PITTSBURGH -- Jessica Shepard scored 28 points and No. 5 Notre Dame routed Pittsburgh 87-53 on Thursday night.
Shepard was almost unstoppable in the paint for the Fighting Irish, who outscored Pitt, 48-18 inside. At 6-foot-4, Shepard is three inches taller than every Pitt regular and she used her height and reach to go over and around the Panthers. She hit 10 of 18 from the floor and grabbed 12 rebounds for her 26th career double-double.
The Panthers had an early 7-4 lead before Notre Dame roared back to take a 20-11 advantage by the end of the first quarter and finished each successive frame with a similar margin.