This story has been updated.
SOUTH BEND ― An already thin Notre Dame women’s basketball roster looks to have suffered another tough setback during its game with Morehead State Thursday, Dec. 11.
With 7:14 left in the second quarter Thursday, senior KK Bransford went down with what appeared to be a serious right leg/knee injury. Bransford was dribbling the ball down court on a fast break before she tweaked her knee around the free-throw line and fell to the floor.
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Bransford’s cries could be heard from the top of Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. She was not able to stand up under her own power, and she was helped off the court without putting any weight on her right leg.
She was officially ruled out of the game at the start of the third quarter. She returned to the bench midway through the frame, using crutches and putting no weight on her right leg.
After Notre Dame’s 97-48 win, head coach Niele Ivey said the Irish will have an update on Bransford’s status either Friday or Saturday. However, she was optimistic about Bransford’s season outlook.
“We’re just praying for the best, but it sounds like it’s going to be good,” Ivey said. “… My heart always drops, but she came out and we had a chance to get a look with the doctors, so we’ll have an MRI with that.”
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Bransford had two points against Morehead State. She had started all nine games of the Irish’s season so far, averaging 33.9 minutes, 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Bransford missed all of the 2024-25 season due to injury. This is already an Irish team with just 11 healthy players, only eight of which average more than 10 minutes per game.
Senior Cass Prosper tried to offer perspective as not only a fellow starter alongside Bransford, but one of Bransford’s close friends. She said Notre Dame tried to use Bransford’s injury as inspiration for the rest of Thursday’s game.
“We have to rise up for her,” Prosper said. “We have to step up. We have to give a little more just because we know that we’re playing for one of our own.”
Prosper notched her first career double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds against Morehead State.
Notre Dame guard KK Bransford (14) is checked on with an injury during a NCAA women’s basketball game against Morehead State at Purcell Pavilion on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in South Bend.
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
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This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame women’s basketball’s KK Bransford injured vs Morehead State
