SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Olivia Miles and KK Bransford scored 17 points apiece as No. 5 Notre Dame dominated Atlantic Coast Conference foe Boston College 85-48 on Sunday.
Miles had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Bransford produced a career-best in scoring.
Sonia Citron tallied 15 points to go with six rebounds and four assists for the Fighting Irish (12-1, 3-0).
Andrea Daley scored 17 points and Taina Mair had 10, while Maria Gakeng blocked six shots for Boston College (11-5, 1-2).
“I’m excited,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “To start up the New Year in this fashion is a dream. It feels like the team was ready and focused.
“That’s one of our better halves of the season defensively. I thought we executed perfect on the transition and read the ball well.”
The Irish held the Eagles to 20 of 64 shooting from the floor and forced the visitors into 18 turnovers.
Led by Miles and Citron with three each, Notre Dame made 15 steals.
“That’s the way we want to play — defensive-minded,” Ivey said.
It took Boston College until the second half to settle in.
“We got over the moment,” Eagles coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee. “A young team kind of let the pageantry of a Notre Dame maybe getting them playing a little faster less disciplined than we wanted in the first half.”
FAST START
The biggest first-half lead for the Irish was 35 points (49-14).
Notre Dame made 17 of 33 field goal attempts and Boston College 7 of 32 in the first two periods.
The Irish scored the game’s first seven points and led 16-4 at the first media timeout at 4:40 of the first quarter.
Notre Dame led by as many as 35 points in the second quarter at 49-14.
POINTS IN THE PAINT
The Irish outscored the Eagles 56-36 on the interior.
“A lot of them was us just not handling our business in transition and on the rebounding end,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “Maybe 60% of their offense came from offensive boards and foul shots.”
BIG PICTURE
Notre Dame: The Irish scored 85 points or more for the 10th time in 2022-23 and extended the team’s win streak to six. Notre Dame beat visiting Merrimack 108-44 on Dec. 10.
Boston College: A win for the Eagles would have been the first at Notre Dame since 2020 and the first victory against a top-five opponent since defeating then-No. 2 Ohio State in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame: Continues Atlantic Coast Conference play at No. 13 North Carolina on Jan. 8. The Irish beat the Tar Heels 70-65 in South Bend in 2021-22.
Boston College: Visits No. 6 North Carolina State on Thursday. The Eagles lost 85-78 to the Wolfpack in 2021-22.
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