Graduate student guard Lili Thompson will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn right ACL suffered during Notre Dame’s 96-73 win over Wake Forest on Sunday. The fifth-year transfer from Stanford left the game during the third quarter with an apparent injury.
“I know this team is mentally tough, and we will band together through this challenge and persevere,” Irish head coach Muffet McGraw said in a statement. “It’s certainly an unprecedented situation in my career. We wish Lili a speedy recovery.”
In her first season with the Irish, Thompson has played in all 14 games, going 28-for-77 from the field, giving her a .364 field-goal percentage. From behind the three-point line, she has posted a .391 shooting percentage, scoring nine 3-pointers this season. Thompson had been averaging 5.9 points per game. She had also tallied 49 rebounds team-highs in assists and steals, with 64 and 22, respectively.
The Mansfield, Texas, native boasted an impressive resume at Stanford before coming to Notre Dame for her final year of eligibility. During her freshman year, she started 33 games, averaging 8.3 points per game and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. As a sophomore, she led the Cardinal in scoring and was named to the All-Pac-12 team. Thompson also received Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention her sophomore and junior seasons. Her junior year, Thompson was named a team captain and averaged 14.7 points per game. She was, once again, named to the All-Pac-12 team, as well as the Naismith Trophy Watch List, Wooden Award preseason top-30 and received Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention recognition.
Thompson’s season-ending injury is the next in a long line of injuries and fourth ACL tear of the season for the Irish. Senior forward Brianna Turner tore her ACL during Notre Dame’s second round NCAA tournament overtime win over Purdue on March 19. Then, senior guard Mychal Johnson tore her ACL during practice on Oct. 23, and freshman center Mikayla Vaughn added a third season-ending torn ACL when she tore her left ACL in practice on Nov. 28.
The Irish, who have been struggling with a lack of depth all season, are now down to seven scholarship athletes with Thompson’s injury.
