NCAAW: Notre Dame’s second half surge leads to win over Duke

President’s Day presented a marquee matchup on the calendar, with No. 1 Notre Dame hosting No. 11 Duke. The Fighting Irish outscored the Blue Devils 21-8 in the third quarter to take command of the game and win, 64-49.

Hannah Hidalgo had 19 points and four assists in the win. Sonia Citron also had a good game, ending the night with 15 points and seven rebounds. Maddy Westbeld played well, scoring 11 points in the victory.

Duke struggled to put points on the board, but Taina Mair did her best to help the cause, leading the Blue Devils with 15 points in the defeat.

How Notre Dame proved why they’re No. 1

Reigan Richardson started this game off with an and-one basket for Duke. Westbeld responded with a 3-pointer for Notre Dame as both teams exchanged baskets. Midway through the opening quarter, the Blue Devils were leading 11-10. Duke maintained their narrow lead and entered the second quarter ahead 19-16.

Even when the Blue Devils were leading, they struggled with the Fighting Irish’s different defensive looks. Notre Dame often played in zone to challenge Duke to convert their jumpers or try to break up their defense. The results were mixed for the Blue Devils, but the Fighting Irish couldn’t take advantage early on in the second quarter. They didn’t have a made field goal until 5:23 left to go in the period.

After the scoring drought ended, Citron helped Notre Dame get ahead by scoring on a pair of free throws, giving the Fighting Irish a two-point lead heading into the break.

At the start of the third, Notre Dame extended its solid ending to the second with an 8-1 start.

Westbeld was dominating inside, scoring with ease. After a Hidalgo 3, followed by another fastbreak layup, the scoring run began to get out of hand. With an Olivia Miles make, the run had exploded to 18-1, and Duke finally called for a timeout. However, at that point, it was a few possessions too late.

Oluchi Okananwa finally ended the run with a free throw for Duke, but Notre Dame remained in rhythm. Kate Koval scored the final four points for the Fighting Irish in the third as they entered the final quarter up 50-35.

Duke could not get within single digits in the fourth, and after a Liza Karlen 3-pointer, it became clear a comeback would not happen. Miles ended the scoring for Notre Dame with an impressive up-and-under layup.

Key takeaways

As the new No. 1 team, Notre Dame struggled to score for stretches, but its defense was dominant, holding Duke to single digits in the second and third quarters. At 23-2, they’ll be a tough team to beat the rest of the way and are favorites to win the ACC.

Duke just didn’t have the appropriate shooting from deep to bother Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish played a lot of zone, and the Blue Devils went 1-for-9 from behind the arc, unable to force them to change their defense. Sure, Notre Dame would often switch back to man-to-man, but that was to show Duke different looks, not the Blue Devils forcing the Irish to abandon the zone.

The Fighting Irish controlled the game, especially in the second half. They were able to dictate the rules of engagement and by doing so, they cruised to victory.