Final Four: Marina Mabrey thriving in lead guard role for Notre Dame

COLUMBUS, Ohio — “Now, she’s figured out, ‘I can do both.'” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said Thursday about junior starting point guard Marina Mabrey.

McGraw is referring to Mabrey’s ability to both score and distribute for the Fighting Irish. Mabrey’s average of 14.8 points per game is nearly identical to last season’s mark. Her assists are up (from 2.5 to 4.5 per game) and she’s shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc.

Mabrey has been even better in the NCAA Tournament. She’s averaging just under 20 points and seven assists in four tournament games to date. Her career high for three-pointers made in a game coming into the season was four. She has topped that three times already this postseason — five in the conference tournament opener against Virginia, six in the first round of the NCAAs, and seven in the Sweet 16 against Texas A&M.

The Irish and the UConn Huskies, two of the most storied and successful programs in the sport, will clash once again Friday in Columbus (9 ET, ESPN2) in the national semifinal. Considering the tear Mabrey has been on of late to help lead her team this far, why not ask: Could she hit eight threes next to go along with 12 assists? Will it take that kind of effort for the Irish to knock off the undefeated Huskies?

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Mabrey certainly has had help despite losing four teammates to injuries this season. Arike Ogunbowale is averaging 25 points per game in the tournament. Jessica Shepard, too, has scored the ball extremely well for the Irish inside. Jackie Young has been a versatile piece on the wing on both sides of the ball, most notably taking the primary defensive assignment on Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu in the Elite Eight. Senior forward and Ohio native Kathryn Westbeld has been the glue holding everything together and the reason they won the Oregon game, according to McGraw.

Perhaps we should have seen Mabrey’s success coming. Prior to the tournament, she scored 20 points or more nine times. The sheer volume of a 6-of-8 performance from deep against Cal State Northridge followed up with a casual 7-of-11 against Texas A&M, however, is new.

Mabrey’s attempts haven’t always come easily, either. She gets her shot off quickly with limitless range. That component to her success as a scorer isn’t new here in the NCAA Tournament. Some of the shots she’s able to hit so effortlessly have been silly.

Not four minutes into this season’s December meeting between UConn and Notre Dame, look at where Mabrey hit her first of four three-pointers from:

Ogunbowale told High Post Hoops Thursday that favorite memory to date playing with Mabrey involves, naturally, a clutch go ahead three-pointer she hit in their 23-point comeback win over Tennessee earlier in the season:

“I think [Mabrey’s] evolution has been phenomenal,” McGraw said. “Getting her to run the offense and think pass first was not something she was used to doing. She worked all summer on her shot.”

Mabrey is shooting a scorching 17-for-27 on threes in the NCAA Tournament. That said, she’s managing to score the ball without hijacking the offense. She has drawn the praises of her hall of fame coach for knowing who to get the ball to and how to set them up, at times all on her own.

“She’s now at the point where she’s calling her own stuff, not every possession, but certainly at big times in the game. She can see what we need, who needs the ball, and who has the mismatch,” McGraw added.

Mabrey and her teammates were able to slow down Ionescu some and get a few extra stops against the Ducks, especially in the second half. On the other end, they began to pick apart Oregon’s 2-3 zone and dominated on the offensive glass.

The Irish are far less likely to see a zone from UConn. Going up against UConn’s switch-heavy man-to-man defense could open the door for Mabrey to get loose from deep on even the slightest miscommunication or lapse in concentration. That is exactly what led to the early three-pointer shown from the meeting between the two teams in the regular season.

Mabrey is also likely to see 5’5 UConn starting point guard Crystal Dangerfield across from her for the majority of the game. The Irish won’t be able to take their time in picking apart a team sitting back in a zone, but the 5’11 Mabrey will be able to see over her defender has she looks to set up her teammates.

Many have said they find it hard to believe UConn will lose again in the Final Four after what happened last year. The Irish, on the other hand, aren’t convinced that this has to be the end of their journey.

This Notre Dame team has been a tremendous story of resiliency and togetherness. Mabrey has led that charge and elevated her game to another level. In an era of basketball so dominated by three-point shooting and given Mabrey’s play in this tournament, there is only one question worth asking about women’s basketball as the Final Four tips in Columbus.

Why aren’t you watching?

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