The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team (1-6) faced a tough challenge Sunday, Dec. 15, falling to No. 8 University of Notre Dame (9-2, 1-0 ACC), 118-49, at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana.
Indiana native Olivia Smith (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania/Bethel Park/Duquesne) led the Eagles with a season-high 13 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. Eastern Michigan struggled early, trailing 33-9 at the end of the first quarter and 61-20 at halftime. Notre Dame extended its lead with a dominant third quarter, adding 31 points, while the Eagles managed just 10. The Eagles tallied 19 points in the fourth quarter, led by Smith’s efforts, but the Fighting Irish maintained control throughout.
Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) scored 10 points, marking her seventh consecutive game in double figures. At the same time, Mackenzie Amalia (Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania/Blackhawk/Canisius) added 10 points and a team-high five rebounds. The Eagles hit six three-pointers, extending their streak of eight straight games with at least five made triples. Jada Williams (Williamstown, New Jersey/Gloucester Catholic/St. Peter's) contributed four points and three rebounds in her second game of the season, and Kyndal Lewis (Belton, Missouri/Belton)made her season debut after recovering from injury.
With the loss, Eastern Michigan dropped to 0-19 against AP Top 25 teams and 0-5 all-time against Notre Dame, including 0-3 in South Bend. It marked the first time the Eagles surrendered 100+ points since the 2016-17 season.
The Eagles return to action at the UTRGV Holiday Classic in Edinburg, Texas, Dec. 19-20. Eastern will face Texas Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. ET.
