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In the first quarter, Olivia Miles possessed the ball on the left wing, noticing a very small passing window down low to KK Bransford. Off her dribble near the left wing, she rifled a pass cross-court and down low to Bransford on the block over the head of Asia Strong. Bransford easily scored the layup inside.

It was two of 34 points inside the paint that helped No. 10 Notre Dame (20-4, 11-3 Atlantic Coast) complete the season series sweep over Syracuse (16-10, 7-8 Atlantic Coast) with a 73-64 win. Much of the Fighting Irish’s scoring was done inside, penetrating down the lane before dishing it off or scoring on the fast-break. Miles, one of the conference’s best passers, notched seven assists in Sunday’s outing, just like she did when the Orange last played ND on Jan. 15.

In her last outing against Syracuse, Miles accounted for 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. And on Sunday, she notched 13 points with seven boards and seven assists. Frequently, she’d drive into the lane before finding a forward down low for an easy 2 as well as sparking the Fighting Irish’s fast-break offense.

Syracuse had just turned the ball over in the first quarter and Miles got possession in her back court with a teammate sprinting down the floor. She chucked in an underhand pass with pace down the floor, assisting the fast-break layup.

Miles wasn’t scoring early often, but rather than attention given to her, created scoring opportunities for other players. Miles penetrated into the lane, drawing the attention of Kyra Wood and Saniaa Wilson. Saniaa left Natalija Marshall open on the left block and she scored, drawing the foul in the process. ND only shot two 3s in the first half, favoring the inside much more. On Sunday, the Fighting Irish only finished just 3-of-11 from beyond the arc.

But when Miles did score, she drove into the lane, taking the shot herself rather than dishing it off. Syracuse often double-teamed or had help slide over to guard Miles when she approached, but it came at the sacrifice of another player. Three other Fighting Irish players finished in double figures, led by Kylee Watson’s 15 points.

“I thought (Watson) was fantastic from the beginning,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said. “Her energy. Her defense. She really ignited us today.”

For ND’s first points of the game, it came off a drive and dish from Miles. Miles started at the top of the key before passing it off to Watson as Syracuse closed in on Miles. Watson drew the foul and earned two shots from the charity stripe. It was either a Notre Dame make or two free throws as ND went 20-of-30 from the free-throw line, though many toward the end of the game was Syracuse trying to extend the game and get more possessions.

“Credit to my teammates (for) just finding me and finding open spots in the zone,” Watson said. “I think just posting up hard and being a presence for myself.”

In the back half of the third quarter, Notre Dame couldn’t get any offense going. Syracuse managed to pick off passes and read plays as ND drove into the lane, trying to score inside. Miles dribbled into the lane, but her pass down low was deflected and stolen by Alaina Rice. Rice threw it forward to Fair who was already streaking down the court for a fast break layup. Thirteen turnovers from the Fighting Irish, four of which came in the third quarter, allowed Syracuse to go on a 17-5 run to reclaim the lead.

The Fighting Irish employed a similar strategy for Dyaisha Fair, who still notched 22 points on Sunday. Ivey said she put in multiple players to “try and wear (Fair) down.” Fair helped Syracuse come back, but was held to just three points in the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame just edged out Syracuse in the fourth quarter. On a fast-break, Miles cut from the top of the key down the lane and scored inside the paint, though Syracuse responded. ND also capitalized on second-chance opportunities inside, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds that turned into 15 second-chance points. On one play in the third quarter, Westbeld had missed her initial layup, but grabbed her miss and scored the putback with multiple Syracuse players in the area.

“I’m always preaching the fourth quarter,” Ivey said. “Finishing out 10 minutes knowing that this is it.”

Published on February 12, 2023 at 8:08 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini