This was transfer Taya Reimer’s return to her former home court, and it must have been strange to be sitting in the visitor’s locker room. However, Reimer’s return was not the story of this game. She played 18 minutes, tallying three rebounds and four points, in a quiet return to Purcell Pavilion.

The Irish quickly eliminated any concern that they might be sluggish coming off the loss to UConn. They jumped out to an early 11-0 lead before an MSU timeout, and led 23-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Spartans’ difficulties only increased in the second quarter. They struggled to get anything going on offense, making only two field goals in the quarter, along with a pair of free throws. Meanwhile Notre Dame shot 80% for the quarter, including a 16-0 run in the last 6:16, to take the 47-16 lead into halftime.

The Spartans’ offense seemed to start to click as they opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run, but the Irish were unfazed. Another 9-0 MSU run cut the lead to 63-40 to end the third quarter. The Irish settled back into their flow for the fourth quarter, however, stretching their lead back to 31 with 6:58 remaining in the game. The comfortable lead allowed freshman Danielle Patterson to get 10 minutes of game experience, and walk-ons Kaitilin Cole and Maureen Butler each made brief appearances in the game too. The Irish maintained the 31 point lead to win 90-59.

The team seemed to be looking for all opportunities to get the ball to Jessica Shepard, and she capitalized with a 19-point game. Arike Ogunbowale overcame the early shooting issues that plagued her at UConn and made good decisions in this game. She ended up with 23 points and nine rebounds, just missing the double-double. Lili Thompson did manage a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The second game this week was a visit to the famed Palestra for a matchup with Penn. Full disclosure, I was not able to watch this one without subscribing to an additional service, so I don’t have many observations. It seemed to be a bit of an off day for the team. Despite never trailing after taking a 7-5 lead in the first quarter, this game seemed too close all the way through. Perhaps it’s the result of the team’s grueling travel schedule so far this season, or focusing on final exams, or coming off of a stretch of big games and letting the focus slip a bit for this one. Regardless, the team still came out on top with a final score of 66-54. Ogunbowale led the team with 20 points, and Marina Mabrey added 15. Notre Dame held a remarkable 40-18 edge on points in the paint.

Burger Basket Leaderboard (It’s Back!)

For my own amusement (and hopefully yours as well), I’m bringing this feature back to the weekly recaps again this season. At Notre Dame home games where the Irish score 88 points or more, the fans in attendance receive coupons for a free burger. I’ll track which player is responsible for feeding the fans the most often over the course of the season. Last season’s Burger Basket Leaderboard ended in a three-way tie for the win, with Ogunbowale, Young, and Erin Boley each making the essential basket twice.

In the home opener against Mount St. Mary’s, Lili Thompson had the honor. In Wednesday’s win over MSU, two free throws from Kristina Nelson put the Irish over the mark. So far all of the credit goes to the two graduate students.

Kristina Nelson – 1

Lili Thompson – 1

Coming Up

Notre Dame will welcome DePaul to the Purcell Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. While the Irish have now won nine in a row against the Blue Demons, they can be a tough opponent. DePaul has made Notre Dame work hard to get those wins the last few years, including an overtime win three years ago and a five-point edge the next year. The Blue Demons hold a 6-3 record this season following a loss to UConn last Friday.