If you watched Notre Dame’s game against Pittsburgh and didn’t know the ACC standings, you never would have known the Panthers are in last. A contest that few expected to be close was exactly that almost throughout. It couldn’t have been a pleasant feeling for [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] seeing her top-10 Irish struggle to shake the inferior Panthers. Still, she undoubtedly will take the 69-63 win.
The Irish (19-4, 10-3) led by as much as 11, but you probably would have forgotten that had you watched the game. There were eight lead changes, and the Panthers (8-16, 1-12) in front as late as early in the fourth quarter. The Irish ended up losing the field-goal percentage battle, .440-.431. The possibility of a real letdown after a tough loss against Duke four days earlier was real.
In the end, the Irish made more clutch plays. When [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] hit a 3 to extend their lead to six with two-and-a-half minutes to go, the game pretty much was sealed. While the Panthers had a chance to creep closer, they never did. The result is the Irish breathing a sigh of relief that they didn’t lose back-to-back games at home.
Citron scored 20 points and showcased her defensive skills with three steals and three blocks. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, and [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] did the same with 11 points and 13 assists. The Irish as a whole had significant advantages in rebounds (41-27), second-chance points (25-8) and fast-break points (10-1).
Perhaps [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag]’s presence could have allowed the Irish to assert their authority more. Instead, an injury kept her from playing once again. While she could be back soon, the Irish need to learn how to dominate without her or [autotag]Dara Mabrey[/autotag] in the lineup. Otherwise, their NCAA Tournament run could be a short one.
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