The Truman State game had some offensive mishaps. The California game had some defensive mishaps. But on Thursday, both sides of the ball seemed to largely click for No. 9 Notre Dame women’s basketball, who moved to 3-0 on the season with a 92-58 victory over Northwestern (1-2).
Sonia Citron, the 2022 ACC Rookie of the Year, showed once again she can be one of the most complete guards in college basketball. The sophomore posted 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a block. Citron was 8-10 on the night with a near-perfect 4-5 mark from behind the arc and a 6-6 first-half performance. It was her fifth career game with 20+ points.
“I talked earlier in the season about being more aggressive and confident,” Citron said after the game. “Personally, I think making my first shot always helps get me going.”
Citron’s run at the end of the first half was part of a collective effort from the Irish that saw them post a 64.3 percent success rate in the second quarter. In total, Notre Dame shot 45.1 percent on the night. They outscored Northwestern 46-32 in the paint and won the second-chance point battle 25-9.
Defensively, the Irish did not allow any Wildcats to enter double figures. Junior Maddy Westbeld continued to show defensive improvement, grabbing seven defensive rebounds and a blocked shot on the night.
It wasn’t all pretty for Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey’s team, as the Irish posted their second consecutive game with at least 25 personal fouls. Further, there was jarring in the first half, which led to technical fouls on both Nat Marshall and Olivia Miles as well as Northwestern’s Hailey Weaver. Three Wildcats, including standout forward Caileigh Walsh, were ejected for leaving the bench during the altercation. Miles later picked up a second technical foul and missed the remainder of the game.
The sophomore guard did, however, finish with 21 points and went 9-9 from the free throw line. She had four steals and entered Wednesday’s game third in the ACC in the category.
There were a couple of firsts for Notre Dame on the night as well. Stanford graduate transfer Jenna Brown got her first bucket in an Irish uniform and finished with a total of three points. Also for the first time this season, all nine of Ivey’s scholarship players scored. In addition to Citron’s 24 points and Miles’ 21, center Lauren Ebo had 19 points of her own.
Finally, Chicago native Sarah Cernugel received some hometown love when she entered a game for the first time this year.
The Irish return to Purcell Pavilion for their next matchup, as they host Ball State (1-1) Sunday at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.