Notre Dame finds the magic touch against UConn, and it starts with defense
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Muffet McGraw was in the house.
So were former greats Arike Ogunbowale and Natalie Achonwa.
They came to see more of the kind of basketball magic they once created — and they got their wish when No. 7-ranked Notre Dame (7-1) overwhelmed No. 3 Connecticut in a first-half blitz on its way to a 74-60 victory on Sunday.
A near-capacity crowd saw the Irish turn back the team their fans most love to hate and beat the 6-1 Huskies for the first time in South Bend since 2013.
The Irish had lost 10 of the last 13 in the series and last topped the Huskies in the Final Four in Tampa, Fla., in 2019.
“Well, this is something that I've always dreamt of and the reason why I came back to coach this amazing group and to represent Notre Dame in historical moments like this,” said third-year Irish coach Niele Ivey of the nationally televised Jimmy V Classic event. “So it's the first time that I've seen the crowd almost be a sellout. … It was just a really fun game. It's super exciting. And again, we're gonna really enjoy this game and this moment.”
While Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma thought they were getting the Irish at a bad time coming off Thursday’s two-point loss to No. 20 Maryland, the Irish might have hit the Huskies at a good time.
Dorka Juhasz, a 6-5 center averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds, was sidelined with a thumb injury and didn’t play, and 24-point scorer Azzi Fudd played only 13 minutes because of a knee injury suffered after getting tangled up with a teammate in the first quarter. She tried to play in the second quarter but Auriemma thought better of it.
“It was just one of those things that happens when your own man falls on top of you,” Auriemma said. “She tried to go again, but obviously it didn't look like she could move. So rather than take any chances, I figured we’d take some precautions. I don't think it was anything (serious) from what we can tell.”
While the Huskies struggled without Fudd, the Irish took off.
It started with point guard Olivia Miles’ manic drives to the basket that produced 15 first-half points (she finished with 21, eight rebounds and four assists) and led a 65.4% Irish shooting performance while building a 41-24 advantage at the halftime break.
“I think she's one of the most dynamic guards in the game and she's always playing for her teammates,” Ivey said. “That's what I love about her. Her favorite play is getting assists for her teammates.”
UConn, which came in shooting almost 54% from the floor, was staggered by a more active Notre Dame defense and shot just 27.6%.
Who saw that coming?
Few, if any, but everyone in the arena knew it wasn’t over.
And UConn, which holds a 39-14 edge in the series, delivered on its reputation with a serious run.
Working the inside more, along with dropping a couple of 3s, the Huskies halved the Irish lead by the 5:01 mark of the third quarter to 47-39.
The Irish advantage was in desperate jeopardy a few minutes later when Miles was called for a technical with “unnecessary contact to the face” of Nika Muhl.
It produced two free throws by Lou Lopez Senechal and possession for the Huskies. Everyone sensed a make-or-break moment with the lead down to five, at 49-44.
But the Irish defense answered, got a takeaway, and ended Connecticut’s long run with momentum.
A rebound bucket by Lauren Ebo (12 points), a layup by Miles and back-to-back buckets by Maddy Westbeld (17 points) followed, one on a nifty assist in traffic from Dara Mabrey. Meanwhile, UConn went cold.
A few minutes later the Irish had resumed control, at 58-46.
“I think this group has learned by a couple moments this season when we lacked composure,” Ivey said, “and I felt like that taught us today to have composure. It wasn't going our way. They were making baskets. We were kind of getting off of our game.
“And we just huddled and really focused on the next play. And I thought that showed a lot of maturity. So I’m really excited that we grew in that moment, especially knowing you’re playing a team like Connecticut.“
Auriemma thought his team outplayed the Irish for 15 of the 20 minutes of the second half, but said, “We just didn't have enough scorers on the floor.”
Senechal, who finished with 21 points, hit a couple of free throws to start the final quarter and get UConn to within 10, at 58-48, but the Huskies went on a three-minute drought and never got closer.
The Irish stayed in control, finished to a standing ovation, and hugged as one at midcourt when it was over.
Some of the lasting effects from the performance?
• Freshman guard KK Bransford can be a defensive stopper. She helped ground Fudd pre-knee injury.
• The Irish now have a benchmark for the intensity it takes to shut down a team — UConn shot just 36.8% from the field against Notre Dame’s primarily man-to-man defense.
• Maddy Westbeld, the junior forward who came in averaging just 7.3 points and 40.8% shooting after averaging double figures in points her first two years, was completely engaged offensively, going 6-for-11 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and adding four assists. She also had a team-high nine rebounds and blocked three shots.
• Lauren Ebo, a 6-4 center, avoided serious foul trouble, went 6-for-12 from the field and had four rebounds in almost 30 minutes. It was critical considering Kylee Watson’s foul issues that led to fewer than 11 minutes for her on the floor for the game.
• The passing game is coming, which boosted the field goal percentage for the game to 56.1 That’s against a typically stout UConn defense that had limited opponents to 36.5% from the field. ND had 15 assists, and it helped create a 46-16 edge in points in the lane.
“I think Thursday's loss (74-72 to No. 20 Maryland) really fueled us today,” Ivey said. “And that was a really tough loss. We learned a lot from that game. We know we can score and we have a lot of balance offensively, but it's our defense that is going to win games.
“And so that was our focus the last 48 hours. They took the challenge and they came out here and they played with heart and toughness. I feel like if we can play that way, we can beat anyone in the country.”
The Irish will be in Easton, Pa., on Thursday to take on Lafayette.
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