SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The first half looked as expected. The second half was a different story.
On Sunday, No. 9/8 Notre Dame (18-4, 9-3) hosted No. 16/15 Duke (20-3, 10-2) at Purcell Pavilion in a battle for sole possession of first place in the ACC. The Irish entered the game having lost two straight games to Duke but having never lost at home.
The Irish came out hot, shooting 50 percent in both of the first two frames (12-24). After a couple of early baskets, Duke cooled off and struggled to make anything outside of the lane. Notre Dame led by 6 at the break, 31-25. No one had a scoring run greater than 6, either.
In the third quarter, Notre Dame gave up the aforementioned lead and surrendered three 3-pointers. Leading scorer Celeste Taylor drained two of them. Duke had made zero before the half.
The fourth quarter was Notre Dame’s lowest point output in a quarter this year, as the Irish went 2-13 from the floor (15.4 percent) and scored just 6 points. There were numerous wide-open shots and opportunities, but a young Irish team without graduate students Dara Mabrey and Lauren Ebo was unable to capitalize. A turnover with 15 seconds remaining sealed the deal, and the Blue Devils walked away with the top ACC spot.
“It’s part of our growth, our journey,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said after the game. “When you lose the way we lost today it’s never easy, but there’s always something you can take from it.”
Maddy Westbeld led Notre Dame with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. She is the first player this season to play all 40 minutes of a game for the Irish. Sonia Citron continued her personal hot streak that started with 23 points at Boston College on Thursday. The sophomore guard posted 14 points including one of just three treys by Notre Dame on the day.
Ivey took a few moments during her postgame press conference to focus on the positive: Sunday’s game was Notre Dame’s first ACC sellout since 2019.
“I’m really thankful for our Notre Dame community who came out,” the third-year head coach said. “Our fans are so amazing. Everywhere we go, they love this group. They embrace me, they embrace this team. I’m just so grateful to have such an incredible atmosphere.”
The Irish also sold out the UConn game earlier this year. The last time the team had three sellouts was 2018, the year they won the national title.
Notre Dame continues its home stand on Thursday; the Irish will see Pittsburgh (8-15, 1-11) for the first time this year. The Panthers got their first ACC win on Sunday, defeating UVA at home, 60-51.