All-American Jacqueline Batteast felt sick enough to take herself out of the first half of Wednesday night's game.
But in the second half, it was Boston College dealing with that sickening feeling.
Batteast put up 15 points in the second half to lead No. 6 Notre Dame to a 64-57 victory over No. 16 Boston College at the Joyce Center.
"I thought we didn't have the energy and enthusiasm that we needed to really spark us tonight," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said.
Notre Dame (19-3, 7-2 Big East) went back and forth with Boston College (15-4, 6-2 Big East) throughout the first half with both teams' stars on the bench. Batteast, who has recently been dealing with illness, took herself out of the game and played just seven first-half minutes. On the other side, the Eagles' Jessalyn Deveny, who averages 18.1 points per game, reinjured her ankle after playing less than one minute.
After seesawing for the majority of the first half, Notre Dame went on a 10-1 run to go ahead 24-15 with 4:54 to play before the break.
But little-used Kindyll Dorsey gave the Eagles a spark off the bench, hitting two 3-pointers and scoring 10 points in just under four minutes to get the Eagles within three at end of the first period. Dorsey had just 10 points all season before Wednesday.
But in the second half, it was all Batteast, who played 17 minutes and scored 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
"I don't think she was feeling too good," point guard Megan Duffy said. "I think a few years ago, I don't know if she would have done that, and I think she's matured. She wants to win more than anybody on this team."
Boston College was leading 49-45 after a 19-6 run with 11:12 to play in the second.
But the Irish never looked back as Batteast and Teresa Borton hit layups to tie the score. After ending the Boston College run, Notre Dame won the game down the stretch with its defense. After Boston College took a 54-53 lead with 6:46 to play, they went without a field goal for five minutes. Courtney LaVere tied the game with one of two free throws and the Irish went on an 8-0 run for a 61-54 lead with 1:32 to go. Clare Droesch hit a 3-pointer but that was all for the Eagles, who shot a season-low 34.5 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from beyond the arc.
The Eagles also had 22 turnovers, a season high, which the Irish converted to 20 points. Notre Dame dominated inside, despite being outrebounded 45-32. The Irish scored 44 of their 64 points in the paint, while the Eagles were held to just 18 points down low.
Borton led the Irish down low, hitting 6-for-10 shots, for 12 points and six rebounds. Megan Duffy had nine points and six rebounds, and Charel Allen added nine points and five rebounds. For the Eagles, Droesch finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Aja Parham added 13 points and 13 rebounds to remain in second place in the Big East.
"I think this team has showed a lot more poise, and definitely a lot more maturity than last year," McGraw said.
