Lauren Ebo – Syndication Server

Niele Ivey, Maddy Westbeld speak after Notre Dame beats Pittsburgh

There was more than basketball to talk about during this game.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame’s 78-53 win over Pittsburgh took on a slightly different tone than usual. While there was the usual happiness over beating an ACC opponent handily, that wasn’t the only thing the Irish were celebrating. This game was the annual Think Pink Game that pays tribute to cancer survivors, and many of them were on hand.

Keeping with the spirit of the day, Niele Ivey and Maddy Westbeld talked about the subject that the game was played in awareness of in addition to answering the usual questions about the game and the team. In fact, some of the questions also were about cancer affecting their personal lives and the community in general. It was the least they could do for a game like this.

Also keeping in the spirit of the dominant win, Ivey and Westbeld were very relaxed and joking during their postgame news conference. Here’s some of what they had to say:

Notre Dame dominates Northwestern from beginning

Not a lot to be upset about for this game.

EVANSTON, Ill. — After a win over California that became a little close for comfort, Notre Dame looked for a breather against Northwestern. That’s exactly what the Irish got as they never trailed. Still, don’t let that 92-58 final fool you. There were a few moments that made this game worth watching.

The Irish (3-0) first got a scoring boost off the bench from [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag], who scored 11 first-quarter points before sitting down after picking up her second foul in the frame. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] picked up the slack in the second quarter with 14 points. It was too much for the Wildcats (1-2), who were outclassed in all aspects from the opening tip.

Near the end of the second quarter, there was a scuffle after a pair of [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] free throws, which prompted three Wildcats to leave the bench in an attempt to join in. All three players were ejected after a lengthy review, including Caileigh Walsh, whose seven points led her team at the time. However, Miles also was charged with a technical foul during the dust-up, and she was ejected herself after picking a second technical late in the third quarter.

Citron shot 8 of 10 from the field to score a game-high 24 points and achieved a double-double with 10 rebounds. Miles scored 21 before she was forced to leave the game. Ebo finished with 19. [autotag]Dara Mabrey[/autotag] hit two 3-pointers, one more than she needed to pass her sister Marina for career 3s.

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Notre Dame gets Pepperdine center Becky Obinma from transfer portal

The Irish have someone for the middle.

Last season, Notre Dame had transfer center in [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag], and she played a key role en route to the ACC regular-season championship. [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] has opted to play that card again for the 2023-24 season, looking to the transfer portal for a center again. This time, she has landed [autotag]Becky Obinma[/autotag] from Pepperdine.

For the past two seasons with the Waves and one season at TCU, Obinma has averaged 5.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks a game. She has yet to face an ACC opponent in her collegiate career, so this will be completely new territory for her. It will be new for the Irish, too, as she’s the only true center currently on the roster.

Ivey said the following about Obinma:

“I’m thrilled to officially welcome Becky to our Notre Dame family! Becky brings experience, athleticism and depth to the post position. She has a great motor and contagious energy on and off the court that will fit perfectly with our team. I’m looking forward to adding her post presence and speed in the open court to enhance our offensive capabilities.”

Here’s hoping this arrangement works out well for both her and the Irish.

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Thirteen Notre Dame players make ACC All-Academic Team

These players knew to hit the books before they hit the court.

Generally speaking, Notre Dame basketball is a very mixed bag right now. The women are coming off their second straight Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. After a historically bad season, the men have a new coach and need to somehow figure out how to fill up a roster with many gaps. The one thing both programs have in common is they have some very intelligent players.

As a reflection of Notre Dame’s high classroom standards, 13 basketball players have made their respective ACC All-Academic Teams. Specifically, seven women and six men were so honored. It’s the latest example of the university refusing to compromise its values if it means accepting student-athletes who won’t take their studies seriously. With this latest news, that stubbornness won’t change anytime soon.

Take a look at the players who are as good in the classroom as they are on the court. Maybe this can serve as an inspiration to a young person who is struggling with grades. If you are one of them, don’t give up because these men and women sure don’t. It’s the first ACC All-Academic selection for all players unless noted:

Niele Ivey, Sonia Citron, Maddy Westbeld speak after Notre Dame loss

Here’s what was said in the final postgame news conference of the season.

For the second straight season, Notre Dame has gone out in the Sweet 16 during the NCAA Tournament. With the Irish’s bigs in foul trouble during the third quarter, it only was a matter of time before Maryland took advantage of a team that had no real remaining strength. That’s exactly what happened in a 76-59 Terrapins victory. All [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] can do now is build a better team for next year and hope it will stay healthy – something this year’s team couldn’t do.

Ivey spoke after the Irish’s final game of the season alongside [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] (14 points, seven rebounds) and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] (nine points, five rebounds). Had All-American point guard [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] been able to play, there is little doubt that she would have taken part in the season’s last postgame news conference. Alas, she will have to hope that she’s able to do it next year, hopefully just after winning a national championship.

Here is some of what Ivey, Citron and Westbeld had to say:

Foul trouble dooms Notre Dame against Maryland in NCAA Tournament

The road has ended for the 2022-23 Irish.

With no [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] or [autotag]Dara Mabrey[/autotag], Notre Dame relied heavily on its frontcourt for the NCAA Tournament. The problem with that is you only can succeed that way when the frontcourt is able to play.

When [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] and [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] both picked up their fourth fouls during the third quarter of the Irish’s Sweet 16 game against Maryland, the bottom fell out of what had been a competitive contest. With [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] forced to preserve Watson and Ebo for when they really might be needed, the Terrapins ended the quarter on a 13-1 run and never looked back in a 76-59 win, ending the Irish’s season.

The Irish (27-6) scored 13 unanswered points in the second quarter to take their biggest lead at eight. They remained in front by one at halftime but didn’t lead after that. While they tied the score five times in the third quarter, the smaller lineup they were forced to go to with their bigs in foul trouble ultimately caught up with them.

Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers combined to lead the guard-heavy Terrapins (28-6) with 30 of their 45 second-half points. They led by as much as 22 late in the fourth quarter as they punched their ticket to the Elite Eight.

After slow first halves, Miller and Sellers with 18 points apiece, and Sellers also had a game-high eight assists. Lavender Briggs scored 12 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Abby Meyers had 11 points and tied Miller for the team lead in steals with four. That gave Meyers and Miller eight of the Terrapins’ 15 steals.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] lived up to her reputation as the Irish’s all-purpose player with 14 points and seven rebounds, but she also committed four turnovers. [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] led the Irish with seven assists but had four turnovers of her own. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] scored nine points but tied [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] with a team-high five turnovers before fouling out. Ebo fouled out with seven points in her final college game.

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Niele Ivey, Lauren Ebo, Maddy Westbeld speak after Notre Dame win

There was a lot to say after the victory.

SOUTH BEND – Although Notre Dame found itself in a battle with Mississippi State, it gladly will take a 53-48 win. The second-round victory means a trip to the Sweet 16, specifically Greenville Regional 1. One more win, and the Irish could face top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina in the Elite Eight. But for now, it’s all about the happy things.

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] is glad that her team was able to get this far after many had doubts because a roster shortened by injuries. [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] is basking in the aftermath of 10 points, five blocks and an Irish-tournament record 18 rebounds. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] likely doesn’t care that she didn’t score as much as in her last game, but her own 15 rebounds should allow her to be at peace with her performance.

All three appeared before the assembled media after the emotional Mississippi State contingent did. The Irish aren’t ready to shed tears for the end of the season yet because they still have at least one more game. Here are what Ivey, Ebo and Westbeld said before preparing for the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend:

Notre Dame wins tough NCAA Tournament contest vs. Mississippi State

It got a little too close, but the Irish are moving on.

SOUTH BEND – No one said every NCAA Tournament game needs to look pretty. All that matters is whether you are ahead when the clock hits zero. As frustrating as it might have been at times, Notre Dame was ahead at the end of its second-round game against Mississippi State, 53-48. With two wins at Purcell Pavilion in the bag, the Irish will move onto Greenville Regional 1.

Neither the Irish (27-5) nor the Bulldogs (22-11) shot particularly well in this game. They finished with respective field-goal percentages of 34.7% and 29.5%. So naturally, this contest came down to the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs erased a 10-point Irish lead to tie the game at 41 in the fourth quarter. Tensions ran high on both sides with the season on the line. Everyone looked to see which moment would determine the outcome, and several appeared as if they would be the one. Ultimately, it came down to the basics as the Irish knocked down eight of 10 free throws in the final 3:49 and did just enough on defense to fend off a pesky opponent that was in it until the end.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] particularly was clutch from the free-throw line as 10 of her team-high 14 points came from there. [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] was a nuisance for the Bulldogs throughout with 10 points, and Irish-tournament record 18 rebounds and five blocks. She got some help on the glass from [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], who grabbed 15 boards.

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Niele Ivey, Maddy Westbeld, Lauren Ebo speak after NCAA Tournament win

What are your thoughts after this win?

SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame has to be feeling confident after knocking Southern Utah out of the NCAA Tournament, 82-56, in the first round. The Irish let the Thunderbirds know early and often that this game that was being played in their house would be played on their terms.

Whenever the Thunderbirds showed the slightest chance of coming back – and it was very slight – the Irish doubled down on both ends of the floor. It was such a blowout that little-used [autotag]Sarah Cernugel[/autotag] entered the game near its conclusion. The Purcell Pavilion definitely would have exploded had she made either of her two field-goal attempts, one which came from 3-point range. Alas, she remains scoreless for the season except for her lone basket Dec. 10 against Merrimack.

Cernguel was one of several people [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] talked about in her postgame news conference. She was joined by top scorer [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] (20 points) and dominant veteran big [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] (14 points, 10 rebounds). Here’s what they had to say:

Notre Dame dominates Southern Utah in first-round NCAA Tournament game

Can’t start the tournament any better than that.

SOUTH BEND – It was understandable if anyone was having doubts about Notre Dame after [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] was lost for the season. However, those same people might have forgotten one thing: The Irish still have some pretty darn good basketball players. That was on full display in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Southern Utah. In front of a mainly partisan crowd at Purcell Pavilion, the Irish owned the Thunderbirds throughout an 82-56 victory.

This game practically was over from the beginning as the Irish (26-5) rattled off 16 unanswered points at the start. Their offense found easy baskets almost at will, and their defense was as smothering as it’s been all season. The Thunderbirds (23-10) couldn’t respond with anything better than a 7-0 run. While they proved capable of being a tournament team at times, the Irish quickly erased those moments and asserted their authority as a third seed.

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] was the Irish’s dominant offensive force, scoring 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] also picked up Miles’ slack with 14 points, six points and three steals. [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag], playing in her first tournament game for the Irish but not her collegiate career, showed her experience with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] shot a perfect 6 of 6 for 12 points to go with seven rebounds, [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] finished with nine points and eight boards, and [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] grabbed 10 of her own rebounds.

Given all of that, it should be no surprise that the Irish held a 53-25 rebounding advantage and a 50-18 edge in points in the paint, not to mention winning the second-chance points battle, 14-4. It’s unlikely every tournament game will be this easy, especially at the rim, but that didn’t make this win any less of a thrill. It’s why the Irish will play one final home contest this season with a trip to Greenville Regional 1 on the line.

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