That left Stevens as one of two double-figure scorers for Duke compared to the Fighting Irish's overwhelming balance, which had nine players score by halftime and five finish in double figures.
The Hurricanes inched closer to clinching at least a share of the ACC regular-season title with their 68-50 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend on Wednesday night. This is the first title game for the Orange, so beating the number two nationally ranked team would be huge for the program.
While the word for Syracuse might be toughness, resilience has allowed the Irish to thrive again in an ACC that espnW bracketologist Charlie Creme projects to send six teams to the NCAA tournament.
"I'm so proud of what we accomplished", said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw.
"Any time we took the lead or they were on the ropes, they hit a big shot", Miami coach Katie Meier said, "and it was a different kid each time". "They don't try to do too much, they do exactly what they're supposed to do. We really don't talk about starting fives, because we understand to win at this level you need seven starters". Maryland is equally prepared in big games, so both teams should be expected to perform at high levels.
Notre Dame: Cable also scored 14... Barber led the Pack with 16 points in the first half, shooting 7 for 15 from the field.
The Canes (24-5, 13-4) were without sophomore guard Ja'Quan Newton, who was suspended for the final three regular season games due to a violation of team rules last Saturday. The Orange tried to stick to scoring their points from behind the line, but were not successful.
The Terrapin defense stood tall in the first quarter, holding the Irish scoreless on three extra man opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Irish were pulling ahead, starting the second quarter with a 22-14 lead.
Georgetown used a 5-0 run to retake the lead and never looked back. Their speed was hard for Syracuse to defend.
The Irish missed eight of their first nine shots in the first half Saturday, but thanks in large part to a career-best 17 points from Ryan and 13 and eight rebounds from Auguste, they bounced back to take a 45-39 lead at halftime and upped their performance from the floor to 15-for-33 (45.5 percent).
Notre Dame's Madison Cable (22) and Michaela Mabrey (23) celebrate during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, March 5, 2016. The Irish extended their lead to 16 after a layup by Brianna Turner with 7:34 left in the third quarter.
Whether the emotion and energy goes from the bench to the court, or from the court to the bench, it's obvious Syracuse is going to bring it for the entire game. At the 9-minute NC State was still in the game as they only trailed by 9. These Orange - the NCAA leader in turnover margin - want the ACC trophy.
"I think we've kind of found a rhythm here at a very key time", Brey said. Four of the Wolfpack's league losses were by 14 total points. Peterson joined the Irish trio on the all-tourney team, along with Myisha Hines-Allen of Louisville. Turner and Cable weren't far behind her with 18 points each.
"You really have to focus on Zach off the pick-and-roll", said N.C. State forward Abdul-Malik Abu, who finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Remembering Former First Lady Nancy Reagan
Ronald Reagan was elected to the White House in 1980 with a landslide win over incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter. She took her case to the public, to politicians and to the media, insisting that narcotics abstinence was possible.
