Cassandre Prosper Highlights Notre Dame’s 78-65 Win at James Madison; Defense Dominates Again
- Brenden Duffy
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
No. 19 Notre Dame (8-2) hit the road this weekend for a Sunday afternoon contest with the James Madison Dukes (8-3). The Irish, led by Cassandre Prosper’s 24 points and 15 team steals, were able to secure a 78-65 win over the feisty Dukes.
Notre Dame jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead thanks to a couple of early JMU turnovers, and the Irish, led by Cassandre Prosper, were able to make them pay. Hannah Hidalgo hit her first three of the afternoon following a pair of made free throws by JMU to extend the Irish advantage to seven. Iyana Moore and Prosper were able to convert back-to-back baskets to push the Irish lead to 14-5 with 4:39 remaining in the quarter. Moore and Prosper then went back-to-back possessions with a made three, putting Notre Dame ahead 21-11 with 2:01 on the clock. Hidalgo scored the last four Irish points of the quarter, including a pair of free throws after a last-second shooting foul on JMU, to put Notre Dame out front 25-12 after a dominant first ten minutes.Â
JMU hit a three to open a more tightly-contested second quarter, but Notre Dame was able to respond with a quick 6-0 run to extend their lead to 16 about 2:30 into the frame. Later, a short turnaround jumper from Gisela Sanchez and a made free throw by Hidalgo pushed the Irish lead to 34-17 with 6:05 on the clock. Prosper was able to capitalize on a JMU turnover and hit an easy layup to put Notre Dame up by 18 midway through the quarter. The last five minutes of the half were not as pretty for the Irish, highlighted by bad turnovers and costly fouls. JMU finished the quarter on an 8-4 run to cut the Irish lead to 40-26 heading into halftime.
Malaya Cowles went on a 4-0 run by herself to open another tight quarter, extending the Notre Dame lead back to 18 around 2:30 into the third. Vanessa De Jesus responded to a JMU made layup with a three-pointer to extend the Irish lead to 19, but the Dukes responded with a three of their own to make it a 47-31 game with 7:36 on the clock. This Dukes three kickstarted a 7-2 run for JMU that cut their deficit to 49-35 about four minutes into the half. Notre Dame was able to push their lead out to 20 following a 7-1 run featuring four different Irish scorers. JMU then proceeded to go on a 7-0 run featuring an Irish turnover that made it a 56-43 contest with 1:38 remaining in the quarter. After some back and forth, Cowles hit a mid-range hook with nine seconds left to put Notre Dame ahead 60-45 heading into the final quarter.
JMU opened the fourth on a 7-1 run of their own, cutting the Irish lead to just nine points, 61-52, with 7:39 remaining, forcing Niele Ivey to use an early timeout. Notre Dame responded well to the timeout with a quick 5-0 run, including a three from De Jesus, to put the Irish up 66-52 with 5:58 to play. After some back and forth, Prosper converted an and-one opportunity to give Notre Dame a 17-point, 73-56 lead, with 3:11 to play, forcing a JMU timeout. The Dukes were able to close the final three minutes on a 9-5 run, giving the Irish a 78-65 road victory.
No. 19 Notre Dame (9-2) hosts Bellarmine next weekend before regular ACC play begins.
Irish Stars:
Cassandre Prosper - 24 points (11-16 FGs), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, +11, 40 minutes
Malaya Cowles - 17 points (7-12 FGs), 4 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 block, +7, 34 minutes
Hannah Hidalgo - 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, +10, 37 minutes
Key Team Stats:
Field Goal Percentage: ND (46%) - JMU (41%)
Three Point Percentage: ND (37%) - JMU (33%)
Turnovers: JMU (19) - ND (9)
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