Three former Notre Dame women’s basketball greats will return to Purcell Pavilion on May 2 (7 p.m. EDT) as part of a WNBA preseason matchup between the Las Vegas Aces and the Dallas Wings.
Presale tickets go on sale for Irish women’s basketball ticket holders on Tuesday.
All three former Irish players earned All-American honors while at ND and have gone on to stardom in the WNBA — Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas), Jewell Loyd (Las Vegas) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas).
“We are super excited to be able to welcome WNBA championship organizations in the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings to Purcell Pavilion while supporting Arike, Jackie and Jewell and inspiring the current Notre Dame team and the South Bend community,” ND coach Niele Ivey said.
“I always want to bring new experiences to our program, and I am thrilled we are able to do this while elevating and showcasing women’s basketball.”
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on March 11. An additional group will be eligible for presale tickets — March 6 for Notre Dame men’s basketball, football and hockey season- ticket holders.
ND students can buy tickets when the public sale opens on March 11 at a discounted rate. More information to these ticket-member groups will be sent via email closer to the presale dates and information can be accessed on the above dates at FightingIrish.com/buytickets.
Ogunbowale, Loyd and Young are three of the most decorated student-athletes in Notre Dame women’s basketball history and three of the top players in the WNBA.
Ogunbowale and Young were both members of the 2018 Irish NCAA Championship team.
The all-time leading scorer in Irish women’s basketball history, Ogunbowale was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 NCAA Final Four after making game-winning shots in the final seconds of the national semifinal and national championship game.
She is a two-time WNBA All-Star and All-WNBA selection and was the fifth overall selection of the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA draft. She carries a 20.6 points-per-game career scoring average.
Loyd was the 2015 ESPNw National Player of the Year and a member of three consecutive Final Four teams at Notre Dame, finishing as national runners-up in both 2014 and 2015.
Loyd left ND after her junior season and was the first overall selection of the Seattle Storm in the 2015 WNBA draft. She went on to be named WNBA Rookie of the Year after her first season in the league.
She has since won two WNBA titles (2018 and 2020) with the Storm while making six all-star game appearances. She is a career 19.7 points-per-game scorer and was traded to the Aces in January.
Young returns to her home state, where she played at Princeton High and set the state record for scoring by a high school player for both boys and girls basketball. The 2016 Indiana Miss Basketball would win a national title at Notre Dame in 2018, finish as a national runner-up the next year and be selected first overall by the Aces in the 2019 WNBA draft after leaving with a year of college eligibility remaining.
A two-time WNBA Champion with the Aces, Young was the 2022 WNBA Most Improved Player and an All-Star selection in 2023. She carries a 15.8 points-per-game career scoring average during her time in the WNBA.
Presale tickets go on sale for Irish women’s basketball ticket holders on Tuesday.
All three former Irish players earned All-American honors while at ND and have gone on to stardom in the WNBA — Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas), Jewell Loyd (Las Vegas) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas).
“We are super excited to be able to welcome WNBA championship organizations in the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings to Purcell Pavilion while supporting Arike, Jackie and Jewell and inspiring the current Notre Dame team and the South Bend community,” ND coach Niele Ivey said.
“I always want to bring new experiences to our program, and I am thrilled we are able to do this while elevating and showcasing women’s basketball.”
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on March 11. An additional group will be eligible for presale tickets — March 6 for Notre Dame men’s basketball, football and hockey season- ticket holders.
ND students can buy tickets when the public sale opens on March 11 at a discounted rate. More information to these ticket-member groups will be sent via email closer to the presale dates and information can be accessed on the above dates at FightingIrish.com/buytickets.
Ogunbowale, Loyd and Young are three of the most decorated student-athletes in Notre Dame women’s basketball history and three of the top players in the WNBA.
Ogunbowale and Young were both members of the 2018 Irish NCAA Championship team.
The all-time leading scorer in Irish women’s basketball history, Ogunbowale was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 NCAA Final Four after making game-winning shots in the final seconds of the national semifinal and national championship game.
She is a two-time WNBA All-Star and All-WNBA selection and was the fifth overall selection of the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA draft. She carries a 20.6 points-per-game career scoring average.
Loyd was the 2015 ESPNw National Player of the Year and a member of three consecutive Final Four teams at Notre Dame, finishing as national runners-up in both 2014 and 2015.
Loyd left ND after her junior season and was the first overall selection of the Seattle Storm in the 2015 WNBA draft. She went on to be named WNBA Rookie of the Year after her first season in the league.
She has since won two WNBA titles (2018 and 2020) with the Storm while making six all-star game appearances. She is a career 19.7 points-per-game scorer and was traded to the Aces in January.
Young returns to her home state, where she played at Princeton High and set the state record for scoring by a high school player for both boys and girls basketball. The 2016 Indiana Miss Basketball would win a national title at Notre Dame in 2018, finish as a national runner-up the next year and be selected first overall by the Aces in the 2019 WNBA draft after leaving with a year of college eligibility remaining.
A two-time WNBA Champion with the Aces, Young was the 2022 WNBA Most Improved Player and an All-Star selection in 2023. She carries a 15.8 points-per-game career scoring average during her time in the WNBA.
