NC State upsets No. 7 Notre Dame behind electric 3rd quarter

NC State made a statement Sunday afternoon. The No. 20 Wolfpack hosted No. 7 Notre Dame looking to build momentum coming off of consecutive conference wins. Behind an explosive third quarter and a sold out Reynolds Coliseum, the Wolfpack defeated its ACC rival 69-65.

A one-two offensive punch of Diamond Johnson and Mimi Collins made a huge difference in the second half. 

Collins was on fire in the third quarter, hitting all 3 of her shots for 7 points, while also grabbing a pair of rebounds and making a difference defensively with a block and a steal. She finished with 13 total points. 

“For me, it’s patience, just letting the ball come to me,” Collins said. “I have great teammates, and I’m set up around amazing people.”

Johnson, who led the Pack in points, with 20, rebounds, with 8, and assists with 5, elaborated on the team’s offensive approach once Collins got hot. 

“You just keep feeding them the ball,” Johnson said. “And then, when she gets cold, I get hot.”

The star point guard hit a trio of threes in the third quarter before then scoring 6 points in the final period. She was the only member of the Wolfpack to score more than two fourth-quarter points.

The first quarter was fast-pased, and no fouls were called on either team. Notre Dame took a 20-15 lead into the break after a late bucket. 

NC State came out for the second quarter ready to respond. The Irish opened its lead up to seven points to start the period, but the Pack responded with an 8-0 run to take thee lead. After giving up 20 points in the first quarter, NC State’s defense allowed just 9 points and held the visiting team to just 23.1 percent shooting from the floor. 

Head coach Wes Moore specifically shouted out Madison Hayes’ defense on Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron.

The Wolfpack did a tremendous job disrupting the passing lanes of Notre Dame and star guard Olivia Miles, forcing 8 turnovers in the second period. While the Irish play a tall lineup and won the rebounding battle, NC State dominated in the interior and outscored its opponent 20-12 in the paint during that quarter. 

Notre Dame is not known for its three-point shooting, making the third-fewest shots from deep of any team in the ACC coming into Sunday’s matchup. The Wolfpack limited opportunities on the interior, and the Irish finished the half 2 of 10 from 3. 

Saniya Rivers scored 6 points, secured 4 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and recorded 2 steals in the first 20 minutes. After the game, Collins called the second period the team’s best quarter of the year.

Coming out of the halftime break, NC State maintained its first-half intensity and expanded its lead to 11, with Reynolds Coliseum erupting when Johnson hit a huge 3 with 6:09 left. 

After the Wolfpack expanded its lead to as many as 16, Notre Dame began pressing and trapping its opponent in the backcourt, leading to some turnovers. The Irish went on a run and pulled within one score at one point. 

Johnson complemented the crowd, and the impact it had late in the game, after the win.

“I think they kind of knew that we needed a clap,” Johnson said. “We needed it because they went on their little run. I know they probably was a little anxious, but they fired us up and stuff, so the fans [are] definitely a big part of why we win a lot at home.”

The junior guard made a couple of shots and hit two free throws which helped secure the Wolfpack win. NC State’s phenomenal defense kept Notre Dame from getting a shot off in the final 30 seconds of the game while leading by four. That led to a timeout by the Irish with fewer than 10 seconds to go, and the Wolfpack secured the win after a pair missed three-point attempts in the last 2 seconds. 

Sunday’s victory was NC State’s third-consecutive win. Moore elaborated on the impact pf the program’s last couple of games.

“I looked at our schedule,” Moore said. “We were 500, and we were going to Louisville and then had Notre Dame coming here. It was kind of scary looking, as far as what could happen, and so these are two really big wins, and I count Miami as a big win as well.”

NC State now stands 16-5 on the year and 6-4 in the ACC, with a road matchup against Georgia Tech set for Thursday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m..