WBB Preview |  ND returns to action Sunday against Binghamton

After playing just two games over the last 16 days, Notre Dame will play three games over the next seven starting with the Binghamton Bearcats Sunday afternoon (1:00pm eastern) at Purcell Pavilion.  The #2 Irish will play a home game against Western Kentucky this coming Wednesday and then travel to Milwaukee to play #16/#18 Marquette on Saturday.

Binghamton is part of the state university system in New York (SUNY).  The Binghamton campus has 17 thousand undergraduate and graduate students.  

The Bearcats are a member of the America East conference and are 5 - 5 so far this season.  Sunday’s match-up will be their first game ever against Notre Dame and against a defending national champion. 

Binghamton has two double-figure scorers in Rebecca Carmody, a 5’9” senior, averaging 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and Kai Moon, a 5’6” junior, who adds 11.5 points per game.  Carly Boland, a 6’1” junior, averages 9.6 points per game and 5’8” sophomore Lizzy Spindler averages 7 ppg. Spindler is the team’s best three-point shooter - she’s made 18 of her 34 attempts (53%).

As a team, Binghamton averages 63.0 points per game, while giving up 62.9.  The Bearcats shoot 41% from the field, 33% from three and 72% from the free throw line.  They average 6.2 made three-point baskets a game, 4.3 blocks and 17.7 turnovers. 

The 8-1 Irish currently average 86.8 points per game.  While the Irish convert 53% of their two-point field goal attempts, they’re shooting just 28.4% beyond the arc and average just 3.2 three-pointers a game.  

The Irish were efficient offensively in the first half of their last game at Toledo — 17 for 30 from the field (56.7%), 2-5 from three (40%), 7-8 from the line (87.5%) — but turnovers cost them more scoring opportunities, and they led by only six at the break — 43 to 37.  

The Irish only scored 29 points in the second half — their lowest scoring half of the season — even though they still made 50% of their field goal attempts.  Multiple offensive fouls and additional turnovers led to numerous empty possessions in the second half.  For the game, the Irish only had 56 field goal attempts (30 first half, 26 second), their lowest total of the season.  In the eight preceding games, ND averaged nearly 69 shots per game.  ND only had ten total free throw attempts at Toledo — the Irish averaged 25.9 free throws per game over the first eight games of the season — which also limited ND’s scoring.

Arike Ogunbowale leads Irish scorers at 24 points per game — she’s scored 30 in three contests and only failed to hit 20 in one — 17 vs. UConn.  Arike averages 19.2 shots per game including 5.3 from beyond the arc.  She’s only making 27% of her three-point shots, which drags her overall shooting percentage down to 45% even though she has hit 52% of her two-point field goal attempts.  Ogunbowale also averages 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.  She only took 15 shots against Toledo, but made 9 of 13 (69.2%) inside the arc and went 4 for 4 from the line to lead the Irish with 22 points.  

Jackie Young is averaging 17.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.  Her assist to turnover ratio is 2.2.  She’s shooting 53.8% from the field and 42.9% from three.  She averages 11.8 field goal attempts per game.

Jess Shepard is averaging 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.  She averages 12.3 field goal attempts per game and converts 57% of her attempts.

Brianna Turner contributes 12.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.  She only averages 9.7 shot attempts per game — and just 7.5 over the last two games.

Coming off a leg injury that caused her to miss the first four games of the season, Marina Mabrey is averaging 12.3 points over the four games she’s played.  She’s made 33% of her three-point attempts but hit 3 of 5 in her last outing against Toledo.

The next two home games should give the Irish opportunities to continue to work on smoothing out the offensive and defensive kinks with a talented starting line up that has only been together for the past four games since Mabrey’s return to action.

During Sunday’s game, in-game updates will be posted below.