The State Florida sends Notre Dame WBB with 86-81 surprise victory into crisis mode

South Bend, Ind. – An hour and 18 minutes passed at the end of the game on Thursday evening until the excuse Niele Ivey Finally, made its way to the interview room to explain why a team that also looks that the best week is a team in the crisis.

An identity crisis, Ivey, the basketball team of the Notre Dame Women in the fifth year in the fifth year, said essentially during a seven-minute postgame-and-A after a confusing 86-81 loss of senior citizens due to its third-party Irish, who had a 24th place in Florida at Purcell Pavilion on Thursday.

Senior Guard Sonia CitronThe Ivey accompanied to the press conference and was still in uniform, put the potential path to salvation somewhat unploit.

“It's just a will we have to have,” said Citron, who led the Irish with 21 points and was the most constant defense in a team that suddenly came together in relation to this aspect of the game.

“I mean, we can speak everything we want,” continued Citron, “but if we don't change, if we don't do it, our season can end very quickly. I really just think that it is a will that every single player has to have.

“And again we talk about it all the time, but it's time for us Do It. You can only talk so much. ”

With her second defeat in a row, Notre Dame (24-4, 15-2 ACC) in the ACC tournament in Greensboro in Greensboro can no longer speak that the NC NC NC State (23: 5, 15: 2) in Greensboro has the NC-NC-NC (23-5, 15: 2).

Both teams end their regular seasons this Sunday, Notre Dame at home against No. 25 Louisville (20-8, 13-4) in a lunch start start on ESPN, the Wolfpack, which plays on the street at the ACC Bottom Feeder Smu (10-19, 2-15).

And a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, which has suddenly seemed a castle since mid-December, is a goal that the Irish will probably have to withdraw to secure them and maybe even get help from other teams.

“This team is such a talented group,” said Ivey. “We simply have to withdraw to our basics and habits and rely on our habits so that we can get better. But the motivation is there, because the goal is still the goal for us. “

Suddenly a team that never gave up more than 71 points during a winning streak of 19 games, 84 in regulation to the NC, followed and followed by giving 86 to the nation's No. 2 team, FSU (23-5, 13-4), which defeated the Irish in the 15-player series for the second time.

In the first quarter, the state of Florida shook a 4-on-20 shootout and a 15-point deficit at the beginning of the second quarter with a massive 27: 5 run with 44:40 half-time lead. Notre Dame rose at the beginning of the third quarter and took a lead of 53-52 to a Citron bucket, but the seminols answered with a 10 run.

And when the Irish came to one in the fourth quarter and with a free throw of 67-66 Hannah Hidalgo After 6:53, Florida State invented a 9-2 increase to lay away the game.

“Only very frustrated about our performance tonight,” said Ivey. “I didn't think we were trapped four quarters. I thought the State Florida did a really great job in her guards to get downhill.

“I thought [Makayla] Timpson Was really great of the inner presence, and we only showed our grit defensively. And that's an area when your trainer I have to fix it. I have to get better. I have to fix that for this team. “

Timpson had a double double at halftime and ended with 22 points and 17 rebounds. The nation's top scorer at 26.2 per game, Ta'niya LatsonAfter a 1: 9 start to the start and ended with a game of 23 after he had missed Florida State with an ankle injury in the last three games.

She also had nine assists with a playing game.

Hidalgo, the nation's second scorer, continued a slump in the rotation that has now reached five games. And the fact that her first support of the game on Thursday only occurred 1:52 is a confirmation that she is too hard to find her shot, which has an impact that it influences its selection and the general rhythm and the fluidity of the Irish crime.

The reigning all-American first team was 4 out of 18 from the field against the seminols and 0-to-2 from the 3-point line and made them from the field (.318) and 5: 25 out of 3 (.200) in the last five games.

“I'm just trying to bring her to the next game,” said Ivey when she was asked how she can be a coach Hidalgo to return to the form. “You know to watch films and play in the game and bring them to the next game.

“She is a high -ranking goal scorer, so sometimes she shoots back in the game with such goal scorers. But they just didn't fall in love with them tonight. ”

Hidalgo continues to come to the free -sausage line regularly and continues there. Her 8-von 10 exhibition in the strip on Thursday evening helped her with 16 points. Liatu King Had her 12th double double of the season (17 points, 11 rebounds) while Olivia Meilen Ready with calm 10 points.

Even calmer, senior graduate Maddy Westbeld was limited to 13 minutes by persistent difficulties and was excluded after evaluating the first five points of the game by Notre Dame.

Westbeld, Citron, King, Miles, former walk-on Sarah Cernugel and the injured center Kylee Watson Everyone with their families were honored in a short night zeraremony in front of Tippoff. Miles has entitled to return the next season if she decides. Watson could apply for the NCAA for another year.

After the game, Ivey used the lengthy buffer between the actual coaching and explaining her coaching in the media to gather with her coaching employees about solutions before keeping a team meeting. A typical cooling time is 10 minutes, about 68 shorter than on Thursday evening.

“It is unhappy, the energy of the evening with the seniors tonight, but definitely very grateful for our seniors and the legacy they leave here,” said Ivey. “This is a defensive game in which we have to make ourselves better, and we will get to work again and meet on Sunday.”

Florida State 86, Notre Dame 81: Box Score