Fighting Irish Defeat Mississippi St. 53-48, Advance to Sweet 16

How Candy It Is

The Notre Dame Combating Irish Girls’s Basketball group simply received carried out with a grinding recreation within the NCAA Event Spherical of 32. In a Sunday afternoon grudge match, the Irish got here away with the victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs 53-48. It was not the prettiest recreation from each groups, however a win is a win particularly in March Insanity.

How Issues Shook Out

This recreation was very low-scoring. Each groups scored 80+ in every of their Spherical of 64 video games, so this ultimate rating looks as if a typo, nevertheless it isn’t. Partially, pictures weren’t falling for both groups at occasions, and a few protection particularly from the Irish gamers helped make this one as low scoring because it was. Neither group scored greater than 15 factors in a single quarter, too.

The Irish took a 2-point lead into halftime and have been in a position to go on an 11-point run from the tip of the primary half till the halfway a part of the third quarter. Nevertheless, after the rating was 41-31, the Irish gave up a 10-0 run to the Bulldogs within the fourth quarter, inflicting Niele Ivey to name a timeout to have everybody regroup after the sport was tied. That appeared to assist, because the Irish gave up simply 7 extra factors within the final 6+ minutes of the sport.

What actually helped the Irish get the victory was the play of Lauren Ebo. She had 18 rebounds, beating this system NCAA Event file of 16 by Katryna Gaither in 1997. This recreation was actually received on the boards, because the Irish received 49 rebounds to Miss. St.’s 32, and 37 of the 49 boards have been defensive, too. It was a battle of a recreation, however one which the Irish got here away victors. Sonia Citron had a fairly quiet 14 factors, happening a scoring drought throughout the second and third quarters. Ebo was the one different participant with a double-digit level whole with 10.

Subsequent Up

The Irish transfer onto the Candy 16 subsequent weekend in Greenville, SC. The Irish await the winner of Maryland/Arizona performed on Sunday night. The sport might be Saturday at a time TBA.