Oregon vs. Notre Dame 2018 results: Scores and highlights from women’s Elite Eight game

Notre Dame 84, Oregon 74, FINAL

Westbeld hits a layup, while Cazorla sinks two free throws. Then it’s Young with a layup and Cazorla with another of her own. Oregon is playing much better right now, but Notre Dame is keeping pace, and therefore well in control. Ogunbowale sinks a bucket to make it an eight-point lead. Hebard misses one of her two free throws after a Westbeld foul, and then Mabrey sinks two free throws for Notre Dame after a Cazorla foul. Bando misses a three for Oregon that would have been huge.

This one is just about over — it’s the free throw game, and Notre Dame is having no problems making them. Ogunbowale hits both of hers, Mabrey hits one of her two, then Mabrey hits her next one as we get down to one minute of play. The game is officially out of reach for Oregon, and it comes to an end with Notre Dame advancing to the Final Four.

Notre Dame 69, Oregon 63, 4:49 4Q:

Notre Dame out-scored Oregon 21-9 in the third quarter, but it remains a close game. Ionescu makes a layup for Oregon, and they’ll need a lot more of those after a quiet third period from their star. Shepard and Westbeld both put down layups for Notre Dame, giving them their biggest lead of the game.

Mcgwire sinks a two for the Ducks, and Cazorla draws a foul from Young, sinking both free throws. Hebard then gets her own layup, bringing them within two. Ogunbowale misses a layup, Westbeld gets the rebound and is fouled. Westbeld gets both free throws in. Shepard gets one in and Oregon takes a timeout, down by six.

Notre Dame 61, Oregon 55, 0:00 3Q:

It was an Oregon timeout that prompted the media timeout, and it was following a 13-2 run from the Fighting Irish. Another media timeout as Ionescu draws a foul from Ogunbowale. She made both of her free throws. Ogunbowale misses a jumper, Ionescu gets the rebound, but Cazorla misses on a three. Nelson nails a jumper for Notre Dame, and then Bando is good for three for Oregon, making it a two-point game once again. Two free throws and a jumper for Young put Notre Dame up going into the final frame.

Notre Dame 55, Oregon 50, 5:03 3Q:

Missed three from Oregon’s Bando starts the half and that was followed by a ... whole lot of misses from Notre Dame, a full minute of them, in fact. Mabrey sank a beautiful three-pointer at 6 minutes remaining for Notre Dame, giving them back the lead. Ogunbowale converted on two free throws, and just before the media timeout, managed to drop in a layout.

Mabrey’s three sure was a good one:

Oregon 46, Notre Dame 40, Halftime

After the timeout, Mabrey missed a three for Notre Dame, and Cazorla scored the rebound and the bucket for Oregon. Another miss from Notre Dame, and another layup from Cazorla. Then a layup from Ionescu and Notre Dame takes a 30-second timeout. After that timeout Notre Dame’s Young missed a jumper, then missed a three, and then Ogunbowale had a miss and a turnover.

Another timeout from Notre Dame. Shepard managed two layups and a free throw, while Ionescu hit a three-pointer for the Ducks to keep them ahead going into the half!

Oregon 35, Notre Dame 33, 4:56 2Q:

The Ducks grab the lead at the start of the second with a Sabally three-pointer. A miss from Notre Dame’s Nelson let Ionescu get in for a jumper that went in. A missed three-pointer from Oregon’s Bando allowed a Shepard layup for Notre Dame. Shepard then got a steal and an assist on a layup from Mabrey to give them back the lead. A three-pointer by Mabrey extended the lead. Hebard managed a pair of layups to close the gap. Both teams are shooting about 50 percent at this point in the game.

Two successful free throws and then a three-pointer and Oregon is back on top again going into a media timeout.

Notre Dame 22, Oregon 21, 0:00 1Q:

Oregon gets a big defensive rebound and jumper from Hebard to get within a point, but Ogunbowale hit one of her own to increase the small gap. Both teams had fouls, with a free throw made apiece. Two layups from Notre Dame found their mark, but Ionescu hit three straight jumpers for the Ducks to bring it within a point after one quarter.

Notre Dame 15, Oregon 12, 4:06 1Q:

And we’re off! Sabally leads off with a layup for Oregon, while Shepard came back with one of her own for Notre Dame. Ionescu managed an early steal, but missed the ensuing shot attempt. She missed a jumper not long after that. The first three is Ogunbowale’s for Notre Dame, and she followed it with a jumper after the steal from Hebard. Going into the media timeout, this is a very fast game, but Notre Dame has the early edge.

Before the game

In 2017-18, only two things can stop Notre Dame women’s basketball; a juggernaut Connecticut team, and some sort of curse Louisville holds over the Fighting Irish. Fortunately for them, their opponent with a Final Four bid on the line is *only* the AP’s sixth-ranked team — the Oregon Ducks.

Notre Dame will look to live up to its top seed by holding off an Oregon squad in the midst of an uprising. The Ducks had their best showing in NCAA tournament history last season when they advanced to the Elite Eight. They can cement their status as a new era powerhouse by knocking off an Irish team that’s been to seven Final Fours since 1997.

Oregon will need guard Sabrina Ionescu to continue playing like a Mon-Star to notch the upset Monday night. Ionescu has been a beast, recording 21.3 points, 10 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game in the Ducks’ 3-0 run to the Elite Eight, though the toughest team she’s faced has been 10th-seeded Minnesota. Another big performance in front of a crowd that should skew green — the neutral site of Spokane, Washington is just a seven hour drive from Eugene — will make history for the program.

That’s easier said than done against a Notre Dame team that’s one of the few talented enough to out-score the Ducks’ potent offense. The Irish are led by All-American guard Arike Ogunbowale, who is averaging nearly 21 points per game and three assists for a team shooting better than 50 percent from the field this season. She and sweet-shooting backcourt mate Marina Mabrey give Notre Dame a pair of pick-your-poison scorers who combined for 52 points and 14 assists in their team’s Elite Eight win over Texas A&M.

If they’re on point again Monday, they’ll make it eight Final Fours in 21 years for the Irish. Standing in their way is an upstart trying to make its name by besting a powerhouse program uninterested in ceding its ground. Here’s how you can watch all tonight’s Elite Eight action.

No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Oregon

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: Watch ESPN