Heat of battle. Elbows flail. Bodies collide, then hit the deck.
Notre Dame’s Natalie Novosel’s in the middle of the mayhem. She scrambles to get to her feet. Georgetown’s Adria Crawford takes down Novosel with a leg whip.
Foul. Technical. Tempers boil.
Poise suddenly became as important as a jump shot with a money-back guarantee.
Eleventh-ranked Notre Dame’s 80-58 victory over No. 16 Georgetown Tuesday night had its chippy moments. Don’t be naïve. Women’s basketball can get that way.
Especially when two teams have a past. Last year’s Hoya victory in D.C. came with plenty of bumps and bruises.
Tuesday night’s payback was laced with control. The Novosel-Crawford exchange, with just over 15 minutes left in the game and the Irish leading by 11, could have escalated.
Rough and tumble could have become an all-out rumble.
The Irish, though, refused to let it happen.
“Natalie did a great job of keeping her poise,” said Irish coach Muffet McGraw. “The whole team did. They got to the huddle and they really came together. That was a turning point for us.”
