Jan. 2, 2015
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Inside The Game: #4 Notre Dame 74, Florida State 68
January 2, 2015 – Notre Dame, Indiana (Purcell Pavilion)
It Was Over When: With Notre Dame up four after fighting back from a 12-point, first-half deficit and a nine-point, second-half margin, junior guard Jewell Loyd converted an offensive rebound and was fouled, completing the old-fashioned three-point play to give the Fighting Irish a 66-59 advantage with 1:58 remaining in the game. Florida State cut the lead back down to four twice in the final minute, but Notre Dame wouldn’t allow it to get any closer.
Game Ball Goes To: Sophomore guard Lindsay Allen, who finished with 18 points (6-11 FG, 5-6 FT), a game-high (and career high-tying) eight assists, two steals and two rebounds. Allen dished out eight of her team’s nine total assists and scored five points in the final two minutes of the game to help clinch the win for the Fighting Irish.
Unsung Hero: Coming off the bench, senior guard Madison Cable had a solid all-around game with four points, five rebounds and a team-high (and season high-tying) three steals to give the Fighting Irish a much-needed spark against the Seminoles.
Unofficial Play of the Game: As the buzzer sounded to conclude the first half, Allen drilled a three-pointer from midcourt to trim the Florida State lead to 29-28. It was the first midcourt buzzer-beater for Notre Dame in exactly eight years, dating back to Breona Gray’s long-distance connection at Seton Hall on Jan. 2, 2007 (coincidentally, also in a conference opener).
Stat Of The Game: Freshman forward Brianna Turner tied her career high with five blocks for the third consecutive game. Turner’s 15 combined blocks in the past three games are the most for a Notre Dame player in a three-game span since Feb. 10-16, 2002, when another native Texan, Friendswood product Amanda Barksdale blocked a combined 16 shots at home against Boston College (school-record 11) and St. John’s (4), and at Rutgers (1). For the season, Turner is averaging a team-high 2.4 blocks per game, having come into Friday’s game ranked sixth in the ACC and 48th in the nation in that category.
Additional Notes: Notre Dame sets an ACC record with its 17th consecutive regular season conference win, surpassing four other teams that won 16 in a row (Virginia in 1995 and Duke in 2002, 2003 and 2013) … the Fighting Irish win their school-record 37th consecutive regular season conference game, dating back to their membership in the BIG EAST Conference and since a 65-63 loss to West Virginia on Feb. 12, 2012, at Purcell Pavilion … Notre Dame earns its 61st consecutive win against an unranked opponent (according to the Associated Press poll), a run that began following that same 2012 loss to West Virginia … the Fighting Irish have won their last nine conference openers and 16 of their last 18–they also have claimed eight of their last nine conference home openers … Notre Dame has won 19 of its last 21 games when starting a new year … the Fighting Irish have won 13 consecutive games against Florida schools (six in a row at home) and are 32-5 (.865) all-time against teams from the Sunshine State … Notre Dame moves to 3-0 all-time against Florida State, with this being the Seminoles’ first-ever visit to Purcell Pavilion … Notre Dame’s 12-point comeback win was its largest in nearly a year, dating back to an 86-70 victory at Tennessee on Jan. 20, 2014 (the Fighting Irish trailed 39-27 with 5:22 left in the first half before rallying past the Lady Vols) … Notre Dame has won 14 consecutive games decided by single digits and/or in overtime, including all three such outings this season … Notre Dame shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fourth consecutive game, a remarkable achievement considering the Fighting Irish made just three of their first 14 shots on Friday against Florida State (Notre Dame shot 63.2 percent from the field during the final 32:45 of Friday’s game) … Loyd posted her ninth 20-point game of the season and moved into 15th place on the Fighting Irish career scoring list with 1,440 points, passing three players on Friday–Lindsay Schrader (1,429 from 2005-10), current Notre Dame assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Niele Ivey (1,430 from 1996-2001) and Sheila McMillen (1,439 from 1995-99) … Loyd also scored in double figures for the 57th consecutive game, continuing the second-longest streak in school history … Allen’s eight assists tied her career high set on Jan. 30, 2014, against Virginia Tech at Purcell Pavilion … in her last four games, Allen is averaging 16.7 points per game … Notre Dame drew its second sellout crowd of the season (9,149) and the 43rd in program history.
Regarding Friday’s WatchND Feed: The following is a statement from Dan Skendzel, Notre Dame’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for Digital Media and Branding, to all fans who tuned in for Friday’s live video stream on WatchND:
“The live stream of the women’s basketball game versus Florida State today on WatchND experienced significant technical difficulty during the first half, manifesting itself in poor video quality and frequent jumpiness in the video stream. The Fighting Irish Digital Media (FIDM) team worked diligently with our video streaming partner throughout the game to identify and resolve these technical difficulties. During the second half, our partner was able to stabilize the stream and improve the viewing experience.
“The streaming performance was unacceptable and I apologize to Notre Dame fans who expect and deserve better. We are working diligently to address the technical causes and ensure a premium experience in the future. I encourage all Irish fans to contact us via email (FIDM@nd.edu) to provide us with detailed and constructive feedback on their WatchND video experience. It is very helpful to our team to hear from fans on their likes, dislikes and suggestions for enhancements. Thank you for your support and Go Irish!”
Up Next For The Fighting Irish: Notre Dame hits the road for the first time in Atlantic Coast Conference play this season, as the Fighting Irish head to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York for a 1 p.m. (ET) game Sunday against No. 21/22 Syracuse. The game will be broadcast live on ACC/Regional Sports Networks, including Fox Sports Indiana and ESPN3 (check local cable providers or theacc.com for more information on broadcast availability). Fans can also listen live on Pulse FM (96.9/92/1) in South Bend or worldwide online via the official Notre Dame athletics multimedia platform, WatchND (watchnd.tv).
–Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director