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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish advance to ACC Championship

By Jordan Small

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Marina Mabrey #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates her teams lead late in the game against the Connecticut Huskies during the second half in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on March 30, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Connecticut Huskies 91-89. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Marina Mabrey #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates her teams lead late in the game against the Connecticut Huskies during the second half in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on March 30, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Connecticut Huskies 91-89. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame women’s basketball team picked up their second win at the ACC Tournament, beating Syracuse in the semifinals, 91-66.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team set out on day two of the ACC Tournament with one goal in mind. In the semifinals of the tournament, the Irish were taking on 18th-ranked Syracuse. Just like when the Irish played the Orange at the Carrier Dome in February, the offensive carried them to another big win. Jackie Young led all scorers with 18 points. Jessica Shepard and Marina Mabrey both added 16 points of their own in the win.

Defensive struggles

Early on, it looked like it was going to be a battle for the Irish as the Orange came out firing. Syracuse is known for taking a lot of threes and that was no different on Saturday. Against the 2-3 zone of the Irish, Syracuse took 23 shots from beyond the arc. This created challenges for the Irish and forced them to play more matchup style defense, which they struggle with. In the second half, they were able to play a bit better on the defensive end in large part due to the 29 defensive rebounds they were able to grab.

Scoring balance keeps Irish moving

While the defense struggled, the offense was in full rhythm once again. Because the offense was able to take control, it took a lot of pressure off the defense. A big reason for the Irish playing so well offensively is because of the balance. All five scorers were in double figures again, but not one had over 20 points. Jackie Young led the way with 18 points. Another thing that played a huge role was the bench. For the first time in a while, the bench was able to actually put together points. While 15 bench points might not seem like a lot, it helps in a tournament when you play three games in three days.

Marina Mabrey sets record

Another offensive record was broken for the Irish on Saturday. Coming in, Marina Mabrey needed just four three-pointers to pass Alicia Ratay for most three-pointers all time in Notre Dame history. She hit her fourth in the fourth quarter, breaking the record. Mabrey now has 263 threes in her career.

Next. Notre Dame Basketball: Irish Suffer Familiar Fate in Regular Season Finale. dark

Next Up

The Irish will now face off against the winner of Louisville-North Carolina State in the ACC Tournament Championship. The game is on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.