| GAME 25 | SYRACUSE AT NO. 10 NOTRE DAME |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | SUNDAY, FEB. 12 | 4 PM ET |
| WHERE: | SOUTH BEND, IN | PURCELL PAVILION |
| WATCH: | ACCN |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| NOTES: | ND NOTES |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
| TICKETS: | BUY TICKETS |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame passed the road portion of this year’s Syracuse test. Can the Irish use a home court advantage to get the sweep?
On Sunday, 10th-ranked Notre Dame (19-4, 10-3) will face the Orange (16-9, 7-7) for the second time this season. Notre Dame won the first matchup, 72-56, but the final score is a bit deceiving. The Irish outscored their hosts 22-11 in the final quarter. It was just a 5-point game heading into the last 10 minutes. In other words, don’t expect a blowout this weekend.
Both teams are coming off of wins, although they were certainly different types of victories. The Irish narrowly escaped a struggling Pittsburgh team, clawing their way to a 6-point victory thanks to a few late buckets and defensive stops. In upstate New York, Syracuse used a 31-point third quarter to beat No. 14 North Carolina, an upset win that they will surely use as momentum coming into South Bend.
Dyaisha Fair, Syracuse’s star guard, has been on fire in recent weeks. She has scored at least 20 points in four of Syracuse’s last five games, including a 36-point performance against UVA on Jan. 26. Fair was named the ACC Player of the Week on Jan. 30. She had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists against Notre Dame earlier this season.
The Orange have found their groove as a team on offense this year, averaging 74.5 points per contest. That ranks third in the ACC behind Florida State and Notre Dame. Their defense, however, ranks 15th in the conference (67.4 points per game).
Notre Dame remains the second-place team in the ACC as of Thursday night, but the Irish are facing some struggles on both sides of the ball. A season-ending leg injury for Dara Mabrey and a lower body injury for Lauren Ebo has coincided with some offensive woes, as the Irish haven’t been firing on all cylinders when it comes to getting buckets. Per Ivey, Ebo remains day-to-day and is progressing well.
As a result of the Mabrey and Ebo injuries —both women are graduate students — junior Maddy Westbeld has had to take on a lot in recent weeks. To her credit, she has been playing really well. The 6-3 forward has averaged 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds in Notre Dame’s last five games. Westbeld’s 17 points and 10 rebounds against Pitt on Thursday gave her a third double-double this year.
While what happens on the court between the whistles is surely important, Sunday’s game has another notable component. It will serve as Notre Dame’s annual Think Pink Game. In addition to honoring survivors on the court and various other mentions to bring awareness to women’s cancers, Notre Dame has partnered with the Harper Cancer Institute to raise money for the cause. You can donate here.
Sunday’s contest will air at 4 p.m. ET on the ACC Network. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 38-4.