Liatu King scores 24 in Notre Dame debut as No. 6 Irish women beat Mercyhurst 105-61

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Liatu King scored 24 points and Olivia Miles had a triple-double as No. 6 Notre Dame sprinted past Mercyhurst 105-61 on Monday in the college women’s basketball opener for both teams.

King, a Pitt transfer who was the ACC Most Improved Player last season, made her Notre Dame debut one to remember. The 6-foot forward finished 11 of 13 from the field with a double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds.

Miles, a 5-10 senior guard, missed last season rehabbing a knee injury. She had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She scored three and-one baskets.

All-American Hannah Hidalgo scored 19 points and had nine rebounds, six steals and two assists. Kate Koval scored 18 points and Cassandre Prosper had 17.

Bailey Kuhns led Mercyhurst with 20 points.

Takeaways

Notre Dame: Despite having four key players out — Sonia Citron (foot), Liza Karlen (foot), Kylee Watson (knee), Maddy Westbeld (foot) — Notre Dame had plenty of firepower to back up its No. 6 ranking.

Mercyhurst: It was an ambitious debut for the Lakers, taking on a Top 10 team in their first game at the Division I level. The Erie, Pennsylvania, school stayed scrappy throughout the contest.

Key moment

Miles chased down a deep pass and dished a dazzling no-look laser to King to finish a brilliant fast break in the second quarter, a statement play that signaled Miles' return to action in full force.

Key stat

Notre Dame racked up 105 points and hit 60% of its field-goal attempts (45 of 75), but 3-of-17 shooting from 3-point range (18%) has to be a cause for concern.

Up next

The Fighting Irish travel to West Lafayette to take on in-state rival Purdue on Sunday. The Lakers play at DePaul on Wednesday.