Notre Dame Women's Basketball Stuns NC State

Irish play with desperation and intensity to defeat ranked Wolfpack

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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The Notre Dame women's basketball team delivered a dominant performance, defeating 17th-ranked NC State 79-67 in a wire-to-wire victory at home. The Irish played with a sense of urgency and desperation, outrebounding the Wolfpack, hitting timely 3-pointers, and forcing 22 turnovers to secure the upset win.

Why it matters

This victory is a crucial boost to Notre Dame's NCAA Tournament résumé, as the team has struggled against top-ranked opponents this season. The win over NC State demonstrates the Irish's potential when they play with the right focus and intensity, providing hope that they can make a late-season push for a tournament bid.

The details

Notre Dame controlled the game from start to finish, never trailing the Wolfpack. The Irish outrebounded NC State 36-27, hit 9-of-19 from 3-point range, and scored 22 points off turnovers. Conversely, the Wolfpack committed a season-high 22 turnovers. Notre Dame's bench also outscored NC State's 25-13, further highlighting the team's collective effort.

  • The game was played on Sunday, February 16, 2026 at Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Indiana.

The players

Niele Ivey

The head coach of the Notre Dame women's basketball team, who has guided the program to consistent success.

Cassandre Prosper

A senior guard for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who emphasized the team's collective effort and trust in each other as keys to the victory.

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What they’re saying

“The focus, intensity, sense of urgency was here today.”

— Niele Ivey, Head Coach (on3.com)

“When everyone contributes, when everyone is on the same page, when everyone knows — we got points because we were playing defense. Knowing it starts on defense and we're getting stops, we had each other's back, and that was the biggest thing. And when we can trust each other, offensively, we're going to knock down those shots.”

— Cassandre Prosper, Senior Guard (on3.com)

What’s next

The Notre Dame women's basketball team will look to build on this momentum as they face a challenging remaining schedule, including three road games and matchups against teams higher in the ACC standings. Maintaining the same level of focus and intensity will be crucial for the Irish to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

This victory showcases the potential of the Notre Dame women's basketball team when they play with a sense of desperation and urgency. If the Irish can consistently replicate this type of performance, they have the ability to make a late-season push and earn a coveted NCAA Tournament berth, despite their earlier struggles against top-ranked opponents.