Notre Dame Loses To No. 16 DePaul In 105-94 Shootout
It was like old times — almost.
Notre Dame had an onslaught on offense reminiscent of this past decade, but it was not enough against the nation’s No. 4 scoring and No. 2 three-point shooting team, with the No. 16-ranked DePaul Blue Demons recording a 105-94 victory Wednesday night at Purcell Pavilion.
The Blue Demons (8-1) scorched the nets with 16 of 29 shooting from three-point range to overcome a superb effort on offense by Notre Dame freshmen Sam Brunelle and Anaya Peoples.
Forward Brunelle had a career high 31 points on 13 of 18 shooting from the field despite coming off a knee injury Sunday at UConn. Peoples recorded career highs in points (22 on 11 of 15 shooting from the field) and rebounds (15), for her second straight double-double.
Notre Dame (5-7) went on a quick 10-0 spurt to grab a 14-10 lead that expanded to 28-18 after a Brunelle trey en route to a 30-24 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
An 8-3 run to begin the second quarter gave the Fighting Irish their largest lead of the half at 38-27 before the Blue Demons, second nationally in three-pointers made per game with 11.6, converted four straight beyond the arc and eventually tied the score at 41.
Notre Dame went into the halftime intermission clinging to a 53-51 lead, with graduate student Marta Sniezek’s 10 assists (she finished with 12) propelling the offense in the up-tempo contest. The Irish shot 61.1 percent in the first 20 minutes, and 34 of the 53 points came in the paint.
The fast pace continued through the third quarter with DePaul finally taking the lead again at 75-72 on a three by Sonya Morris. The Blue Demons converted 6 of 9 beyond the arc during those 10 minutes, and finished the third quarter with an 81-76 advantage.
Notre Dame tied the score at 81 before another Morris basket gave the Blue Demons the lead for good. Back-to-back Brunelle baskets cut the lead to 89-88, and the Irish had a chance to take the lead but a Katlyn Gilbert basket was blocked and a Lexi Heid three on the other end provided DePaul a 92-88 cushion.
DePaul entered the game averaging 86.8 points per game, fourth nationally, but...
"Defense is a mind-set, a pride thing," Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. "I'm not sure we have enough people [with pride on defense]...That's why we play zone. We're not good guarding the ball."
An intentional foul call on Sniezek, two DePaul free throws and another Heid three pushed the advantage to 97-90, with the Irish never seriously threatening again.
"We stuck with them the majority of the game," Brunelle said, "and then get mentally and physically fatigued. We need to find a way to find a way to hop over the hump. We're young and learning. We'll put it together soon enough."
THREE-POINT PLAY
1. State Of The Union
The non-conference portion of the year is over with a 5-7 mark, and the 18-game ACC schedule begins Dec. 29 by hosting Clemson. Louisville, Florida State and NC State are ranked 7-8-9 nationally in the AP poll, while Miami is No. 25.
With a healthy junior center Mikayla Vaughn projected to return by the Clemson game, a top five or six placement in the 15-team ACC is achievable. An 11-7 league mark and a good ACC Tournament showing could put the Irish into the NCAA Tournament conversation, but far more relevant is daily, weekly incremental progress as a unit.
2. Problem Areas
In addition to defense, the stats bear out the main shortcomings. Entering the contest, among 348 Division I teams Notre Dame ranked 320th in turnovers committed (18.2 per game), 326th in rebound margin and 337th in three-pointers made (3.2, at a 21.7 percent clip for a No. 343 placement).
Despite scoring 94 points, the Irish also committed 27 turnovers (way too many on in-bound passes), but did win the rebound battle, 42-36. It was a respectable 4 of 8 from three-point range, but could not keep up with the Blue Demons prolific shooting beyond the arc.
3. Chairwoman Of The Boards
The 5-10 Peoples came into the game pacing the Irish in rebounds per game with 7.6, and showed tremendous fight underneath against the Blue Demons with 15, seven on offense that led to numerous put-backs.
Inch for inch, she might be as impressive and gritty a rebounder as there has been in McGraw's 33 seasons coaching the Irish.
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