Notre Dame and Jewell Lloyd proved to be too tough of a match for Elizabeth Williams and Duke. These two ACC teams met up in South Bend, Indiana for the first time this season. Coming into the game, Notre Dame had a one game lead over Duke for the ACC title, two other teams in a tie with Duke for second place. A win would look good for Duke in hopes of making a big run in the NCAAW Tournament. Jewell Lloyd had other plans of ending that dream. Notre Dame shot the three well and had a very productive bench to outlast Duke 63-50.

Duke came out on fire in the opening minutes. Duke started on a 14-5 run in the first five minutes. Notre Dame turned it on by using the three pointers to their advantage. Jewell Lloyd and Madison Cable were four of six from beyond the arc. Jewell Lloyd would have 21 on the night.

The defense by Duke was allowing Notre Dame to be wide open and get good looks on the three pointers. That's why Notre Dame had the hot hand while shooting beyond the arc. Notre Dame led 34-24 at the half mark. 

At the beginning of the half, Duke tried to cut the deficit and regain the lead. This effort was helped by Notre Dame going cold on the three point shooting. They only made three out of the remaining attempts. Duke however didn't hit any of their 12 attempts in the game. Within the first few minutes, Notre Dame led Duke 34-30. That was the closest Duke would get. Notre Dame would go on an 11-0 run following that. Notre Dame would go on to win 63-50.

Notre Dame's bench played a pivotal role in the victory. At the half, Notre Dame's bench had 15 points where as Duke's bench had two. Also, the three point shots made were a factor in this victory. Having been unsuccessful in all 12 tries Duke was limited offensively.

Madison Cable had nine points for Notre Dame. All nine points came on the three point attempts. She provided a spark on the bench. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Williams was limited to 16 points and most of them in the second half.

Duke will face North Carolina State on Saturday. Notre Dame will face Georgia Tech on the road on Thursday which will lead to an ACC showdown in South Bend on Monday versus Louisville. 

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Missy Metz
Hello, my name is Missy. Hopefully you enjoy reading my articles! You can follow me on twitter or google plus. I am a Tampa native.