EASTON, Pa. – The nationally-ranked (No. 6) Notre Dame Fighting Irish came to a near-capacity Kirby Sports Center on Sunday afternoon to take on the Lafayette women's basketball team. The Maroon and White battled the visitors to a 91-55 final.

Junior guard Sauda Ntaconayigze finished with a career-high 17 points and shot 50 percent (4-8) from beyond the arc, while adding a career-high eight rebounds and three assists. Fellow classmate Kay Donahue also recorded a career-high 18 points against the Fighting Irish. The Belle Mead, N.J. native shot 8-16 from the field and grabbed six rebounds and two steals.

Lafayette held Notre Dame to its lowest point differential of the season (36 points).  

Notre Dame's Sonia Citron opened the scoring with a layup, but Ntaconayigize responded at the eight-minute mark with a triple (5-3). The Leopards trailed 9-5 before Donahue grabbed a steal and knocked down a triple to cut the deficit to a sole point. Phillipsburg, N.J. native Oliva Miles (8) and Hannah Hidalgo (7) combined for 15 points, grabbing a 28-13 lead after the first quarter.

The Fighting Irish maintained their momentum in the second period, outscoring the Leopards 26-15. Hidalgo led Notre Dame with 12 points, while dishing out four assists. Ntaconayigize dropped in five points in the second quarter, while Donahue and sophomore forward Tasha Chudy each had four. At the intermission, Notre Dame led 54-28.

The visitors shot 52.9 percent from the field in the third quarter, but the Maroon and White held them to shooting 2-7 from deep. Kate Koval had a big quarter for the Fighting Irish, notching three rejections and seven boards. Donahue (4), Ntaconayigize (3) and senior guard Abby Antognoli (4) were the the Leopards' scorers in the period. With 10 minutes to go in Easton, the visitors led 74-39.

The Leopards' best offensive quarter was the final one. Lafayette dropped in 16 points to Notre Dame's 17 and the hosts shot 36.4 percent from downtown. Hidalgo scored six points for Notre Dame on 2-2 for shooting.


Lafayette returns to the court on Friday as it travels to No. 15 West Virginia for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
 

To keep up with the Lafayette women's basketball team, follow its social media pages.

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