No. 4 Louisville women trounce No. 14 Irish in testy matchup

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Kianna Smith and Hailey Van Lith each scored 20 points and No. 4 Louisville raced to a huge lead and routed No. 14 Notre Dame 86-64 in a testy matchup Sunday.

The Cardinals (25-3, 16-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 41-3 early in the second quarter. They beat the Irish (21-7, 13-5) for the sixth straight time in the conference regular-season closer for both teams.

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Louisville was up 48-6 when Notre Dame made consecutive baskets, the second by Olivia Miles at 2:49 before halftime after her steal.

Miles and Mykasa Robinson then got in a shoving match after exchanging words. Notre Dame’s Dara Mabrey and Van Lith also were whistled for intentional fouls after a lengthy video review and some heated consultation from coaches Jeff Walz of the Cardinals and Niele Ivey of the Irish.

Emily Engstler had 17 points and Chelsie Hall added 13 for the Cardinals, who would tie for the ACC title if No. 3 North Carolina lost later in the day to No. 23 Virginia Tech.

Regardless of the outcome, Louisville will be the No. 2 seed in the ACC postseason tourney and has a double bye to Friday’s quarterfinals.

An official holds Louisville's Hailey Van Lith (10) while Notre Dame's Dara Mabrey holds teammate Olivia Miles (5), next to Maya Dodson (0) after an altercation on the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)

Olivia Miles had 13 points, Maya Dodson and Dara Mabrey scored 12 each and Sonia Citron 10 for Notre Dame, which also has a double bye to the ACC tourney quarterfinals.

The Cardinals jumped to a 31-3 lead after the