SportsSU Women's Basketball

#7 Notre Dame Outlasts Syracuse, 72-56

A 22-11 fourth quarter allowed No. 7 Notre Dame to hold off Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome, 72-56. Irish guard Olivia Miles led all scorers with 23, while senior guard Dyaisha Fair led ‘Cuse with 14 points on 6-16 shooting. 

Graduate forward Asia Strong was the only other Orange to hit double-digits in scoring with 11 points, going along with her six rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore forward Kyra Wood tied her season-high in rebounds with nine. The Buffalo, New York native also provided eight points.

Notre Dame converted clutch threes in the fourth to keep Syracuse out of reach. The Irish went 4-8 from three-point range in the fourth quarter. 

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
In the opening moments of the third quarter, Notre Dame (14-2, 5-1) extended their lead to seven, its largest of the afternoon up to that point, with a Kylee Watson layup. 

Georgia Woolley answered with a three, kick-starting a 8-0 Orange (13-5, 4-3) run to take a one point lead, 34-33. Fair put the Orange ahead with a three at the 7:26 mark of the third quarter.  

The third quarter came to a close with the visitors up five, as Notre Dame capitalized on a 12-5 run in the final three and a half minutes of the frame.

Once play resumed for the fourth quarter, the Irish continued to roll, scoring the first seven points of the quarter. A three from Sonia Citron gave Notre Dame the first double digit lead of the game, 57-45, forcing a Syracuse timeout with 7:43 left in the game.

From there, Notre Dame didn’t look back, as the visitors maintained their double-digit advantage until the final buzzer, utilizing the three point shot to close out the game. 

BLOCK BARRAGE

Behind strong front court play from Dariauna Lewis, Strong and Wood, Syracuse stifled the low-post play of Notre Dame. The Orange finished with seven blocks over 40 minutes, six of them coming in the first half.

Strong led the team in rejections with three, with Wood adding two blocks. Lewis and Woolley both blocked one shot as well. 

IRISH MILEAGE

No. 7 Notre Dame found a way to win through first team All-ACC selection Miles. The sophomore guard led all players in scoring with 23. The Phillipsburg, N.J., native also grabbed seven rebounds, registered seven assists and stole the ball twice. 

NOTABLE NUMBERS

  • The 3,776 fans in attendance is the largest crowd for a Sunday game this season
  • Wood tied her season-high in rebounds with nine.
  • Syracuse out-rebounded Notre Dame on the offensive glass, 14-10
  • Two Orange finished in double-figures in points (Fair-14 and Strong-11)

UP NEXT 

Syracuse follows up the loss against No. 7 Notre Dame with a trip to Atlanta, as the Orange face Georgia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the ACC battle will stream live on ACC Network Extra. 
 

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