Notre Dame defeats Western Michigan in final nonconference game

Just a ho-hum victory before Christmas.

Notre Dame passed its final test before ACC play begins in earnest, defeating Western Michigan, 85-57, in an early Wednesday game. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] was the key player with game highs of 23 points and eight rebounds. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored 16 points, and [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] had 10 on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] also shined with 12 assists, two shy of her career high.

The Irish (9-1) enjoyed considerable advantages in many areas, including rebounding (44-20), second-chance points (13-0), fast-break points (16-3) and points in the paint (48-20). In short, it was just what one would expect of a fifth-ranked team against a Mid-American Conference opponent. Even a win in which the Irish squeaked by would have been concerning, but that wasn’t the case.

It’s nothing but conference opponents from here on out for the Irish, and that really will be a test of how good they really are. Until that happens, here are some photos from their latest win: