Notre Dame Sends Out Seniors With Win Against Syracuse; Irish Defeat Orange 72-62
- Brenden Duffy
- Feb 26
- 5 min read
Notre Dame Women’s Basketball extended their win streak to four on Thursday night after defeating Syracuse 72-62 while celebrating the Fighting Irish’s seniors.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Notre Dame (18-9; 10-6) welcomed Syracuse (21-6; 11-5) to Purcell Pavilion for the Irish’s regular-season home finale and Senior Night. The Irish celebrated the following eight players prior to the game: KK Bransford, Malaya Cowles, Vanessa de Jesus, Iyana Moore, Cassandre Prosper, Gisela Sanchez, Jordyn Smith, and Bella Tehrani.
The Irish trio of Hannah Hidalgo, Prosper, and Cowles led the charge all night, combining for 56 of the team’s 72 points. While the three-pointer was not falling on Thursday, the Irish did a good job of winning in the paint, and their ability to finish on Syracuse’s mistakes was enough to give Notre Dame the victory.
The first quarter was a tightly-contested affair with no team able to separate itself by more than one possession. Syracuse’s Laila Phelia helped the Orange to an early 6-3 lead with a couple of quick buckets about 2:30 into the game. The Irish were then able to capitalize on some Syracuse mistakes, and a made layup by Prosper off a turnover put the Irish up 9-6 halfway through the quarter. The Orange then profited from a couple of Irish misses and regained a three-point, 16-13, lead with 1:28 on the clock. In the last minute, Hannah Hidalgo took over with back-to-back steals leading to layups for the Irish star. Bransford added on a last-second layup to give the Irish a 19-16 lead after one quarter. Hidalgo led the way in the first ten minutes with a team-high eight points and four steals.
After Syracuse’s Phelia knocked down a quick jumper to open the second quarter, Prosper and Bransford led the Irish on a 6-0 run to put the home team on top 25-18 just 2:10 into the frame. The Orange were able to respond, though, putting together an 8-0 run, including two made threes, which put the visitors in front 26-25 with 6:26 remaining in the quarter. After some traded buckets, Hidalgo took advantage of a bad Syracuse pass and nailed her second-chance opportunity to put Notre Dame ahead 31-28 with 4:11 left. The Orange were able to retake the lead following a couple of Irish turnovers, holding a 32-31 advantage with 3:28 on the clock. The Irish defense locked down at this point, holding Syracuse without a point for the rest of the half. The offense was able to take advantage with a 6-0 run to close the quarter, with four points from Hidalgo, including a layup in the final seconds. Hidalgo and Prosper led the way offensively in the second, tying for a team-high six points, as Notre Dame entered the break holding a 37-32 lead.
Notre Dame started off the second half on a 6-1 run in the first two minutes to extend their lead to 43-33. Both teams then went cold, with multiple turnovers by both sides, creating a 2:18 stretch with a Syracuse layup being the only made shot. Hidalgo was able to draw a foul and knocked down both of her free throws to regain a ten-point lead with 5:57 on the clock. The Orange then decided to make their second-half push. The visitors proceeded to go on a 7-0 run led by Phelia with four points, which cut the Irish lead to 45-42 with 4:14 on the clock. Hidalgo was able to hit a quick jumper to push the Irish lead back to two possessions, but the Orange were not finished. They then went on a 6-0 run with four points from Uche Izoje, but the mid-range from Phelia with 37 seconds left in the quarter was the shot that put the Orange in the lead, 48-47. Fortunately, Cowles was able to finish a clutch layup with nine seconds left to give the Irish a 49-48 advantage heading into the final quarter. Hidalgo’s six points and three steals led the Irish in a third quarter that saw the Notre Dame offense struggle.
The Irish were able to carry the momentum from the Cowles lead-changing basket at the end of the third into the fourth with a 5-0 run that was capped with a big-time three from De Jesus that extended Notre Dame’s lead to 54-48 just 1:10 into the quarter. After a pair of traded baskets, Moore was able to come up with a clutch steal off of a bad Syracuse pass that led to a De Jesus mid-range make, pushing the Irish lead to 60-52 with 6:04 remaining. Following a Syracuse second-chance basket and timeout, Moore nailed a three to put the Irish up by nine, 63-54, with 5:13 to play. Both offenses then went cold again, failing to score for 2:07 before back-to-back-to-back possessions featuring baskets cut Notre Dame’s lead to six, 65-59, with 2:30 left. Coming off a timeout by Syracuse, Hidalgo was able to finish through contact and converted the and-one opportunity to put Notre Dame ahead 68-59 with 2:11 to play. Cowles was then able to make Syracuse pay for a traveling violation with a tough layup that extended Notre Dame’s lead to a game-high of 11 points. After a final-minute foul-fest, Notre Dame had secured a 72-62 Senior night win. Hidalgo’s offense led the way in the fourth, with a team-high seven points and four assists.
Notre Dame improves to 19-9 and 11-6 in the ACC with just one regular season game remaining. The Irish head to Louisville (24-5; 14-2) for a big-time regular-season finale on March 1 at 4 PM EST. Coach Niele Ivey, Hidalgo, and co. will be seeking revenge on the Cardinals after they handled the Irish 79-66 in South Bend on January 15.
Irish Stars:
Hannah Hidalgo: 27 points (11-21 FGs), 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 7 steals, 1 block, +10, 40 minutes played
Cassandre Prosper: 16 points (7-13 FGs, 2-2 FTs), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, +12, 36 minutes played
Malaya Cowles: 13 points (5-8 FGs), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 block, +7, 33 minutes played
Key Team Stats:
Field Goal Percentage: ND (47%) - SU (39%)
Three Point Percentage: SU (20%) - ND (15%)
Free Throw Percentage: SU (80%) - ND (75%)
Turnovers: SU (22) - ND (15)
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