One Possession Away: Vanderbilt Falls to Notre Dame in Sweet 16 Heartbreak – On3

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Much like the men’s team last weekend, the Vanderbilt women’s basketball season ended in heartbreaking fashion in a game that was there for the taking.  After falling behind by 12 points in the first half, Notre Dame held off a valiant comeback attempt by the Commodores to win 67-64 to advance to the Elite Eight.
The biggest culprit for the Commodores in this loss: turnovers.  The Irish defense overwhelmed Vandy in the first half, forcing 16 turnovers with 11 steals.  Freshman Aubrey Galvan struggled protecting the ball, while post Sacha Washington had difficulty securing entry passes.  Both had 4 turnovers each. 
The other huge factor in the outcome was perhaps for the first time in her career, Blakes was clearly outplayed by an opponent’s high-profile superstar.  For all the consternation on social media between Vandy and UConn fans debating the Player of the Year merits of Blakes and Huskies’ star Sarah Strong, Hannah Hidalgo looked every bit the best player in the country dominating the game on both ends.  The junior guard had a near quadruple-double legacy game, with 31 points (14-25 from the field), 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 10 steals. 
Blakes, on the other hand, struggled to maybe her worst game of the season at the worst time – rivaling her poor performance in the SEC tournament against Ole Miss.  In a lot of ways, the two losses mirrored each other with the game’s outcome largely determined by Vandy’s dismal first half performance.  Blakes missed her first 12 shots in the SEC tournament.  Against Notre Dame, she was just 1 of 13 in the first half.  The Commodores couldn’t get anything going against Notre Dame’s physical defense, shooting just 23% from the field in the first half and 2-11 from three. 
Nevertheless, the Commodores were still in the game down just 31-26 at halftime due to their free throw shooting and rebounding.  Vandy more than doubled up Notre Dame at the free throw line, shooting 12 of13 compared to just 5 of 6 for the Irish.  The Commodores also outrebounded Notre Dame in the first half 26-14.
The Commodores settled down in the second half and fought back to take the lead 60-59 on a Blakes free throw with just over two minutes left in the game.  The teams traded shots back and forth leading up to a tie game 64-64 with 56 seconds left.  A basket by Notre Dame’s Cassandre Prosper after an offensive rebound put the Irish up 66-64 with 22 seconds left. 
Vanderbilt would naturally go to their all-everything player Blakes to try to win the game, but she would unfortunately lose the ball out of bounds.
“I guess I just dribbled it off my foot,” Blakes said postgame. “I saw an open lane, but I guess I moved too fast.”
Still, Vandy had a chance when the Irish made just 1 of 2 from the free throw line to keep it a one possession game.  With 14 seconds left, Galvan missed a three pointer but got her own rebound.  She gave it to Blakes, who sidestepped Hidalgo to get a clean look at another three attempt but came up short – and just like that the season was over. 
Blakes finished with 26 points on just 7-26 from the field, including 0-5 from three and 12-13 from the free throw line.  She also had 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. 
Galvan settled down after a bumpy first quarter to finish with 24 points on 7-16 from the field, 3-7 from three and 7-9 from the free throw line.  She had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 turnovers. 
The Commodores finished shooting just 35% from the field and 28% from three, to go with a season high 23 turnovers. 
When Vandy wasn’t handing the Irish free points from turnovers, the Notre Dame offense outside of Hidalgo wasn’t particularly good either.  The Irish shot 42% for the game, including just 1-17 from three.  Former Vandy guard Iyanna Moore was responsible for most of those misses, scoring just 4 points and going 0-8 from beyond the arc. 
Notre Dame were outscored by Vandy at the free throw line with the Irish going 10-13 from the charity stripe while the Commodores were 21-25.  The Irish were also hammered on the boards by Vandy 44-30. 
It will lead to a frustrating offseason of what-ifs for the program, but it will also hopefully help motivate the team for next year.  Coach Shea Ralph was sure to note her experience losing in the Sweet 16 as a player at UConn.  She shot 2-12 in an upset loss to Iowa State.  The next season, UConn won the National Championship.
“I feel like this program is on the cusp of doing something really special, and this is just a step that we have to take in that direction” she said after the game. “What I’m hearing from my players already is next year is going to be even more special.”
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