A couple players scoring a couple-dozen points apiece, and coach Niele Ivey’s projection that Sonia Citron will be out for just a “couple weeks,” made for a couple gratifying Notre Dame women’s basketball wins.
Senior Maddy Westbeld and freshman Hannah Hidalgo netted 24 points each as the frontrunning No. 16 Irish knocked off Illinois 79-68 at Saturday’s Shamrock Classic in Washington, D.C.
ND was playing its first contest since losing Citron, its all-conference junior guard averaging 20.3 points, to a right knee injury late in the third quarter of Wednesday’s 110-52 win over Northwestern.
Home opener:Notre Dame women’s basketball crushes Northwestern, but may have lost more than it won
“She’ll be out for a couple weeks,” Ivey said with relief in her voice. “(It’s) a sprain, and looking forward to getting her back in a couple weeks.”
KK Bransford added 11 points off the bench for the Irish (3-1), and six of her seven rebounds were offensive, leading ND to edges of 14-5 on the offensive boards and 15-5 in second-chance points.
Genesis Bryant poured in 31 points for the Illini (2-2), against eight turnovers. Adalia McKenzie added 17 points, while previously injured All-Big Ten guard Makira Cook scored 14 in her first game of the season.
Men’s win:Notre Dame men’s basketball responds in early gotta-have-it game
Maddy & Co. shine for Soni
Westbeld blasted through the starting gate with 12 of ND’s first 14 points as the Irish took a lead they never relinquished, and one that grew to 20 by the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
The 24 points Westbeld finished with were one off her career high, and she added a game-high eight rebounds to go with 10-of-16 marksmanship from the field, including 3-of-3 on 3-pointers.
Westbeld, who has started all 90 Notre Dame games since arriving at the school, said she was playing for Citron, who before Saturday had appeared in all 69 since her arrival.
“Honestly, I’ve always played for Soni (because) she’s a person that will give her all in every game,” Westbeld said, “so particularly today and for the rest of the games that she won’t be with us, I think just doing those little things she does that don’t really fill up the stat sheets (will be important).”
Westbeld appeared able to compartmentalize Citron’s injury.
“We’ve been through adversity; we know what that is,” Westbeld explained. “It was the same thing last year playing without Liv (Miles), without Dara (Mabrey), without (Lauren) Ebo, so it’s just filling the void of what they brought. Trying to at least.”
Ivey said the Irish did so Saturday, and it wasn’t surprising.
“We always play for each other,” Ivey said of a club that continues to be without Miles as well while she works back from a knee injury last February. “We’re a very close-knit team. We talk about that all the time. Our core value No. 1 is love and so having another injury, it’s definitely hard to go through. We definitely have to pivot, but my message is for everyone to step up. … and they all rose to the occasion.”
Citron, like Miles typically does, made the trip. She sat on the bench with her right leg elevated, a locking brace around the knee area and with crutches nearby.
Hannah’s assault continues
Hidalgo kept up the torrid pace she’s been on from the get-go in an ND uniform.
This time she added eight assists, six steals and five rebounds to her 24 points, leaving her at averages of 25.5 points, 5.5 assists, 6.8 steals and 5.3 rebounds.
“She has a lot of freedom,” Ivey conceded. “A superstar like that, somebody that has that dynamic game and flashy game, you gotta let her go, so that’s what I do, but she understands there are times I have to reel her in.”
Hidalgo said her results have been a product of the confidence expressed in her.
“Coach told me from the jump, ‘You got the keys,’ so coming in, I knew that,” Hidalgo said. “My team does a great job encouraging me, my coaches do a great job encouraging me, so that makes everything easy.”
If there’s been a nit-picky blip at all to Hidalgo’s play, it’s been her turnovers, which reached a season-high seven against the Illini.
However, she had just three over the game’s final 26 minutes, and TV replays suggested two of those were the result of badly botched officiating calls.
KK more than OK
Bransford, who missed ND’s first two games due to injury, regularly outmuscled and outscrapped Illinois in the fight for rebounds during her second game back.
The sophomore also dealt four assists to go with her 11 points and seven boards in 28 minutes off the bench.
“She gave us an incredible offensive spark and defensive spark,” Ivey said. “She’s very smart. I can put her in multiple positions. Sometimes she’s a point guard, then a point forward, but she’s just doing whatever we need. … She does so many things well. Really proud of her and happy she’s back healthy.
Up next
The Irish continue a busy stretch of five games in 13 days when they host Chicago State (0-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
That’ll be followed by an in-state visit to Ball State (4-0) for a 5 p.m. contest Friday.
No. 16 Notre Dame 79, Illinois 68
ILLINOIS (2-2): Bostic 1-2 0-0 2, Shoup-Hill 0-0 0-0 0, Bryant 10-19 8-8 31, Cook 6-13 1-2 14, McKenzie 6-12 5-7 17, Bollin 0-0 0-0 0, Hobby 0-1 0-0 0, Ndour 0-0 0-2 0, Allen 0-0 1-2 1, Peebles 1-3 0-0 3, Rhodes 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 24-50 15-21 68
NOTRE DAME (3-1): Watson 3-7 0-0 6, Westbeld 10-16 1-1 24, DeWolfe 3-8 0-0 8, Hidalgo 8-15 7-11 24, Prosper 2-7 0-0 4, Marshall 1-3 0-0 2, Bransford 2-5 6-8 11, Risch 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 29-61 14-20 79
Illinois | 16 | 11 | 18 | 23 — 68Notre Dame | 21 | 16 | 24 | 18 — 79
3-Point Goals_Illinois 5-15 (Bryant 3-9, Cook 1-3, McKenzie 0-1, Peebles 1-2), Notre Dame 7-13 (Westbeld 3-3, DeWolfe 2-4, Hidalgo 1-3, Prosper 0-1, Bransford 1-2). Assists_Illinois 5 (Cook 4), Notre Dame 18 (Hidalgo 8). Fouled Out_Notre Dame Watson. Rebounds_Illinois 25 (McKenzie 8), Notre Dame 36 (Westbeld 8). Total Fouls_Illinois 23, Notre Dame 24. Technical Fouls_None. A_1,562.