Syracuse Basketball: Notre Dame defeats SU in the Carrier Dome for 1st time since 2007

For the first time since January 30th, 2007, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated Syracuse Basketball in the Carrier Dome. ITLH breaks it down.

First half:

The Orange stormed out to a 9-1 lead after Tyus Battle scored three running layups, and freshman forward Oshae Brissett hit a spot-up three-pointer.

After shooting just 4-12 (1-7 from three) in Syracuse’ loss to Wake Forest, Battle came out hot in the Carrier Dome on Saturday, making his first three shots. Through the first eight minutes, Brissett already had four points and five rebounds, and was well on his way to recording yet another double-double.

With 9:21 remaining, Notre Dame cut the Syracuse lead to two after an easy lay-in following a Marek Dolezaj block.

Syracuse heats up:

With 8:19 remaining in the first, Battle extended Syracuse’ lead to five with a three-pointer. After a Notre Dame turnover on the ensuing possession, Frank Howard scored a layup after a stunning euro-step move on an Irish defender. With just under eight minutes left in the first, the Orange were suddenly up 15-8, and Brissett already had eight rebounds.

After a timeout, the Orange forced a Notre Dame shot clock violation, and on the next Irish possession, forced another turnover.

With 6:28, Brissett picked up his second foul of the game, and Jim Boeheim was not ready to take any chances, taking him out of the game immediately. In his place, freshman guard Howard Washington checked into the game.

In his first offensive possession, Washington turned the ball over on a bad pass to Howard, and the Irish cut the Orange lead to three off the turnover.

After a Paschal Chukwu layup on the other end, the Orange forced another turnover, and with 4:49 left, Dolezaj extended the lead to 19-12 after hitting a pair of free throws.

With 4:15 left, Howard hit a deep three, and extended the lead to 10 points. On the ensuing possession, Notre Dame guard TJ Gibbs hit his second three of the half and cut the Orange lead to seven. On the next Orange possession, Brissett responded with a three of his own, and the Orange were once again up 10.

With 1:11 left in the first half, Howard hit another three-pointer and put the Orange up 11.

Syracuse struggles on the boards:

The Orange were lucky to carry a nine-point lead into halftime after the Irish grabbed a ridiculous 11 offensive rebounds in the first half.

Syracuse’s defense dominates:

As a team, Syracuse limited Notre Dame to just 21% from the field and 18% from three-point land. The Orange forced nine Irish turnovers, and fueled by three Chukwu first-half blocks, the Orange recorded four in the first 20 minutes.

Syracuse shoots well in period one:

Entering the half, Brissett, Battle and, Howard each scored at least seven points. Through the first 20 minutes, Brissett already had 10 rebounds and was bound to achieve another double-double. As a team, the Orange shot a strong 10-20 from the floor and 5-8 (62.5%) from three.

TJ Gibbs keeps things close

Thanks to 14 first-half points on a strong 5-10 shooting, Notre Dame point guard TJ Gibbs kept Saturday’s game closer than it should have been through 20 minutes.

Second Half:

Notre Dame dominates early:

30 seconds into the second-half the Irish cut the Orange lead to 28-22 on a Rex Pflueger three-pointer. After a Syracuse miss, Gibbs cut the Orange lead to four on a running layup. Suddenly, the Irish were on a 7-0 run, and you could hear a pin drop in the Carrier Dome.

Less than three minutes into the half, Brissett picked up his third foul. On the next play, the Irish hit another three, and the Orange found themselves up just one point.

Syracuse fires back:

With 16:49 left, Battle hit a jumper, ended the Irish run, and put the Orange up three. After an Elijah Burns turnover, Brissett hit his third three-pointer of the game off the turnover and officially had his eighth double-double of the year.

The Orange were suddenly up six points, led by Brissett, Syracuse was shooting a ridiculous 67% from three-point land. With 13:00 remaining, Irish forward Austin Torres scored a layup and cut the Syracuse lead to 33-31. On the ensuing possession, Battle hit another three, and put Syracuse up five.

After a forceful John Mooney alley-oop from Gibbs, Battle was fouled and scored his 13th and 14th points from the charity stripe.

Too close for comfort:

Halfway through the second half, the Orange were being outrebounded on the offensive end 16-4, yet were able to still maintain a four-point lead.

With 6:47 remaining, Pflueger cut the Irish deficit to one with a three-pointer, Boeheim immediately called a timeout and was nothing short of furious. After the timeout, Howard grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the basketball. The bucket marked the 14th game in which Howard has scored 10 or more points this season.

With 4:42, Burns grabbed another offensive board and cut the Orange lead to one with the putback layup. On the ensuing possession, a Bourama Sidibe layup put the Orange back up three. Less than 20 seconds later, an Irish dunk once again cut the Orange lead to just one point.

With 3:12 remaining, Syracuse’ clutch 2-3 zone defense forced a Notre Dame turnover. On the ensuing possession, Howard drew an offensive foul, and Irish had a chance to take their first lead since 1-0. After Sidibe blocked a Torres dunk attempt, Howard turned the ball over, and then committed his third foul of the game.

Shooting in the bonus, Gibbs hit both free throws, and the Irish went up 45-44. After a Syracuse miss, Notre Dame forward Martinas Geben scored a layup and put Notre Dame up 47-44. On the ensuing possession, Battle scored a layup and cut the Irish lead to one. However, Notre Dame was fouled on the next possession, hit two free throws, and extended the Irish lead to three. With 48 seconds remaining, Battle hit a spot-up three and tied things up at 49.

Tyus Battle, who waited for the final shot, turned the ball over with eight seconds remaining, the Irish scored on the fast break and defeated the Orange 51-49.

By the numbers:

For Syracuse:

The Irish’ 21 offensive rebounds were 13 more than the Orange. Syracuse’ big three of Battle, Howard and Brissett combined for 41 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists. After shooting 50% from the floor in the first half, the Orange finished the game 18-46 (39%).

For Notre Dame:

After shooting just 21% from the floor in the first half, Notre Dame finished the game 17-56 (30%) from the field. Gibbs and Pflueger combined for 30 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.

Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History

What’s next?

The Orange (12-4) will look to win their second game in conference play against the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers, who are coming off a convincing 61-49 win over No. 12 North Carolina.