SOUTH BEND, Ind. — For the second consecutive year, Notre Dame is headed to the Sweet 16.
On Sunday, the third-seeded Irish (27-5) downed 14th-seeded Mississippi State (22-11), 53-48. It was a relatively ugly game from a shooting perspective, but a suffocating Irish defense stopped the Bulldogs’ upset bid in its path.
“I’m almost at a loss for words,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said after the game. “I’m so emotional, happy. This is beyond a dream come true. The resilience and toughness of this team is unbelievable.”
Lauren Ebo had her fifth double-double of the season plus 5 blocks, and her 18 rebounds set a Notre Dame NCAA Tournament record. The mark was previously 16 and held by Katryna Gaither from 1997. Ebo also tied the Purcell Pavilion record.
“I really wanted to win, so I think that was it,” Ebo said when asked about the performance. “Keeping them off the board was important for us and somewhere that we struggled in the past month, so I just wanted to go out there and help us make the Sweet 16.”
Maddy Westbeld added 15 rebounds of her own, a season-high. Westbeld and Ebo each had 10 rebounds a piece by the break.
For the seventh time this year, the Irish held an opponent under 50 points. Kourtney Weber came off the bench and led Mississippi State with 14 points, but no other player broke 8. Center Jessika Carter was just 3-for-8 from the floor.
“Ebo knew that Mississippi State’s offense went through Carter,” Ivey said. “That was something we focused on. I talked about getting the stops and protecting the paint. I could tell that [Ebo] knew this was her opportunity to step up.”
The offense was not firing on all cylinders, but Sonia Citron led the group with 14 points and 10 made free throws. It was the fourth time this season that she has sunk at least 10 from the charity stripe. Citron also tied her season-high with 4 steals.
Notre Dame will hop on a flight to Greenville later this week for the Sweet 16. The Irish will face Maryland, setting up a rematch of the Dec. 1 buzzer-beating loss. It is Notre Dame’s 19th Sweet 16 appearance. The program is 10-8.