Syracuse University
Notre Dame University
Second Half Surge Not Enough, No. 3 Notre Dame Defeats Orange
1/30/2010 4:05:36 PM | Women's Basketball
Box Score | Coach Hillsman Quotes | Player Postgame Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse University women's basketball team (16-5, 3-5) fought off a 14-point halftime deficit and allowed only 21 second half points, but it was not enough as the Orange was defeated by No. 3/3 Notre Dame (19-1, 6-1) 74-73, on Saturday afternoon in front of 3,436 fans at the Carrier Dome. The crowd marked the sixth largest in program history.
The Orange erased a 53-39 deficit and held a 72-71 lead after a 3-point play by senior forward Juanita Ward with 1:03 remaining, but UND's Ashley Barlow nailed a 3-ball to give the Irish a one-point edge with 34 ticks left. With the possession arrow pointing toward the Orange, junior guard Tasha Harris fired a missed 3-pointer with 19 seconds left and Notre Dame drew the foul. After a missed shot from the charity stripe, junior guard Erica Morrow attempted to take the lead, but fell short. The Orange grabbed the offensive rebound and had one last chance with .5 seconds remaining, but SU couldn't get a shot up after the inbound and the Irish held on for the one-point victory.
Four players scored in double-figures for the Orange, including Ward who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Morrow and senior forward Vionca Murray accounted for 14 and 12 points, respectively, while senior forward Nicole Michael was one rebound shy of registering a double-double with 11 points and a game-leading nine boards.
The two teams exchanged baskets to open up the scoring, but Notre Dame used back-to-back 3-pointers by Skylar Diggins to spark a 11-0 run to take the 15-6 lead within the first four minutes. The Orange pulled within seven, but Diggins accounted for five more points to give the Irish a 22-10 advantage with 13:54 on the clock. UND continued to roll, doubling SU's scoring, 30-15, but a 3-point play by sophomore forward Troya Berry brought SU within nine, 31-22, with 9:43 left before the break.
Following two Notre Dame freebies, the Orange went on a 7-0 run to narrow the deficit, 36-31, but that was as close as SU could get to the Irish in the first half, as it increased the separation back to 10, 41-31, with less than five minutes left before halftime. A 3-pointer by UND's Ashley Barlow with less than nine second remaining gave the Fighting Irish a 53-39 lead at the break.
The second half was all Orange as it went on an 8-0 run to make the score 53-47 and did not allow any Irish points until 15:44 when Lindsay Schrader made 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. Syracuse continued to cut into the UND lead and came within three, 54-51, with less than 15 minutes remaining. The Irish were plagued with poor shooting, giving the Orange a chance to catch-up with 11:03 remaining when Morrow turned a layup into a 3-point play to tie it at 58-58.
The momentum continued to swing in SU's favor courtesy of a Michael bucket as the Orange took its first lead, 60-58, since 18:15 when the score was 4-2. Notre Dame knotted things up once again, 60-60, with 9:19 on the clock, but Syracuse continued to hang on, 65-63, with consecutive Alexander free-throws with 6:24 left. The Irish found itself in trouble after Becca Bruszewski fouled out with 4:36 remaining, but it maintained at least a two-point lead until Michael hit a free-throw and Ward followed with back-to-back free-throws to give SU the 73-71 lead with one minute remaining.
The Orange travels to Pittsburgh to continue its conference slate on Tuesday, February 2 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
