| GAME 12 | No. 3 Notre Dame (9-2) vs Loyola MD (5-4) |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | Sunday, Dec. 22 | 12 p.m. |
| WHERE | South Bend, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center |
| WATCH: | ACCNX |
| LISTEN: | Notre Dame Radio Network |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 15 Notre Dame (14-3, 5-2) will host a ranked team in Purcell Pavilion for the first time this season on Thursday, as the Irish welcome No. 22 Syracuse (16-2, 6-1). The teams saw each other at Syracuse on Dec. 31, and the Orange won, 86-81.
Notre Dame is coming off of a pair of wins last week and is riding a four-game win streak. Since a loss to UNC on Jan. 7, the Irish have averaged 82.3 points per game and are shooting 47.1 percent from the floor as a group. They have won the last four contests by an average of 22.5 points per game.
But Syracuse provides a different challenge, one that Notre Dame struggled with in New York on New Year’s Eve. The Irish currently rank 15th in the nation in rebounding margin (10.2), but Syracuse trampled them on the boards in the first matchup, 45-33.
“There is so much to learn from,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey told the media on Wednesday. “The rebounding battle, we didn’t take care of the ball, we missed out on transition opportunities. It was one of those losses that made us come back and work. We’ve really been focusing on the small details.”
Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair is the reigning ACC Player of the Week after averaging 26.5 points per game last week and making 15 shots from behind the arc in wins over No. 15 Florida State and Pittsburgh. On the season, she is one of four ACC players posting at least 20 points per game (20.5).
“I asked her when she was going to graduate in the lineups after the first game,” Ivey said with a smile. “I’m a fan of hers. She’s a great player, and it’s going to take a team effort. We’re going to try to do some things defensively, but she’s one of those players that’s just a bucket.”
Hannah Hidalgo guarded Fair for a significant portion of the first contest, but Hidalgo had an impressive game of her own. She had a career-high 32 points, a mark that still stands. She also had 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals.
Of note, Sonia Citron was unable to play in the first contest due to injury. She is obviously back and will see Syracuse for the first time this season on Thursday. Since her return, Citron is averaging 18 points per game (ninth in ACC play), and she leads the league with a 96.2 clip from the charity stripe.
Thursday’s game tips off at 7 p.m., and can be streamed on ACCNX. Notre Dame is 39-5 all-time against Syracuse.