In a top-10 clash in Cassell Coliseum, No. 5 Notre Dame pulled away from No. 6 Virginia Tech thanks to a dominant fourth quarter, winning 63-52 on Sunday afternoon.
Though the Hokies (10-1, 1-1 ACC) led for two-thirds of the game, they struggled in spurts offensively. The Irish took advantage, outscoring Tech 23-9 in the final frame. VT entered the period with a three-point lead, but the Irish (9-1, 1-0 ACC) used an 11-0 run over a five-minute span to seal the deal.
“Not the outcome we wanted,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said afterwards. “Disappointed that we kind of let it get away from us in the fourth quarter. … They had some players that made some plays, and kind of indicative of the outcome, we would come down and some shots we needed to make, we didn’t.”
Tech got out to a hot start and led 16-9 after 10 minutes, but things soon leveled out. Notre Dame slowly grew into the game; after making just three of its 15 field goals in the first quarter, it was 6-of-14.
Off the back of a triple-double vs. Merrimack, sophomore guard Olivia Miles struggled early for the Irish, missing eight of her first nine shots. Instead, the production came from many other places. Three other ND players joined Miles in double figures: Lauren Ebo (15 points), Sonia Citron (11) and Maddy Westbeld (10).
At the same time, Tech struggled, specifically after Georgia Amoore picked up her second foul at the 5:51-mark. The Hokies’ approach changed. They missed 15 consecutive baskets with the offense out of sync, which opened the door for ND. Brooks didn’t use his bench much at all either.
“When she got her second foul midway through the second quarter, it kind of took the air out of our momentum,” Brooks said.
With former All-American Ashley Owusu out due to a broken pinky on her shooting hand, D’asia Gregg was the lone sub for the entire afternoon. In the end, tired legs played an interesting role.
“I thought we were fatigued,” Brooks said. “They made some plays down the stretch and we just came up a bit short. … There were some shots we normally can make, but they made the plays when they had to.”
In the second quarter, however, Notre Dame roared back and tied the game at 22 before halftime. After the break, both sides heated up. The two heavyweights traded punches.
Tech’s success ran through Amoore, who scored 13 of her 20 points in that 10-minute span. The Hokies were also 4-of-6 from distance, and just like they had all season, they led entering the fourth quarter, 43-40.
“I just knew that we needed something, I just became more aggressive,” Amoore said.
That’s when the tables turned, though. The Irish, who grew more efficient offensively with each quarter, couldn’t be stopped in the fourth. They made 9-of-15 shots, got to the free throw line (5-of-5) and the Hokies couldn’t keep pace.
Much of that was thanks to Miles. She scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half and finished with 13 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. And as Notre Dame did in seven of its nine previous games, it posted 40-plus points in the paint, finishing with 42.
The Hokies limited the three-ball – ND was 1-of-8 – but the combination of Ebo and Westbeld tore them up. On the flip side, Tech faced a very physical interior and scored just 16 points down low, the second-lowest mark of the year. Only Tennessee held VT to fewer (10).
“That’s always our gameplan, either pace or dominate inside,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “That’s a great stat, 42 points in the paint. Credit to Ebo, I feel like she always comes in and gets a spark. She’s the most efficient post that I’ve coached.”
Elizabeth Kitley finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds, but she only attempted 12 shots. ND did a solid job limiting her opportunities, forcing Virginia Tech to find production from other places.
The result: Kayana Traylor, Taylor Soule, Cayla King and D’asia Gregg combined for just 16 points and shot a combined 6-of-36 (16%). Defensively, the group had success, but as the game wore on, the Hokies couldn’t go punch-for-punch with the Irish.
It’s rare to see a group as talented as that one not be able to find success, but Tech didn’t have any answers. In fact, it’s just the third time in the last two years King hasn’t scored in a game. Tech lost each of the contests – to Liberty, Florida Gulf Coast and Notre Dame (Sunday), respectively.
Given the record crowd of 4,206 – the most fans at a game since 2008 – it was a disappointing result for the Hokies. But they’ll have more opportunities at top-10 wins as the season progresses against teams like North Carolina and NC State. They’ll be able to grow from Sunday's defeat, starting on Wednesday at High Point.
“If you had told me that we had a chance to go 11-1 before the break,” Brooks said, “even with the preseason No. 13 ranking, I would’ve been like, ‘Okay, that’s really good.’ … They’ll let this sting and we’ll get back at it tomorrow and get ready for High Point.”
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