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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Everything seemed to be coming undone for Syracuse in the third quarter. After a Dyaisha Fair 3-pointer gave the Orange a nine-point lead right out of halftime, Notre Dame came storming back. A couple of Maddy Westbeld mid-range jumpers, a layup inside by Kylee Watson and two free throws from Hannah Hidalgo had the Fighting Irish within one.

Then coming up the floor, Alaina Rice lost her footing trying to protect the ball with her body as Hidalgo raced the other way as 10 straight points gave Notre Dame a 42-41 lead halfway through the third quarter.

On the road in a building they’d never won a game before, the Orange could’ve folded right then and there — losing all 19 previous games in South Bend — against the No. 15 ranked team in the country. But Syracuse did what it has all season, digging deep on defense down the stretch in the second half, holding Notre Dame, the top offense in the Atlantic Coast Conference, nearly 20 points below its season average. Each stop gave SU confidence on the offensive end while it flustered Notre Dame’s stars down the stretch, culminating in its first ever season sweep of the Fighting Irish.

A stifling defensive effort from No. 22 Syracuse (17-2, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) against No. 15 Notre Dame (14-4, 5-3 ACC), helped the Orange pull off the upset 79-65. Switching between man-to-man and zone defense in the fourth quarter seemed to confuse the Fighting Irish. As each possession passed, Notre Dame tightened up, taking uncharacteristic contested jumpers that produced silly turnovers. Notre Dame shot just 21-for-63 from the field, but Syracuse held the Fighting Irish to under 30% in the second half. Notre Dame made just four field goals in the fourth quarter as the Orange outscored their opponent 28-14 over the final 10 minutes

“We just had to keep them on their heels defensively,” Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said postgame.

The constant switching between defenses led to early success from the Orange as they kept a typically rapid Notre Dame offense to a slow pace early on. Legette-Jack felt Syracuse’s switching in the second quarter got Notre Dame out of rhythm, leading by six points at halftime, but the Fighting Irish adjusted in the third.

Legette-Jack knew Notre Dame was eventually going to threaten to make a run, stating they’re the No. 15 team in the country “for a reason,” but all she wanted from her team was a response.

“We have to manage that. Okay, they got their run. Now when is our run going to come? What are we gonna do to offset their run.” Legette-Jack said.

The second-year head coach credited her assistant coaches for putting together a strong offensive game plan, but similar to SU’s past three games, it all started on the defensive end.

Over the last four games against Clemson, then No. 15 Florida State, Pittsburgh and now Notre Dame, the Orange haven’t allowed more than 18 points in the fourth quarter. The average amount of points given up by Syracuse in the final quarter during that stretch is just over 14 points.

But the Orange’s defense has helped them win games in a variety of scenarios. Against Clemson and Florida State, it was in comeback fashion — coming back from two nearly 20-point deficits. Against Pitt, it helped the Orange close out a win. Facing the Fighting Irish, Syracuse’s defense is what helped it separate in the fourth quarter.

With the two teams deadlocked at 51 to begin the final quarter, the game looked like it was going to come down to the wire, but the Orange locked down on defense, specifically keeping Notre Dame’s top two-scorers Hidalgo and Sonia Citron quiet.

Hidalgo came in as the leading scorer in the ACC (23.9 points per game) and one of the best guards in the country. But the freshman was held in check. Despite putting up 23 points, Hidalgo needed 18 shots including a 3-for-9 effort in the second half.

Legette-Jack joked that “her ankles hurt” watching Hidalgo shake past some of Syracuse’s defenders, but the goal was to keep her in front. The Orange failed to do so in the first half as the point guard utilized straight-line drives to score 12. But as Syracuse tightened its defense, it rendered Hidalgo a non-factor down the stretch.

Citron didn’t play in the first meeting against Syracuse, but she had been on a hot streak in the past five games since returning from injury, averaging 18 points during that stretch. But the junior put in her worst performance of the season shooting a measly 4-for-17 from the field, tallying 14 points.

Despite the struggles of its two top players, Notre Dame was still within striking distance. Anna DeWolfe hit a baseline jumper with 7:22 remaining as Syracuse led 58-55. But Syracuse’s zone forced Notre Dame to be held without a field goal for the next five and a half minutes, scoring just two points.

Legette-Jack highlighted the communication from her team while in the zone, specifically to keep track of cutters who were looking to get into open pockets. Notre Dame seemed flustered and looked to be out of options. Contested mid-range jumpers from Westbeld and Citron missed the mark, while Hidalgo and DeWolfe were forced into uncharacteristic mistakes. On multiple occasions, a Notre Dame player tried firing a pass into a window that wasn’t there, resulting in easy steals for Syracuse. Despite Notre Dame registering just 12 turnovers, four came in the fourth — hurting the Fighting Irish down the stretch.

Syracuse punished Notre Dame’s lack of offense with buckets on the other end. Kyra Wood finished down low and Sophie Burrows completed an and-one to put SU up nine with 6:15 remaining. Fair found Georgia Woolley for a 3-pointer on the wing extending the Orange’s lead to 13 before Latham put the icing on the cake, converting a layup inside to cap off a 14-1 Syracuse run in the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame scored eight points in the final 1:43, but the game was already wrapped up at that point. For over eight minutes in the fourth quarter, Syracuse made a potent Notre Dame offense look mediocre as the Orange collected their sixth straight ACC victory.

“I just love that we are starting to love each other enough to say, I don’t care if you get the credit. We just need to go through this game. Go in that locker room and have a celebratory locker room.” Legette-Jack said.

Published on January 25, 2024 at 11:59 pm

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