candidate to be named the Women’s National Player of the Year. She’s averaging 25.9 PPG on 49.4% shooting, with 6.1 RPG and 3.8 APG. She has started in all 14 games for the Irish this season and has scored under 24 points just twice this season. She truly is a do-it-all guard, collecting two or more steals in every game this season and is averaging four per game.
Even though Miles has played with the best player in college basketball this season, she is still putting together the best season of her career in her first 14 games back from an ACL injury she suffered in February of 2023. The senior guard is averaging 16.9 PPG, knocking down 55.8% of her shots while gathering 6.8 RPG and 7.1 APG. Her five threes against North Carolina were the most shots she has hit from range in her career, as she’s now shooting 47.8% from deep, the best she’s shot since arriving to South Bend.
Seniors Sonia Citron and Liatu King are averaging 13.9 and 12.5 PPG respectively, which is still higher than the Demon Deacons’ leading scorer. The Irish clearly outmatches Wake Forest on paper, meaning a big-time win is in play for Notre Dame. However, upsets happen all the time in sports, which is why the Irish need to get things moving quick and remove the opposition early. A few forced turnovers in the first quarter coupled with a double-digit lead would be prime for the Fighting Irish.
It will be the second of three games played this week for the Irish before they travel to Clemson, S.C. for a Sunday meeting with the Tigers.
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