SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Any thoughts of top-ranked Notre Dame looking past Valparaiso and peeking ahead to Wednesdays clash with No. 2 Connecticut were quickly put to rest Sunday as the Fighting Irish used a 26-0 start to coast to a 114-54 win over Valparaiso.It was a pretty good start, I was happy with that, Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. Were trying to work on a couple different things and I thought we had some urgency and some intensity early on I thought was good.Freshman Jackie Young led six Irish players in double figures with 20 points.Despite hitting 1 of 8 from the field to start the game, the Irish (8-0) scored the first 26 points. During that stretch, Valparaiso attempted just five shots while committing 10 turnovers.Arike Ogunbowale scored 12 points in the decisive first half as the Irish raced to a 72-23 halftime lead. The 72 points tied a school record for most points in a half. Notre Dame hit 30 of 42 shots (71.4 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes and 48 of 75 from the field. Notre Dame shot a season-high 64 percent from the field.They came out just on a mission, Valparaiso coach Tracey Dorow said. They put us on our heels early and dominated that whole half, especially the first quarter.Young, a freshman guard, scored her career-high 20 points by hitting 8 of 9 from the field, including 3 of 4 3-pointers.I shot well, but I have a lot to work on and just understanding the defense a little more and then I think Ill get more comfortable, Young said.Ogunbowale finished with 18 for the Irish, Marina Mabrey scored 16, freshman Erin Boley added 15, Brianna Turner chipped in 13 and Kathryn Westbeld had 10.Valparaiso (4-4) was led by Dani Franklin, who scored 18 points as the Crusaders were limited to 22 of 58 from the field (37.9 percent). Valparaiso committed 31 turnovers and Notre Dame pounced. The Irish held a 50-14 advantage in points off turnovers. Notre Dame also outscored Valparaiso 70-16 in the paint. Georgi Donchetz added 10 points for the Crusaders.The 114 points Notre Dame scored fell shy of the school record of 128, which the Irish scored against Mercer in 2011 and Saint Francis in 2012.They could have run the score up on us, Dorow said, and I dont think they did.BIG PICTUREValparaiso: Before Sundays game, Valparaiso had not had a winning record this late in the season since 2008-09.Notre Dame: A challenging stretch awaits the Irish as they host Connecticut next, then embark on a string of six consecutive road games. After Wednesday, Notre Dame will not play at home again until Jan. 5.TIP-INSFormer Notre Dame standout and current associate head coach Niele Ivey was inducted in the schools Ring of Honor. Ivey captained Notre Dames 2001 national championship team. Valparaisos previous trip to Notre Dames Purcell Pavilion came two years ago when former Irish star Skylar Diggins was given the same honor. ... Valparaiso was Notre Dames first opponent in program history. The Irish were 48-41 winners over the Crusaders on Dec. 3, 1977. . Several members of Notre Dames mens team sat near the court and watched the game. The Irish men host North Carolina A&T later Sunday. ... Notre Dames 38 rebounds were a season low. ... The Irish had a season-high 19 steals.UP NEXTValparaiso: After playing on consecutive days, the Crusaders get a bit of a rest, not playing again until Saturday when they host Grace College. Valparaiso faces another quick turnaround, however, when it travels to face Indiana on Sunday.Notre Dame: The Irish host No. 2 Connecticut on Wednesday in a matchup of national powers. Vans Old Skool Cheap . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Vans Old Skool Black Sale . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/vans-sk8-hi-clearance.html . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Vans Sk8 Hi Leather . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Vans Old Skool Sale . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. KENT, Ohio -- Joel Bouagnon ran for two touchdowns, Daniel Santacaterina and Jordan Huff each ran for scores, and Northern Illinois beat Kent State 31-21 in Fridays season finale for both teams.Santacaterina was 13 of 23 for 258 yards passing with an interception for the Huskies (5-7, 5-3), who wont win the Mid-American Conferences West Division for the first time in six seasons. Santacaterina scored on a 3-yard run and Huffs 1-yard TD run in the third quarter put the Huskies up 14-7.Christian Hagan kicked a go-ahead 34-yard field goal in the third quarteer.dddddddddddd. Bouagnon gained 133 yards on 29 carries and scored fourth-quarter TDs on 9- and 2-yard runs.A NIU fumble set up George Bollas 85-yard second-quarter TD run, which tied it at 7. Bollas hit Ernest Calhoun on a 57-yard TD pass after Kent State missed two field goal tries, and found Brice Fackler on a 10-yarder in the fourth quarter.Bollas passed for 203 yards with two interceptions for the Golden Flash (3-9, 2-6). ' ' '