SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Purdue used a 10-0 run to force overtime and had Notre Dame on the ropes until Marina Mabrey banked in a jumper from the free-throw line with the shot clock running down that sparked the Irish to an 88-82 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
“That’s a prayer that got answered for us finally,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. “We said a lot of prayers throughout that game. So we were sure happy that one went in.”
Mabrey said she was focused on not turning the ball over.
“I was just thinking, ’We really need to score right now,” she said.
The Boilermakers used a 10-0 run to tie the game at 78-78 and had a chance to take the lead in the closing seconds but couldn’t get a shot off. Lindsay Allen opened the overtime with a basket inside and after Marina made a steal, she hit the bank shot that gave the Irish an 82-78 lead.
“When people hit banks that usually aren’t banks, you know that good things go for the other team most of the time,” Purdue coach Sharon Versyp said. “We were right there. We still had opportunities. But we fell short.”
Mabrey led with 21 points and Arike Ogunbowale added 18 points, including making four points in the final nine seconds as No. 1 seed Notre Dame survived playing the second half without leading scorer Brianna Turner, who injured her left knee in the final minute of the first half and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.
Purdue narrowed the lead to 82-80 when Bridget Perry, who finished with 22 points, made a pair of free throws with 34.2 seconds left. Mabrey then made two free throws for the Irish with 13 seconds left. Ae’Rianna Harris scored inside for Purdue (23-13) to make it 84-82 before Ogunwale capped off the win with the free throws.
Allen added 12 points and eight assists for the Irish, who outscored Purdue 54-34 in the paint. Ashley Morrisette led Purdue with 23 points, Dominique Oden had 16 and Ae’Riannna Harris had 12.
The win was the Irish’s eighth straight over Purdue, although it was their first meeting in four seasons in what had been an annual game between the northern Indiana schools until 2012-13.
Ashley Morrisette, who led the Boilermakers with 23 points and 10 assists, said the Boilermakers never thought they were out of the game.
“This team just has so much fight and so much heart,” she said. “We were never down, never out.”
McGraw said the Irish couldn’t stop Morrisette in the second half.
“She really found a lot of seams in our defense and we weren’t able to help out as well, and with our shot-blocker (Turner) not in the game, it changes our defense,” McGraw said.
Purdue was able to force the overtime by shutting down the Irish offense in the closing minutes of regulation.
“We take pride in our defense, so that’s what we did,” Perry said. “We locked down.”
BIG PICTURE
Purdue: The Boilermakers needed to win seven straight and advance to the Big Ten Tournament title game to earn a second straight NCAA Tournament berth, but couldn’t advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.
Notre Dame: The Irish, who started the season ranked No. 1, are comfortably where they were expected to be as they advance to the NCAA regional semifinals for the eighth straight season and the 15th time overall.
TIP-INS:
The Irish have won 18 straight against Big Ten opponents since being upset at home by Minnesota 79-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009. .Purdue still leads the series 14-13. The Irish lead 3-2 in NCAA Tournament games. .Purdue is 12-12 in second-round games.
TECHNICAL FOUL
“I was yelling at our team, not at the official,” Versyp said of being called for a technical.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame: Plays the Ohio State in Lexington, Kentucky, in the regional semifinal, where they were upset last season by Stanford. The Buckeyes are coached by Kevin McGuff, a Notre Dame assistant for six seasons including in 2001, when the Irish won the national championship.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.