SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Survive and advance.
On Sunday, No. 10 Notre Dame (20-4, 11-3) saw Syracuse (16-10, 7-8) for the second time this season. Like the earlier matchup this year, it came down to the fourth quarter. Also like the Jan. 15 meeting at Syracuse, Notre Dame walked away with a win, this time by a score of 73-64.
After shooting 48.3 percent to start the game, the Irish took a 12-point lead into the locker room at the half, ending the second quarter on a 15-2 run. The Orange countered with a 30-point third quarter at Purcell after posting 31 points in the same frame last weekend against North Carolina.
Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey challenged her team to play shutdown defense in the final 10 minutes. She used multiple players with different skill sets — Cassandre Prosper, Sonia Citron and KK Bransford, in particular — to try to wear down Syracuse star Dyaisha Fair.
Fair had just 3 points in the final frame and shot 1-4 after posting 10 in the third. Mission accomplished.
“Defensively, we had so many bright spots,” Ivey said postgame. “The focus just shifted in the fourth quarter, I’m always preaching about finishing out those 10 minutes knowing that is it. It has been extremely important the last several weeks.”
Two of the usual suspects — Maddy Westbeld and Olivia Miles — showed out in the victory. Westbeld had 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Miles had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. But they were aided by a few teammates who are typically a little more off the radar when it comes to the final box score.
Kylee Watson, who was celebrating her 21st birthday on Sunday, had arguably her best game of the year. The junior forward went 5-8 from the floor with 15 points and 7 rebounds. After going 1-7 from the charity stripe on Thursday against Pittsburgh, she went 5-7 from the line on Sunday.
“I guess it’s just a coincidence,” Watson said with a smile when asked about her birthday performance. “I just came out ready to play today. A lot of credit goes to my teammates for finding me in open spots.”
Starting in place of injured guard Dara Mabrey and injured center Lauren Ebo, Bransford posted 10 points. The true freshman has been in double-figures on nine occasions this year. Finally, Nat Marshall had 7 points and went 3-3 from the floor, including a nice jumper.
Notre Dame has a fourth consecutive home game on Thursday, as the Irish host Louisville (19-8, 10-4). The Cardinals have been Notre Dame’s kryptonite in recent years, so revenge is certainly on the mind. Thursday’s contest will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.