Jan. 4, 2015
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Inside The Game: #4 Notre Dame 85, #21/22 Syracuse 74
January 4, 2015 – Syracuse, New York (Carrier Dome)
It Was Over When: Junior guard Jewell Loyd came up with the last of her career high-tying four steals and went end-to-end for a transition layup, capping a 7-0 Notre Dame run that put the Fighting Irish in front, 80-67 with 3:35 remaining. Syracuse would never get closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Game Ball Goes To: Freshman forward Brianna Turner collected her second career double-double (both in the past three games) with 20 points (on nine of 13 shooting), a game-high 13 rebounds and a career-best seven blocks. Turner has recorded at least five blocks in each of her four games since returning from a shoulder injury, averaging 5.5 blocks per game (22 total) in that span.
Unsung Hero: Junior guard Hannah Huffman made the most of her 19 minutes on the court with six points, six rebounds (one off her career high), two assists and two steals. Huffman was especially valuable in the first half with four points and five rebounds when Notre Dame was forced to navigate through the final eight minutes with three players on the bench after picking up two fouls each.
Unofficial Play of the Game: After Syracuse grabbed a 41-37 lead on Brianna Butler three-pointer with 1:22 left in the first half, Notre Dame went to its own Brianna (Turner) just 12 seconds later, with the rookie converting an old-fashioned three-point play after sinking a lob pass from junior guard/tri-captain Michaela Mabrey while being fouled. It was the start of Turner’s personal 9-0 run that crossed halftime and when the dust settled, the Fighting Irish had a 46-41 lead with 18:41 to play and Syracuse got within one possession just one time the remainder of the game (and not once during the final 17:29).
Stat Of The Game: With Sunday’s win, Notre Dame tied the NCAA Division I record for consecutive road wins (30), a mark first set by Connecticut from Feb. 9, 2008, to Dec. 28, 2010.
Additional Notes: Notre Dame improves to 4-1 against ranked opponents this season, including a 3-0 record on the road … the Fighting Irish extend their ACC-record regular season conference winning streak to 18 games … Notre Dame has won a school-record 38 consecutive regular season conference games, dating back to its membership in the BIG EAST Conference during the 2011-12 season … the Fighting Irish have won a school-record 25 consecutive regular season conference road games, dating back to the start of the 2012-13 BIG EAST season … Notre Dame moves to 28-2 all-time against Syracuse (second-most wins against one opponent in school history behind 32 wins against Marquette) … the Fighting Irish have won the last 15 games in the series, as well as 27 of the last 28 matchups with the Orange … the Fighting Irish are 13-1 all-time on the road against Syracuse, including a 5-0 record since the Orange began playing their home games at the Carrier Dome in 2005-06 … this marked the fifth time in the last eight series games Notre Dame has defeated Syracuse by 13 points or fewer … the Fighting Irish scored at least 70 points for the 25th time in 30 career games against Syracuse, while the Orange reached that mark for only the fifth time in series history, and first since Jan. 30, 2010 (a 74-73 Notre Dame win at the Carrier Dome) … the Fighting Irish are 57-5 (.919) all-time against teams from the state of New York, including a 27-5 (.844) record away from home (road/neutral sites combined) … Notre Dame has won 15 of its last 16 games against New York schools … since 2008-09, the Fighting Irish are 50-10 (.833) when playing on one day’s rest or less, including a 5-0 record this season … Notre Dame shot at least 50 percent from the field for the fifth consecutive game and the 11th time this season … Loyd posted her team-high 10th 20-point game this season and 25th of her career … Loyd moved into 14th place on the Fighting Irish all-time scoring list with 1,465 points, passing Sandy Botham (1,460 from 1984-88) … Loyd scored in double figures for the 58th consecutive game, continuing the second-longest streak in school history … Turner posted her third consecutive “5-5-5” game and her second double-double in three games (she had 14 points/16 rebounds at UCLA exactly one week ago on Dec. 28) … Turner logged her second career 20-point game, following her career-high 29 points in her college debut against UMass Lowell on Nov. 14 at Purcell Pavilion … Turner’s seven blocks were the most by a Notre Dame player in a single game since March 20, 2012, when Devereaux Peters recorded seven blocks against California in the second round of the NCAA Championship at Purcell Pavilion … Notre Dame’s nine blocks tied its season high set in that season-opening win over UMass Lowell.
Up Next For The Fighting Irish: Notre Dame continues its two-game ACC road swing at 7 p.m. (ET) Thursday when the Fighting Irish travel to Coral Gables, Florida, to take on Miami at the BankUnited Center. The game recently was added to the Notre Dame women’s basketball television package and will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, while radio coverage will be available in South Bend on Pulse FM (96.9/92.1) and free of charge worldwide online through the official Notre Dame athletics multimedia platform, WatchND (watchnd.tv)
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director