Notre Dame has been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament now for six years in a row, so the Irish know their way around the 1-16 game. It didn't give them any problems Friday, as the Irish beat Northeast Conference champion Robert Morris 79-49.
The Irish had the kind of balanced performance that they would hope for in a game like this. Four of the five starters scored in double figures, led by Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale with 15 points each.
Junior post player Kathryn Westbeld didn't play Friday, as she is dealing with an ankle injury. The Irish were able to let her rest, with the hope that she can play in Sunday's second round.
Player of the game: Ms. Do-It-All, Irish point guard Lindsay Allen, scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and also had eight rebounds and six assists.
Turning point: The Irish got off to a 10-0 lead, but the Colonials came back and tied it 10-10 at 4:24 mark in the first quarter. Then Allen got into high gear. Over the next two minutes, she scored five points and had two assists and two rebounds as Notre Dame regained control with another 10-0 run.
How it was won: The Irish just had too much size and skill for Robert Morris. The Colonials were held to 26.6 percent shooting from the field, and the Irish shot 52.5 percent.
X factor: Without Westbeld, the Irish looked to other post players to help star Brianna Turner inside. They got eight points and four rebounds from Kristina Nelson.
Stat of the game: The Irish outrebounded the Colonials 52-23, led by Turner, who had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Ogunbowale, who also had 10 boards.
What's next: The Irish will take on No. 9 Purdue, which beat Green Bay 74-62 Friday. Notre Dame and Purdue have not met since 2012. They most famously faced off for the NCAA title in 2001, which Notre Dame won. The all-Indiana second-round game Sunday at Notre Dame will pit the ACC champion Irish against a Purdue team that finished fourth in the Big Ten, then made a run to the league tournament title game.