Duke Makes A Statement With Win Over No. 18 Notre Dame
Duke Upsets No. 18 Notre Dame
Upset minded Duke Blue Devils had something to show today against No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame came in after an upset loss to Georgia Tech on January 1, and today would bring another loss.
Some questioned Duke’s ability to win ranked matchups after the non conference results they had early in the season, but that is what builds a team for the conference run. Losses against South Carolina, LSU, and UCLA are nothing to scoff at. The Blue Devils are now on a six game winning streak, and are 4-0 in the ACC. That is the key thing.
This game was controlled by Duke the whole way, as they led for 90.3 percent of the game. That equals 36:06 with the lead. Notre Dame just had a tough day getting good quality shots without the Blue Devils contesting. The Blue Devils forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 17 points.
Duke ran the floor today, and that showed in the numbers. They finished with 19 fastbreak points to Notre Dame’s 4. That is a big difference in clear scoring chances for each team.
They also made life uncomfortable in the paint. Watching the game, you could see bodies crashing, hands active, and constant disruption. What could have been easy points inside for Notre Dame turned into contested shots and key misses.
Toby Fournier stepped up in a big way, and teammate Taina Mair filled the stat sheet as well. Fournier was everywhere and smart with her handling of the game. She drew so much attention, and often found a wide open teammate for the easy score. Fournier finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. When Fournier scores 18 or more, Duke is now 8-0.
Taina Mair had an equally strong outing, finishing with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Her poise and decision making on the offensive end really stood out, and honestly that was the case across the board for Duke. They ran the court well, made the extra pass, and kept finding shots that worked within the flow of the game.
Even when Notre Dame looked like it was set to take away a shot in the paint, Duke simply kicked it out to a wide-open shooter from three. The Blue Devils were fully locked in and aware today, and Notre Dame really had no way to stop it. Ashlon Jackson was a staple on the floor with 38 minutes and brought the energy.
She would not be denied, shooting 4 of 5 from behind the arc, posting 13 points, and playing tough defense. She disrupted Notre Dame’s rhythm and limited their possession length with four steals.
For Notre Dame, star Hannah Hidalgo did get some good shots up and tried to will the Irish back in the second half. She finished the day with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, shooting 4 of 8 from behind the arc. Even with that effort, Duke’s defense still did enough to stay in front and keep her from taking over the game. You could see the determination and frustration in the second half late, as she was giving it all she had.
Much credit to the Blue Devils, they simply got after it today. The aggressiveness on defense paid off from start to finish. The offensive awareness and smart play was on the mark, and it showed in the final result.
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