KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - There’s just something about the Irish on Rocky Top.
On Wednesday, No. 18 Notre Dame (6-1) overcame a 16-point third quarter deficit to beat No. 20 Tennessee (4-3), 74-69. The last time the Irish visited Tennessee, they overcame a 23-point deficit and won in the largest comeback win in program history.
“I’m super proud,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said after Wednesday’s game. “The way that we responded and the way that we fought to pull out that victory out on the road is tremendous.”
The first half of the first quarter was a back and forth affair before Notre Dame went cold. The Irish ended frame No. 1 with a scoring drought of nearly 4 minutes, going 1-13 from the floor. Thankfully for Notre Dame, Tennessee wasn’t too hot either. The Lady Vols shot 35 percent in the first quarter.
Notre Dame ultimately went into the locker room down 37-25. It was Notre Dame’s lowest scoring half of the year. At that point, Bransford was the leading scorer with 8. Both Maddy Westbeld and Nat Marshall had 5 rebounds each.
The Irish came alive to start the second half.
Notre Dame opened the third quarter with a 9-10 showing from the floor. They got the Lady Vols’ lead down to 2 with 20 seconds to go in that frame, 50-48. With 4:25 to go in the game, Notre Dame had its first lead since the middle of the first quarter. Anna DeWolfe hit a 10-foot jumper. Advantage Irish.
For the third straight game, Nat Marshall had at least 10 points. She entered the season with just two performances ever in double figures. Marshall hit three of four shots in a 2-minute span from 6:56 to 4:55 in the fourth quarter. She also had a pair of offensive rebounds to keep two possessions alive.
Notre Dame took a 70-68 lead with 48 seconds to go. Bransford’s turnaround jumper began to seal the deal. Westbeld hit 3 of 4 shots from the charity stripe to formally give Notre Dame the win.
When the clock hit zero, five Irish scored in double-figures. Marshall and Westbeld led the way with 15 points. Hidalgo had 13, Bransford had 12, and DeWolfe had 11. Westbeld had 11 rebounds, and Marshall had a career-high 9.
“I think it was staying confident and not rushing my shots,” Marshall said when asked what changed for her in the second half. “We started getting the shots we wanted.”
There were two very notable hustle stats for the Irish. Notre Dame turned the ball over just 7 times and forced Tennessee into 17 turnovers. Four of those were a result of Hidalgo steals. Notre Dame also outrebounded Tennessee 41 to 33. In the second half, it was 21 to 10. The Lady Vols entered the matchup averaging nearly 6 more rebounds than Notre Dame.
Of note, Ivey remains without First Team All-ACC guards Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron, and the Irish did not have Cassandre Prosper on Wednesday either. She is dealing with a lower leg issue and will be sidelined for a few weeks, per Ivey.