Tag: Kylee Watson

Maddy Westbeld will return to Notre Dame for 2024-25 season

Big news for an Irish team expected to do big things next season.

Michael Jordan famously announced his first return to basketball with the iconic fax simply reading, “I’m back.” Well, times have changed, and sports figures can make announcements about their futures on social media. While [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag]’s two-word tweet Monday won’t become nearly as famous as Jordan’s fax, it nonetheless will thrill Notre Dame fans:

Yes, this means Westbeld will use her remaining college eligibility to return to the Irish for a fifth and final season in 2024-25. There had been questions lately about whether she would do so, but those can be put to rest now. It gives the Irish a veteran presence down low and a mentor for incoming big [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag].

Still unknown is the future of fellow Irish big [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag], especially given the knee injury she suffered during this year’s ACC Tournament, but at least Westbeld will be on next year’s team. She is coming off her third All-ACC selection and a season in which she averaged 14.4 points, 1.1 blocks and a career-high 8.7 rebounds a game. She has started all 120 games she has played for the Irish over her first four seasons with the program, and there’s no reason to think that will change.

Westbeld clearly wants to be part of an Irish team that is expected to go far. Her presence will make that a lot easier to happen.

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Notre Dame loses two rotational players to transfer portal

Notre Dame widely is expected to compete for a Final Four berth during the 2024-25 season.

Notre Dame widely is expected to compete for a Final Four berth during the 2024-25 season. However, a couple of players have chosen to take their talents elsewhere. Forward Natalija Marshall has announced that she will enter the transfer portal:

https://www.instagram.com/natalijamarshall/p/C5meAvQN9Ro/?hl=en

This news dropped only two days after sophomore guard KK Bransford also announced she was entering the transfer portal:

https://www.instagram.com/kkbransford/p/C5dqbVFunv3/?hl=en

Marshall will leave the Irish despite starting their final four games of this past season for the injured [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag]. In three seasons with the Irish, Marshall averaged 4.1 points and 1.3 rebounds a game.

Bransford is out after only two years with the Irish. In her 66 games, she made 19 starts and averaged 7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds a game.

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] already is down two players whom she played regularly. That hurts regardless of the talent coming in via the transfer portal and the 2024 recruiting class. Whatever the reason though, this is a sure sign that the new season already is here.

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Tale of the Tape: Individual Leaders – Notre Dame vs. Ole Miss

Notre Dame has been in the NCAA Tournament almost every year since the mid-1990s. But the current tournament streak only is at three. The Irish share that streak with Ole Miss, which hadn’t appeared since 2007 before its current streak. That’s a …

Notre Dame has been in the NCAA Tournament almost every year since the mid-1990s. But the current tournament streak only is at three. The Irish share that streak with Ole Miss, which hadn’t appeared since 2007 before its current streak. That’s a testament to how Yolett McPhee-McCuin has turned the Rebels around in the six seasons she’s been their coach.

The Rebels have gotten progressively better in the tournament over the past couple of years, following a first-round exit in 2022 with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023. On paper at least, a second-round loss to the Irish would represent a step backwards. But the Irish are trying to keep their own Sweet 16 streak alive as a win would send them there for the third year in a row. Program reputations will be on the line in this game.

Let’s take a look at the players most likely to influence the outcome. Keep in mind that this list doesn’t include injured Irish blocks leader [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag]:

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Watch: Notre Dame reacts to getting No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament

Think they’re happy?

It’s unknown exactly how much Notre Dame pays attention to outside noise. If it does, it would have known it needed to do pretty much it did over the past few weeks to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and that was keep winning. So it’s not known exactly how much that knowledge, if it existed, played into the team’s reaction to earning a No. 2 seed in the tournament:

Even with the unfortunate news of Kylee Watson’s torn ACL, it appears little could have be done to dampen moods on this particular night. All the worries and anxieties associated with March Madness can wait for another day. Right now, there is cause to celebrate as the Irish will get to play at least one more game at Purcell Pavilion this season and possibly one after that. This is the time to let it all soak in before the daunting task ahead.

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Notre Dame’s Kylee Watson will miss NCAA Tournament with torn ACL

Tough news.

When Notre Dame’s [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] went down with a knee injury during the Irish’s ACC Tournament semifinal win, many feared the worst. Those fears turned out to be true as Watson posted on Instagram that she tore her ACL and will not be able to play in this year’s NCAA Tournament:

https://www.instagram.com/kylee.watsonn/p/C4op-y6sq9G/?hl=en

This obviously casts a shadow over the Irish earning a No. 2 seed in this year’s tournament. There also will be questions moving forward about her availability for next season as All-American guard [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] has missed all of this season with a knee injury. A medical redshirt figures to be a possibility much like it happened with Miles this past season.

Watson has started every game for the Irish since transferring from Oregon before the 2022-23 season. This year, she averaged 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game. Needless to say, the Irish will miss her presence down low.

The loss of Watson also stretches the depth of an Irish roster hit hard already by injuries even further. Questions linger about how far they’ll be able to go this March Madness with so few players available. They got through the ACC Tournament all right, but they’ll facing teams now that might not be so forgiving with every game being an elimination game from here on. But they play the games for a reason, and we’ll see if the Irish can make some magic again.

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Notre Dame wins ACC Tournament championship by beating NC State

They earned every bit of this one.

It didn’t matter that Notre Dame had only seven players available for the ACC Tournament championship against NC State. It hasn’t mattered all season how ravaged the Irish have been by injuries. They’ve proven time and again just how good they are. Now, they have hardware after beating the Wolfpack, 55-51, to win their sixth ACC Tournament title.

A game that featured seven ties and nine lead changes wasn’t decided until the fourth quarter. When the Irish (26-6) saw the Wolfpack (27-6) go up six with over seven minutes left, they cracked down with defensive pressure, and just enough offense took over from there. Over the final 6:44, they went on a 12-2 run, allowing the Wolfpack only one field goal over their final nine attempts.

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] tied the game with a pair of 3-pointers, and tournament MVP [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] made a couple of go-ahead shots in a 56-second span. A final defensive stop was book-ended by single free throws apiece from [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] and Hidalgo. The Irish huddled in celebration as the final seconds ticked down.

Hidalgo led all scorers with 22 points and dished out a game-high six assists. Westbeld scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half with eight of them coming in the fourth quarter. Citron had 11 points, eight rebounds and four steals. [autotag]Natalija Marshall[/autotag], starting for the injured [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag], blocked three shots.

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Niele Ivey, Sonia Citron, Anna DeWolfe speak after Notre Dame win

Notre Dame undoubtedly feels good about making the ACC Tournament championship game after beating Virginia Tech, 82-53. But it also understandably is anxious for any sort of good news surrounding Kylee Watson, who injured her left knee in the third …

Notre Dame undoubtedly feels good about making the ACC Tournament championship game after beating Virginia Tech, 82-53. But it also understandably is anxious for any sort of good news surrounding [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag], who injured her left knee in the third quarter of the semifinal win. She was last seen on crutches, and nobody knows what that means right now except the injury-riddled Irish were just dealt another blow.

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] spoke about the game afterwards and reiterated that she didn’t have any updates about Watson. Accompanying her at the postgame news conference were [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag], the Irish’s best player for the day with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals, and [autotag]Anna DeWolfe[/autotag], who scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

Given the unknown status of Watson, they need to be given credit that they still were able to talk about the dominant performance they had just displayed. Here is most of what they had to say:

Photos of Notre Dame ACC Tournament semifinal win vs. Virginia Tech

See how this latest win went down.

Notre Dame will play in the ACC Tournament championship game for the seventh time after beating Virginia Tech, 82-53, in the semifinals. The last time the Irish got this opportunity was when they got it during their first six years in the conference, winning five times. But it hasn’t happened since 2019, so this next opportunity has been waiting for a while.

Unfortunately for the Irish, the title game and possibly the NCAA Tournament might come and go without [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag]. The starting forward injured her knee in the third quarter against the Hokies and went back to the locker room. When she came back, she was on crutches, and that’s not good for an Irish team that has been stretched thin by injuries all season. All anyone can do right now is hope for the best with her.

In the meantime, here are some images from the win over the Hokies:

Notre Dame beats Virginia Tech but loses Watson in ACC Tournament semi

This latest victory might have been costly.

Notre Dame faced the ACC Tournament’s top seed in Virginia Tech for its semifinal game. With the Hokies missing injured conference player of the year Elizabeth Kitley and the Irish having beaten them a week ago with her, everything trended in their direction. But the Irish suffered their own bad injury luck during their dominant 82-53 victory that put them in the tournament championship game.

The Irish (25-6) led almost the entire game, and any hope the Hokies (24-7) had were dashed when the Irish scored 20 unanswered points between the second and third quarters. However, the high the Irish were on was dampened when [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] went down with a left knee injury and had to be helped back to the locker room. While she did put some weight on the knee and eventually returned to the Irish’s bench with crutches, both the team and fans undoubtedly will hold their collective breath as they await word on her condition.

While the Hokies were able to cut the deficit to 15 after Watson went out, the Irish found yet another wind despite taking another hit to their depth. Before it was over, they went back up by as much as 32. The Hokies simply had no answers for the Irish no matter who was or wasn’t on the court.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] was the Irish’s best player on the afternoon by virtue of leading them with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] scored 18 points and blocked three shots. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had 15 points and six assists, and [autotag]Anna DeWolfe[/autotag] got 12 of her 14 points on four 3-pointers.

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Notre Dame survives late Louisville surge to win ACC Tournament opener

A pretty close call, but they’ll play Saturday.

The ACC Tournament is here, and Notre Dame got its first taste of it in the quarterfinals against Louisville. The Irish beat the Cardinals in their regular-season finale Sunday, and now, they had to do it again five days later. It got a little tense towards the end, but the Irish advanced to the semifinals with a 77-68 win.

The Irish (24-6) never trailed in the game and led by as much as 22. Even with the lead cut to 12 going into the fourth quarter, they had to feel good about themselves. But the Cardinals (24-9) chipped away at the lead further with inspired play on both ends, even forcing four Irish players into at least four fouls. They ultimately got to within three with just over half a minute left.

By the time the Cardinals made it a one-possession game though, it was late enough in the game that were forced to foul, and [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] made two free throws to put the Irish back up five. A steal by [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] on the next possession finally iced the game, and she and Citron made four more free throws in the final seconds to wrap up the Irish’s scoring. Two of those were prompted by Cardinals coach Jeff Walz picking up his second technical foul, resulting in his ejection.

Citron led all scorers with 26 points, which including make 10 of 11 free throws. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag], who scored 21 points, shot only 5 of 16 from the field but was 11 of 14 from the charity stripe, and she also had a game-high six assists. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] had 13 points and also joined Hidalgo and the fouled-out [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] in a group whose members grabbed six rebounds apiece.

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