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Historically, Notre Dame has dominated Syracuse. But last season, SU proved to be a challenge for the Fighting Irish.

In the teams’ first meeting, the Orange stunned then-No. 12 Notre Dame 86-81 at the JMA Wireless Dome, backed by Dyaisha Fair’s late surge.

A month later, Syracuse traveled to South Bend, looking to complete the sweep. And it did, defeating the then-No. 15 Fighting Irish 79-65. This marked the Orange’s first-ever win at Purcell Pavilion and just the sixth against Notre Dame all-time.

Though in 2024’s edition, SU reverted back to its normal ways against ND. Syracuse (4-6, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) was dismantled by Notre Dame (7-2, 1-0 ACC) 93-62 Sunday. SU’s leading rebounder, Kyra Wood, was limited to 10 minutes for unspecified reasons, as it was out-rebounded 54-38. Though the Orange stayed with ND for the first half, Wood’s absence helped the Fighting Irish pull away in the third quarter.

“We pride ourselves on the rebounds, but unfortunately, they had 37 points on fast breaks to our six today and that was the big difference,” Georgia Woolley said. “We just got to keep attacking the rebounds.”

At first, Notre Dame started sloppily. Kiera Scott wrestled the ball from Liatu King, turning it into a Wood layup — her first of only three buckets in the contest. Notre Dame turned the ball over on its next two possessions, but SU couldn’t take advantage. Olivia Miles then sank two layups to make it 4-2.

After a Kate Koval field goal, Sophie Burrows drilled a triple to cut SU’s deficit to 6-5. Then, Hannah Hidalgo — ND’s leading scorer and a Preseason Associated Press All-American — converted a floater and drew a foul. But she couldn’t cash in from the line and Woolley made her pay with a floater.

Izabel Varejão then subbed in and made an immediate impact, adding a second-chance layup to put the Orange up 9-8 heading into a media timeout.

Out of the break, Sonia Citron, who led ND with 25 points, drilled a second-chance jumper. Wood responded with a layup to retake the lead, but Emma Risch tied the game 13-13 immediately after with ND’s first triple. Following another missed shot by the Fighting Irish, Burrows drilled a mid-range jumper. With one minute remaining in the first, both teams traded buckets, including a Miles two and a Dominique Camp 3. Hidalgo put ND up 21-20 to end the quarter with a lunging reverse layup.

Notre Dame’s star sophomore canned an effortless floater to begin the second quarter, but Scott converted two layups for Syracuse to put it ahead 24-23. Seconds later, Miles drilled a wide-open look from beyond the arc, marking the ninth lead change of the day.

Syracuse contended with Notre Dame for much of the first half but fell apart following Miles’ bucket. SU dished the ball around and forced ND turnovers in the first, but that ceased in the back half, according to Woolley.

“There was a lot of extra passes. We were running in transition. We were just having fun. So maybe that’s what the difference was,” Woolley said.

After Miles’ make, Citron motored into the paint and added a floater to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 29-24. A Woolley jumper fell short out of a media timeout, and a fast break attempt by Scott clanked off the iron. Though Burrows converted a 3 to cut SU’s deficit to four, Miles responded with a long field goal to make it 33-27.

To end the half, Scott and King swapped field goals. Neither team scored after King’s shot, with Miles missing a shot at the buzzer. Notre Dame led 36-29, and it looked like another close game was in the works.

But ND ran away with the game in the second half, propelled by a 29-13 third-quarter disparity. First, Hidalgo converted an off-balance layup and Citron drained a 3 from the right corner to make it 41-29. SU responded with four straight points, though Koval converted a spinning layup to stall its momentum.

The Orange began to feel the effect of missing Wood, who didn’t play a single minute in the second half, finishing with six points and four rebounds. Without her, Notre Dame consistently drove inside and cashed in easy layups.

“This is (Wood’s) third year (with Syracuse), so she brings that experience, and her not being out there really was troublesome,” SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “Her not being out there really broke her heart, and it broke mine, too.”

Woolley and Koval then traded two points each. Burrows found space at the top of the key but missed a 3. Hidalgo took advantage with a triple for Notre Dame. As the Fighting Irish’s lead ballooned to 50-35 midway through the third, Legette-Jack called a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. It didn’t work. Miles and Citron tacked on layups to put a stamp on SU’s disastrous third quarter, where ND went ahead 65-42.

The fourth wasn’t as ugly, but Notre Dame still easily put the game away. Scott made a jumper to start the quarter, but Koval erased it with two for ND. Woolley and Shy Hawkins added fast break layups, though SU still trailed 69-50.

Citron followed this up with a personal 8-0 run, capped by an and-one layup. Notre Dame continued to extend its lead with easy shots inside, sealing another chapter in its historic dominance over SU.

“It’s gonna be horrible watching film tomorrow, but we gotta watch it,” Legette-Jack said. “We gotta keep getting better.”

Published on December 8, 2024 at 2:03 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99