GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 3 seeded Notre Dame women’s basketball team ran into the March cinderella magic of No. 7 seeded Miami during Saturday’s ACC Tournament semifinal, falling 57-54. The Irish rallied down nine in the third to take a one-point lead with three minutes left in the game. Yet the Hurricanes responded with a key 6-0 run that ultimately sealed the game.
The Fighting Irish slip to 22-8 on the season and will await what seeding they’ll receive from the NCAA Tournament committee come Selection Sunday.
Sonia Citron recorded six of her 10 points in the fourth and also notched seven rebounds and four assists. Maddy Westbeld led the team in scoring (14 pts) and rebounds (9). Maya Dodson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and five boards, while Olivia Miles finished with seven points and five assists.
How It Happened
Notre Dame missed its first six shots from the field and ultimately shot a cold 2-for-10 from the field in the quarter, as Miami jumped out to a 12-4 advantage. The Hurricanes caused six Irish turnovers in the period in which they converted into eight points.
The Irish found its offensive rhythm in the second where they recorded a stretch in which they made eight of 10 shots to claim their first lead of the game at 22-20. Citron and Westbeld combined for the 9-0 run during that span.
Miles added a deep three later at 1:32, while the Hurricanes scored right before the buzzer to knot the game up at 26-all at halftime. Notre Dame shot 9-of-15 in the quarter compared to Miami’s 5-of-12. Westbeld tallied six points in the quarter and led the team with eight at the break.
Dodson connected on a pair of baskets in the paint, supplemented by a Brunelle three pointer and the Irish had a 34-33 lead in the third. However, the Hurricanes connected on back-to-back treys to gain some separation and built that into their largest lead of the game, up 45-36, at the 2:15 mark.
Miles and Dodson tried to spur a rally with back-to-back layups to prompt a Miami timeout at 1:25. The third quarter ended with the Irish trailing 46-40.
Citron scored six straight points in the fourth and assisted on a three-pointer to Westbeld which gave the Irish a 51-50 lead with 2:55 remaining. Yet, Miami’s Marshall hit a dagger three at 1:55.
Down five, Mabrey kept her squad in the game with a big three with 36 seconds left. Notre Dame then sent Miami to the free-throw line where they converted just one-of-two. Now down just three with 23 seconds left, the Irish got the ball back in Mabrey’s hands but she couldn’t connect for the tie.
— ND —