http://cuse.com/news/2015/1/4/WBB_0104155853.aspx
#21/22 Syracuse Loses to #4 Notre Dame
Butler and Henderson each recorded 19 points on Sunday
Next Game:
at Duke
1/8/2015 - 6:30 p.m.
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 21/22 Syracuse University women's basketball team trailed by only one point at the half, but ultimately suffered an 85-74 loss to No. 4/4 Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome.
"I thought that we did a very good job of just staying with our game plan," head coach
Quentin Hillsman stated. "We really wanted to be aggressive, get up and down the floor, and play well in transition. But, they just had a couple players, Jewell Loyd and Brianna Turner, that are very special players. They did what they needed to do to win the game. There was just one run at the end that we just couldn't answer."
Senior guard
Diamond Henderson and junior guard
Brianna Butler each tallied 19 points on the day against Notre Dame (14-1, 2-0). For Henderson, it marked her fifth straight game with at least 14 points. Butler knocked down three 3-point field goals and set a season-high in scoring.
2,158 people came out on Sunday afternoon to watch the top-25 ACC clash. It marked the largest home crowd for the Syracuse women's basketball team (10-4, 0-1) since Jan. 25, 2012.
The Fighting Irish seemed to seize the early momentum, jumping out to a 9-4 lead in the first three minutes of the contest. Syracuse did not back down and responded immediately. Butler knocked down a long 2-point field goal and hit one from downtown in a matter of 13 seconds to tie things up with 16:46 left in the opening half.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first 20 minutes of the game, with four lead changes. Syracuse used a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the game with 1:27 left, holding 41-37 advantage. Henderson had four points in that stretch.
Notre Dame closed the period on a 5-0 run of its own. Freshman forward Brianna Turner had all five points for the Fighting Irish to give the visitors a 42-41 edge heading into the locker room.
Out of the break, Notre Dame outscored Syracuse, 24-12, to take a 66-53 lead with 10:27 remaining. A 7-0 Orange run would put the team right back in the thick of it. Junior forward
Taylor Ford had four points in that time. Ford finished with 12 points, her fourth game in double-figures.
Behind back-to-back 3-point plays from Henderson, Syracuse would cut the Notre Dame lead to 73-67 with five minutes remaining. That would be the closest it would get for the rest of regulation, as the Fighting Irish would go onto record an 85-74 victory.
The Syracuse women's basketball team takes on its second straight top-25 opponent when it travels to No. 10/12 Duke on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3, as well.