Notre Dame readies itself for rematch with Stanford in Elite Eight

The ObserverThe Observer Top Stories LEXINGTON, Ky. — Top-seeded Notre Dame proved it could win without star junior forward Brianna Turner with a 99-76 win over No. 5 seed Ohio State on Friday night, but Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup will bring a daunting challenge as the Irish face No. 2 seed Stanford — the same squad that eliminated Notre Dame from last year’s tournament.
However, senior guard Lindsay Allen said redemption is secondary in the minds of her teammates and herself.
Irish sophomore guard Arike Ogunbowale attempts a 3-pointer during Notre Dame’s 99-76 win over Ohio State on Friday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
“I don’t see it as revenge, I don’t think, because, I mean, we beat them two years ago, and they beat us last year — I guess this game could technically be a tiebreaker-type of game,” Allen said. “I think the real motivation is to get to the Final Four and continue to play.”
At the same time, junior forward Kathryn Westbeld said she remembers the agony the Irish (33-3, 15-1 ACC) felt, especially the seniors, after the Cardinal (31-5, 15-3 Pac-12) eliminated them in the Sweet 16 with a 90-84 win in 2016. In 2017, every game could be the last for the dependable Allen, who passed the 4,000-minute mark and broke the Irish record for career assists earlier this season.
“Something that really sticks out to me is the feeling in the locker room afterwards,” Westbeld said of the 2016 defeat. “Our seniors were heartbroken. I think for me that just kind of stuck. It’s something I don’t want any of our seniors to have to go through, especially Sunday.”
Continuing onto the Final Four in Dallas will not be easy, even after a resounding 99-76 victory over the Buckeyes (28-7, 15-1 Big Ten) in which six different Notre Dame players reached double-digit points, led by sophomore guard Arike Ogunbowale’ ...


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