RALEIGH, N.C. — After five consecutive wins in what is arguably the best conference in the country, No. 7 Notre Dame (17-3, 8-2) fell at No. 20 NC State (16-5, 6-4) on Sunday afternoon by a score of 69-65.
The Irish came out hot in the first quarter, posting 20 points and landing nine buckets. Junior Maddy Westbeld had three of those including a shot from distance. The Irish fell apart a bit in the second quarter, allowing the Wolfpack to take a 34-29 lead into the locker room.
Notre Dame had been in this position before — down at the half — including in the most recent outing against Florida State. The outcome in Raleigh was different. NC State seemingly hit 3-pointer after 3-pointer against what was the conference’s top 3-point defense entering Sunday. The Wolfpack finished with a 41.2 success rate from behind the arc (7-17). Star guard Diamond Johnson had four of those seven and had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in total.
The Irish mounted a bit of a comeback in the final frame, at one point posting a 13-2 run to cut the NC State lead to 65-63 with 2:32 to play. Early enrollee Cassandre Prosper played a huge role in that surge, hitting back-to-back treys. The rally wasn’t enough.
Westbeld led Notre Dame with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. It was her second double-double this year and a season-high in the rebounding category. Four Notre Dame players — Prosper, Westbeld, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron — were in double-figures. Notre Dame played without center Lauren Ebo, who is dealing with a lower body injury. She is not expected to be out for an extended period of time.
Notre Dame has another road game at Boston College before a much-needed four-game home stand. The Irish and the Eagles will face off at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX on Thursday night. Notre Dame won the matchup in South Bend earlier this season, 85-48.