SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Katie Smrcka-Duffy scored 19 points to lead the Hoyas, but it wasn't enough as Notre Dame held off Georgetown, 65-53.
Ruth Riley had 21 points and nine rebounds and Niele Ivey scored eight of her 10 points for Notre Dame.
The Irish (25-1, 14-1 Big East) trailed 39-35 with 12:49 left when Dani Ilic made a 3-pointer. But Notre Dame used runs of 10-2 and 13-3 to extend its team record home winning streak to 36 games.
The Irish led 33-28 when Ivey picked up her fourth foul with 16:20 left. With Ivey on the bench, Georgetown (15-12, 6-9) went on a 11-2 run to open a 39-35 lead. But Ivey came back in with 12:26 left and hit a 3-pointer and passed inside to Riley for a layup to begin a 10-2 run to give the Irish a 45-41 lead.
Georgetown cut the lead to 51-48 when Katie Smrcka-Duffy made a pair of free throws with 6:28 left. But Alicia Ratay hit a 3-pointer to ignite a 13-3 run for the Irish the put the game away.
The Irish, who trailed at halftime only once all season, trailed for much of the first half following an emotional pregame ceremony for seniors that had coach Muffet McGraw teary-eyed.
The Irish made just one of their first nine shots, but still trailed only 4-3 because Georgetown was just 2-of-10. The Irish trailed 14-10 midway through the half when Smrcka-Duffy made a free throw, but led 29-26 at halftime.
Kelley Siemon had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Irish, Ratay had 12 points and eight rebounds and Ivey, who missed her first eight shots, added nine assists.
Smrcka-Duffy led the Hoyas with 19 points, Rebekkah Brunson scored 12 points, all in the opening 13 minutes, and Ilic scored 10.
In upsetting Connecticut earlier this year, the only other home sellout in school history, the Irish recorded their first ever win over a top-ranked team and rose to No. 1 for the first time ever. This year's team also had a school-record 23-game winning streak before losing at Rutgers on Feb. 17.
