Spell Guts with a capital “G.”
Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team didn’t just win the Dayton Regional Monday night. The Irish imposed their will. Final Four, baby!
In a matter of 40 minutes, Rocky Top became Orange whipped.
Notre Dame’s 73-59 win over Tennessee was a product of determination; a refusal to flinch with the game on the line.
Now that was must-see TV.
It seemed like a game in Knoxville, rather than Dayton. Orange-clad fans, 360 degrees. They got quiet in a hurry.
Tennessee may have held the edge on size, healthy bodies and big-time individual athletes. But Notre Dame was the better team. No question. Case closed.
Credit Irish coach Muffet McGraw with her best coaching job in the last decade. Becca Bruszewski playing on one knee. Natalie Novosel hobbled. Foul trouble for Devereaux Peters. McGraw rolled the dice with her standard seven-player rotation and held their ground with Tennessee’s 11-deep.
But one player stood above the rest: Skylar Diggins.
The sophomore guard’s 24 points and four assists came along with confident game management and a smothering defense.
This was her defining game.
Touted as the nation’s top recruit two years ago, it took a while for her to finally live up to that billing. There have been struggles. Poor shooting nights. Lack of value for the basketball. Defensive lapses.
Monday, it all came together.
“Skylar just has that confidence,” said McGraw. “She was like, ‘I’ve got this.’ She kept looking over like, ‘I’ve got this, don’t worry.’”
That subtle confidence was a big factor in the Irish not buckling to the Tennessee pressure. The Vols owned the boards, 46-34; 22-10 on the offensive glass. That’s all the Irish yielded.
After committing 24 turnovers in Saturday’s win over Oklahoma, Notre Dame tightened up its game, giving the ball away just 16 times Monday.
Most of that was Diggins.
Defensively, Tennessee point guard Meighan Simmons hit just 1-of-11 shots, and the Vols committed 19 turnovers.
Again, mostly Diggins.
Stubborn when she had to be. Cocky when she wanted to be. Focused – for 40 minutes.
“Every game this year, she’s grown,” said Irish assistant Niele Ivey, Diggins’ personal tutor. “In the tournament, she’s raised her game to the next level. She gives us what we need. When she’s not hitting (her shots), she finds people who are.
“She understands how to run the team now. It’s about her learning and wanting to get better.”
Early in the second half, Diggins made a huge impact. Peters had just been sent to the bench with her third foul. Irish led by four. Diggins took over, made a pair of 3-pointers, grabbed two rebounds, then delivered two nifty passes that led to layups by Novosel and Bruszewski.
She refused to let the lead slip away.
“She was amazing,” said McGraw. “She’s a gamer.”
“No question Skylar Diggins was the player that made them go,” said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who didn’t need 37 years of experience to figure that out.
Diggins’ sensational performance didn’t happen by accident. She was ready for it from the start.
This is a team built on goofy dances and funny gestures. Bright lights turn on. Seconds before tip-off. Game face in place? Not so much.
Diggins left the Irish huddle, joked with Ivey, then did a wild dance with Peters on their way to center court. What butterflies?
“It’s a game,” said Diggins, putting the monumental achievement into perspective. “We worked hard to be here. We’re happy to be around each other. We love our teammates and our coaches. You can’t make this a business thing.”
The ride’s not over yet. Might as well run the table.
This team’s got the Guts to do it.
Spell Guts with a capital “G.”
Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team didn’t just win the Dayton Regional Monday night. The Irish imposed their will. Final Four, baby!
In a matter of 40 minutes, Rocky Top became Orange whipped.
Notre Dame’s 73-59 win over Tennessee was a product of determination; a refusal to flinch with the game on the line. Now that was must-see TV.
It seemed like a game in Knoxville, rather than Dayton. Orange-clad fans, 360 degrees. They got quiet in a hurry. Tennessee may have held the edge on size, healthy bodies and big-time individual athletes. But Notre Dame was the better team. No question. Case closed.
Credit Irish coach Muffet McGraw with her best coaching job in the last decade. Becca Bruszewski playing on one knee. Natalie Novosel hobbled. Foul trouble for Devereaux Peters. McGraw rolled the dice with her standard seven-player rotation and held their ground with Tennessee’s 11-deep.
But one player stood above the rest: Skylar Diggins. The sophomore guard’s 24 points and four assists came along with confident game management and a smothering defense. This was her defining game. Touted as the nation’s top recruit two years ago, it took a while for her to finally live up to that billing. There have been struggles. Poor shooting nights. Lack of value for the basketball. Defensive lapses.
Monday, it all came together. “Skylar just has that confidence,” said McGraw. “She was like, ‘I’ve got this.’ She kept looking over like, ‘I’ve got this, don’t worry.’”
That subtle confidence was a big factor in the Irish not buckling to the Tennessee pressure. The Vols owned the boards, 46-34; 22-10 on the offensive glass. That’s all the Irish yielded.
After committing 24 turnovers in Saturday’s win over Oklahoma, Notre Dame tightened up its game, giving the ball away just 16 times Monday.
Most of that was Diggins. Defensively, Tennessee point guard Meighan Simmons hit just 1-of-11 shots, and the Vols committed 19 turnovers.
Again, mostly Diggins.
Stubborn when she had to be. Cocky when she wanted to be. Focused – for 40 minutes. “Every game this year, she’s grown,” said Irish assistant Niele Ivey, Diggins’ personal tutor. “In the tournament, she’s raised her game to the next level. She gives us what we need. When she’s not hitting (her shots), she finds people who are.
“She understands how to run the team now. It’s about her learning and wanting to get better.” Early in the second half, Diggins made a huge impact. Peters had just been sent to the bench with her third foul. Irish led by four. Diggins took over, made a pair of 3-pointers, grabbed two rebounds, then delivered two nifty passes that led to layups by Novosel and Bruszewski.
She refused to let the lead slip away.
“She was amazing,” said McGraw. “She’s a gamer.”
“No question Skylar Diggins was the player that made them go,” said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who didn’t need 37 years of experience to figure that out.
Diggins’ sensational performance didn’t happen by accident. She was ready for it from the start.
This is a team built on goofy dances and funny gestures. Bright lights turn on. Seconds before tip-off. Game face in place? Not so much.
Diggins left the Irish huddle, joked with Ivey, then did a wild dance with Peters on their way to center court. What butterflies?
“It’s a game,” said Diggins, putting the monumental achievement into perspective. “We worked hard to be here. We’re happy to be around each other. We love our teammates and our coaches. You can’t make this a business thing.”
The ride’s not over yet. Might as well run the table.
This team’s got the Guts to do it.
