Olivia Miles stats tonight: How did Notre Dame star fare vs UNC? (Jan. 5)

Senior guard Olivia Miles led the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to their 12th victory with a 76-66 win over the No. 17 UNC Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.

The star player recorded a career-high five 3-pointers, finishing the game with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Miles entered the season with a 3-point shooting percentage of 24.6 but has significantly improved, shooting 47.8 percent from beyond the arc this year.

Miles controlled the game, sinking multiple 3-pointers off the dribble or on stepbacks against tight defense. Despite the Tar Heels’ defensive efforts to contain the Fighting Irish, the duo of Miles and Hannah Hidalgo proved unstoppable, combining for 43 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 3-pointers.

"Truthfully, it’s been my confidence. I feel like before I got hurt, I was thinking too much when I shot the ball, teams were going under me, I was just in my head," Miles said of her improvement from deep.

"Being injured, you look at things so differently. Not everything matters (as much). You miss a (3-pointer), it doesn’t matter. I used to hang on to those misses so much, and it would make me miss more. Now I have the mindset to just let it fly," she added.

Miles hadn't played since a serious knee injury in February 2023 caused her to miss the 2023-24 season. Now, she has formed a formidable backcourt duo with Hannah Hidalgo, making Notre Dame a strong contender.

This season has marked a remarkable turnaround for Miles. She was named one of five USBWA National Players of the Week after earning ACC Player of the Week honors on December 30. She also joined Skylar Diggins and Lindsay Allen as one of just three players in Notre Dame women’s basketball history to achieve 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.

Miles made ACC history by becoming the first player to record back-to-back triple-doubles, with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 14 assists against the Virginia Cavaliers, followed by 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Loyola Maryland on December 22.

Notre Dame Secures 12th Win of the Season

Notre Dame marked a milestone with a memorable road victory, earning their first win in Chapel Hill since 2017 and avenging back-to-back losses from the past two seasons.

The Fighting Irish showcased their sharpshooting after averaging 11.5 three-pointers per game over their last four contests. They went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first quarter and finished 13-of-21, including a remarkable 12-of-16 through three quarters. Notre Dame entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally in three-point percentage, converting 42.9% of their attempts.

Notre Dame took command in the second quarter, outscoring the Tar Heels 22-12 to establish a 14-point lead at halftime. A standout moment came when Hannah Hidalgo banked in an impressive scooping shot under Maria Gakdeng's outstretched arm, leaving the sophomore shaking her head in disbelief.

While UNC outscored Notre Dame 24-19 in the third quarter and cut the deficit to five points, they couldn’t close the gap further.

Notre Dame is averaging 89.3 points per game and leads the ACC with 49.4% shooting from the field. Four players are averaging double figures: sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo (26.0), graduate guard Olivia Miles (16.7), senior guard Sonia Citron (14.7) and graduate transfer Liatu King (12.8).

The Fighting Irish will host Wake Forest on Thursday at 5 p.m.