Miami found an unmatched rhythm in the final quarter, led initially by Taylor Mason, who put in a layup with nine minutes to go that extend Miami’s lead to four. She followed that first basket with two free throws just 30 seconds later, further building the Hurricane’s points gap over the Irish.
Just 11 days ago, the Fighting Irish lost to the unranked Tar Heels 78-73 for the team’s first big loss of the year after dropping to UConn earlier in the season. Notre Dame recovered after the disappointment in North Carolina and proceeded to beat Clemson and Georgia Tech by a combined 73 points in its next two games, but Muffet McGraw’s team couldn’t keep the winning streak alive in Miami.
Hof led the both teams with 21 points and 13 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season, while Mompremier added 18 points and 12 rebounds to notch her own double-double. Notre Dame’s Jessica Shepard put up 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Fighting Irish, and even her effort combined with the 14 points from Young and Ogunbowale couldn’t stop the Canes.