Syracuse University
No. 23/22 Notre Dame
Orange Nipped at Notre Dame, 90-79
2/24/2009 9:21:24 PM | Women's Basketball
#23/22 Notre Dame 90, Syracuse 79
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Syracuse women's basketball team (15-12, 4-10) used a 13-0 run late in the first half to negate a 17-point # 23/22 Notre Dame advantage, but the Orange squandered 20 total possessions and sent the Fighting Irish to the line 35 times to enable ND with the 90-79 victory at the Joyce Center on Tuesday night.
Sophomore guard Erica Morrow drained a team-high 18 points and handed out an Orange-best six assists while senior guard Chandrea Jones recorded her team-best 10th double-double of the season by way of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Nicole Michael accounted for 17 points and seven boards while sophomore guard Tasha Harris scored seven and junior forward Juanita Ward had six.
The Orange had a tough time guarding ND's Lindsay Schrader, who tallied 23 points and went 10-of-13 from the floor. Notre Dame snuffed out Syracuse by converting 28-of-35 (80.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Fighting Irish saw a lot of the line after SU committed seven fouls in the first four minutes of the second half to put Notre Dame in the bonus.
Syracuse held a slight advantage on the boards, 41-40, but the Fighting Irish took up 36 points in the paint to SU's 16. Notre Dame took advantage of the Orange's 20 turnovers and converted them into 21 points.
Syracuse was held without a field goal until Michael spotted up and drilled a 12-foot jumper at the 16:32 mark, but the Fighting Irish had all ready left their mark, holding onto a 15-3 advantage in the first four and a half minutes. The Orange went 1-for-8 from the field while ND went 4-for-6 within that spell.
Notre Dame continued its attack on the offensive end, but the Orange recorded back-to-back baskets, with the second coming at 11:47 from Jones. Both buckets warranted a free toss as Jones' fell through to move the score to 24-12.
After a free throw by Erica Williamson, the Fighting Irish hung a 17-point lead on SU for the second time in the half, but a deep ball from sophomore Harris and a layup by freshman forward Troya Berry quieted the crowd to cut ND's lead to 12, 29-17, with 7:34 to play in the first session.
Syracuse slowed Notre Dame's energy with a couple consecutive buckets by Morrow at 5:37 and then propelled itself back into the contest by employing a 13-0 run capped off by Ward at 1:01 to tie the game at 36-36.
Schrader converted the last field goal of the half to head into the locker room with a 38-36 edge, but SU combated a 17-point deficit by going 4-for-5 down the stretch, including a rare four-point play from Harris, at the 1:43 mark.
The Orange outrebounded ND, 27-18, but much of Notre Dame's assail came from the line and in the paint as the Irish went 9-of-13 (69.2) from the stripe and scored 16 points in the paint to Syracuse's six.
Seemingly after the first inbound pass of the second half was made, Notre Dame mounted its lead back to seven, 43-36. Morrow swished one from downtown, but the Fighting Irish put up a 10-4 run into heading the first break to get back into double digits, 53-43, with 15:58 to play.
The Irish reestablished a game-high lead of 17 points twice, with the latest at 8:59 remaining, but a traditional 3-pointer from Jones, a trifecta from freshman guard Lynnae Lampkins and a couple free throws from Michael quickly suppressed ND's advantage back down to 11, 69-58, with 7:41 remaining.
A jumper by sophomore guard Marisa Gobuty pushed ND's lead back to single digits, 72-63, but the Fighting Irish went on a 6-0 run to have their lead balloon back to 15, 78-63, with 4:56 reading on the clock.
Notre Dame distanced itself by 17 points once again at 2:10. Syracuse spouted off a quick 7-0 run in the end, but it was not enough as the Irish held on for the 90-79 win.
The Orange will make one more road trip in the regular season as Syracuse heads to Morgantown, W.Va. on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff us scheduled for 2 p.m. Syracuse will host Providence in the season finale at the Carrier Dome on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m.
