Not more than a week ago, Notre Dame looked untouchable. They stood undefeated in conference play at 15-0, had an average margin of 33-point victories at home, win-streak read 19, and there was nothing threatening their claim at regular-season title. Fast forward to now, the No. 1 team in the ACC is dealing with heartbreak, second in a few days’ matter and one before they could even savor a win that had come their way just hours ago.

At Purcell Pavilion Thursday night, the Fighting Irish came out firing, spreading the ball around with seven different scorers in the opening quarter. Florida State, meanwhile, looked out of sync, shooting a mere 20% from the field. But as basketball is a game of runs, the Seminoles proved that in the second quarter. Led by the electric Ta’Niya Latson, they went on a scorching 21-3 run.

By halftime, Florida State had taken a 44-40 lead over the No. 3-ranked Irish. Still, Notre Dame wasn’t backing down. Sonia Citron and Liatu King did their best to keep up—Citron contributed 21 points, while King posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Even with their efforts, Notre Dame struggled to contain Florida State’s offense. That’s how the Seminoles secured their first-ever win in South Bend. It was a huge blow to the Fighting Irish, recording their second-consecutive loss and falling to 15-2 to match NC State on ACC standing. That wasn’t all.

Just hours ago, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee tabbed Notre Dame as the no.1 seed alongside UCLA, Texas, and Southern California in the season’s second Top 16 reveal. Unfortunately for Fighting Irish, they’d lose their winning ways on the same day.

“We’ve got to get back to work,” head coach Niele Ivey said. “We have to have a will that we’re not having for 40 minutes. We have to get back to the grind. You’ve got to fix it.” After the 104-95 loss to NC State it was only expected of Notre Dame to come hot.

But what went wrong?

Hannah Hidalgo, the second-leading scorer in the country, had a rough night, shooting 4-of-18 from the field. Olivia Miles, the no.2 draft prospect on the other hand, was limited to just 10 points and 4 rebounds. The Seminoles would then successfully out-shoot 34.6% from the 3-point line and dominate the boards, pulling down 15 offensive rebounds to Notre Dame’s 11. The Fighting Irish who led by 15 points at one point, were held down as Florida State managed a 27-5 run in the second quarter to take a lead– they never looked back.

This threatens a record for Notre Dame, but Sonia Citron is ready for the road to redemption.

Notre Dame star guard asserts it’s time to walk the talk

Finishing as the No.1 in the ACC was hardly a doubt for Notre Dame just days ago. Their perfect 15-0 record had ensured that. However, with a second loss, NC State comes into the picture. Hold. That is not all the picture. The trouble really echoes when you look at both the teams’ schedule.

The Fighting Irish are set to face no.25-ranked Louisville in their final regular season match-up while it is the unranked SMU for the Wolfpacks on a 3-game winning streak. The Fighting Irish need the momentum if they were to face their last year’s rivals who have secured the conference title thrice in the last 5 years. For their most recent in 2022, they entered as the no.1 seed. So Sonia Citron is ready to put up a fight.

“I mean, we can talk all we want,” she said after the loss. “But if we don’t change, if we don’t do it, then our season can end real fast. So, I really just think it’s a will that every single player has to have… You can only talk so much.”

The Fighting Irish will also have to battle tooth and nail to keep the NCAA Tournament no.1 seed intact. They have already dropped down the power rankings, but to be downgraded further is not a sight the no.3-ranked team might have foreseen. Their last regular season game tips off at noon ET on Sunday. Wolfpacks will be taking on the Mustangs the same day.