Came back, messed around, and got a triple double
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will start the basketball season 1-0 after dominating Mercyhurt inside Purcell Pavilion on Monday night, 105-61. Irish fans saw the return of Olivia Miles after missing last year with an injury, and she treated them to a triple double.
From the ND press release:
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Welcome back, Olivia Miles.
On Monday, No. 6 Notre Dame (1-0) downed Mercyhurst (0-1) in the 2024-25 opener, 105-61. Miles posted a triple-double in her first game back from a February 2023 ACL tear, notching 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It is her fourth career triple-double, which is the most in Notre Dame history and second most in ACC history. She is also the first player in ACC history to record a triple-double in three different basketball seasons.
Notre Dame set the tone out of the gate on Monday with a Miles trey and had a lead as large as 32 in the first half. Three Irish reached double-figures through two quarters: Liatu King (18), Hannah Hidalgo (10) and Kate Koval (10). King led the group with 7 boards, Hidalgo in steals (3) and Koval in blocks (3).
In total, Notre Dame had 40 points in the paint in the first half. The Irish averaged 37.6 paint points per game last season.
Mercyhurst played relatively well out of the break, scoring 20 points and holding Notre Dame to 23 in the third. But using a major height advantage, the Irish continued to dominate down low and finished with 42 paint points in the second half for a total of 82 on the night. Notre Dame shot 60 percent from the floor.
By the buzzer, five Notre Dame players finished with at least 17 points: King (24), Miles (20), Hidalgo (19), Koval (18) and Cassandre Prosper (17). In addition to Miles’ triple-double, King had a double-double with 11 rebounds. Other notable marks include Koval’s 5 blocks and Hidalgo’s 6 steals.
Next up, Notre Dame plays at Purdue on Sunday. The Boilermakers open their season on Wednesday against Purdue Fort Wayne.
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