The women’s basketball team gave a good account of itself but was comfortably beaten by No. 6 Notre Dame by a score of 91-55 on Sunday. The game was played in front of a near-sell-out crowd at Kirby Sports Center.
The Leopards (1-3 overall) traded scores with the Fighting Irish (4-0 overall) to start the game, with junior forward Sauda Ntaconayigize and junior guard Kay Donahue each hitting 3-pointers to keep the Leopards within fighting distance early in the first quarter.
However, Notre Dame would begin to impose its will midway through the first frame, connecting on four 3-pointers en route to a 19-5 run, opening a 28-13 lead.
The second quarter brought more of the same from the visitors, who went on a 14-4 run with four more made 3-pointers to take a 42-17 lead midway through the second. The Fighting Irish dominated the Leopards in transition, generating clean looks before the Leopards could get back into their defensive shape.
“They go really fast, so you have to be more composed on offense and defense,” Ntaconayigize said. “I think we had to get back faster so we could be there, match up and not give open threes.”
The Leopards would find some offensive success to close the quarter, with sophomore forward Tasha Chudy and Donahue both notching four points, and Ntaconayigize adding another triple. It was not enough to quell Notre Dame’s pressure, as the Fighting Irish took a 54-28 lead into the half. Notre Dame shot 55% from three in the first half, getting 33 of its points from beyond the arc.
The visitors would look to get up and running again in the third, opening the second half with a 7-0 run. The Leopards would find a run of their own just moments later, after senior guard Abby Antognoli stole the ball and scored, sparking a 7-2 stretch. Donahue would add four more points throughout the third, but Notre Dame continued to build their lead, taking a 74-39 lead into the final quarter.
“I hope we take away the quickness that they moved the ball,” Donahue said. “I think that’s something that we need to work on, and that they do very well.”
Lafayette would have their best quarter in the fourth. A string of three straight made 3-pointers from Antognoli, Ntaconayigize and senior guard Halee Smith forced Notre Dame into an early time-out, and Donahue would add a fourth three shortly after.
The Fighting Irish battled back as the quarter continued, but were ultimately held to 17 points in the frame, making this their lowest-scoring game of the season with a final score of 91-55.
“I think the idea of making sure they don’t make 100 on us, that kind of amped up our defense,” Donahue said. “We said ‘Hey, we’re playing the top girls in the nation, let’s work on our defense here, push it in offense and play our game.’”
Ntaconayigize and Donahue led the stats for the Leopards, scoring 17 and 18 points respectively. Despite the heavy defeat, both players expressed how playing a high-caliber opponent in front of a large crowd was a positive experience.
“We’ve never had this many people, so it was a really fun environment to be in,” Ntaconayigize said.
“Women’s basketball doesn’t usually get crowds like this,” Donahue said. “When you’re playing a top-six team in the country, you have to just have fun and enjoy the moment.”
The Leopards will travel to Morgantown, West Virginia, to take on another nationally ranked opponent on Friday night when they face No. 13 West Virginia University (5-0 overall).
