Notre Dame Fighting Irish at DePaul Blue Demons

Ogunbowale has 17 points, No. 2 Notre Dame tops DePaul 75-61

Ogunbowale scored 13 of her 17 points in the first quarter to help No. 2 Notre Dame beat No. 16 DePaul 75-61 on Saturday night.

The Irish (9-1) were coming off a 72-61 home loss to No. 1 UConn 72-61 on Wednesday night.

Turner and Allen each added 14 points to help the Irish overcome 27-of-61 shooting. Notre Dame eventually won its 12th straight on the road by overwhelming a feisty Blue Demons team with tough coverage and beating them to loose balls.

"It was really important for us to rely on our defense, to come out and play hard, to battle," coach Muffet McGraw said. "We did a lot of good things. It was really important as we haven't lost back-to-back in seven-eight-nine years. I don't know what it is."

No one ever had to remind McGraw that the Irish last lost consecutive games on Nov. 18 and 21, 2010, as Notre Dame improved to 24-19 against DePaul, one of its nearby rivals.

"Really pleased with the win," McGraw said. "It's historically a tough place for us to play."

And the perfect place to atone for the loss to UConn.

"We had a really good practice yesterday," McGraw said. "Everyone was really focused."

Jessica January and Brooke Schulte each had 19 points for DePaul (6-3). Schulte hit three 3 pointers, but the Blue Demons shot only 36.4 percent.

"Brooke had a nice long-game tonight and it was nice to get her scoring mojo back," coach Doug Bruno said. "But we're the kind of team where everybody has got to contribute.

"We're too small to be good with only one player."

January fell to the court after rolling right ankle in the second quarter, but returned after having it taped.

Schulte hit two 3-pointers in the opening 51 seconds of the third quarter to tie it 33-all, but Ogunbowale powered in a layup moments later to put the Irish back in front.

Notre Dame put the game away with a 14-4 run in the third quarter after DePaul had tied it at 38.

Turner, Allen and Mychal Johnson, who finished with 10 points, led the drive. The 6-foot-3 Turner scored 12 points in the second half, often by leveraging her 6-foot-3 frame.

"Turner is really good," Bruno said. "We made her battle most of the game, but there was a stretch where we just let he have way too much."

The Irish didn't trail after the opening minute and led 33-27 at the half, but Schulte hit two 3 pointers and Kelly Campbell followed up another at 4:25 in to tie it.

After Turner and Marina Mabrey each sunk two free throws, Johnson nailed a 3 from the left corner to give the Irish a 45-38 lead with 3:26 to go in the third.

Notre Dame took charge in the fourth with Johnson racing in alone on a layup to open the lead to 13 points with 6:49 to go.

BIG PICTURE:

Notre Dame: The Irish used their size and muscle against the Blue Demon all over the court. They outrebounded DePaul 48-35.

DePaul: The Blue Demons finished a tough stretch, facing four Top 25 teams in their last five games. They lost three of four, falling to Baylor, UConn and Notre Dame, while beating Syracuse. But Bruno's thinks the experience will pay off.

"We play this level of competition because we believe he have a way to find our way into the NCAA Tournament," he said. "This will prepare us for it. I've really put my players through a lot in the last 14-15 days."

TIP-INS: Ogunbowale on her quick start Saturday. "I think I needed to get back into my flow from the UConn game. Get back, get settled in."... Top-scoring Notre Dame freshman Jackie Young was on the sidelines wearing a walking boot on her right foot. The guard, averaging 9.7 points through seven games, suffered an ankle injury in Notre Dame's 72-61 loss to UConn on Wednesday. .... Sophomore guard Ali Patberg was on the bench recovering from a virus. ... Despite the loss and low shooting percentage, Bruno thought his team "had a better offensive fluidity tonight against a higher level of competition, but it wasn't enough."

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: The Irish take a break for finals, then visit Toledo on Sunday, Dec. 18. It's the second stop in a six-game road swing for Notre Dame, which doesn't play at home again until Jan. 5 versus Wake Forest.

DePaul: The Blue Demons are at Temple on Thursday before returning to Chicago play at crosstown rival Loyola next Sunday.

How can I watch Fighting Irish vs. Blue Demons?

• TV Channel: Fighting Irish vs Blue Demons 2021 College Basketball, week 5, is broadcasted on .
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Venue: McGrath-Phillips Arena

Location: Chicago, IL
Attendance: 3,001 | Capacity: