Tag: Maddy Westbeld

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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Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks talks Notre Dame ahead of rematch

See what the next opposing coach had to say about the Irish.

After Notre Dame defeated Louisville in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, Virginia Tech beat Miami, 55-47. That sets a semifinal rematch between the Irish and top-seeded Hokies after the teams met in South Bend only a week ago. The Irish won that game, so the Hokies will be out for revenge.

The big question surrounding the Hokies is the health of three-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, who was injured in the Hokies’ regular-season finale at Virginia and didn’t play Friday. In fact, she won’t play at all in this tournament.

Hokies coach Kenny Brooks was asked about the upcoming rematch in his postgame news conference and said the following:

“Bruh, can I just enjoy this one for a second? Notre Dame is playing as well as anyone in the country right now. We experienced it last week, their physicality – they’re a little bit different than they were last year. They’re tenacious on the defensive end, obviously with the addition of (Hannah) Hidalgo.

They got off to a great start today. And bless his heart, I’m in my locker room, and I think we’re on like a three, four, five-second delay in watching the game and what happens, and Jeff Walz gets thrown out. He gets thrown out, and two seconds later, boom, my door flies open, and it’s Jeff Walz.

I did thank him for their comeback and making Notre Dame play harder down the stretch, to be able to do that.

They’re playing well. They’re playing extremely well. Hidalgo really makes them go. (Sonia) Citron – I’ve said it before – is one of my favorite players. She just doesn’t get rattled. (Maddy) Westbeld is playing really well right now. They don’t play a lot of people, but the people who play are playing well.

We know it’s going to be a tough task. We’ll get back, and we’ll figure some things out, and we’ll try to see what happens.”

This shows the Hokies won’t take the Irish lightly, so the Irish better be ready to play whether Kitley is available or not. Whatever the case though, it should be a good game.

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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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Notre Dame 2024 signee named Naismith Second Team All-American

Another top talent on the way to Notre Dame is honored.

Hannah Hidalgo has set a high bar for future Notre Dame freshmen. That doesn’t mean future first-year players won’t try to top her though. One player who could do it during the 2024-25 season is [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag].

Koval is a five-star player at Long Island Lutheran in Brookeville, New York who signed with the Irish in December. Now, she’s been named to the Naismith Trophy Girls’ High School All America Second Team.

Hidalgo made the Second Team in 2023, and [autotag]Emma Risch[/autotag] was an honorable mention. [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] was a Third Team honoree in 2022 and an honorable mention in 2021. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] made the Third Team in 2020, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] were senior honorable mentions.

It’s evidence that even in the post-[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] era, Notre Dame continues to attract top talent for women’s basketball, and there’s no reason to think that will stop anytime soon. Even so, a strong postseason showing would do wonders to show just how attractive the program still is.

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Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron, Maddy Westbeld make All-ACC Second Team

Two players have made all-conference again.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] are true seasoned leaders for Notre Dame. It only makes sense for them to be recognized by their conference again. Citron and Westbeld have been named to the All-ACC Second Team.

This is the third all-conference selection for Westbeld and her second on the Second Team. So far this season, she is averaging 14.1 points and a career-high 9.4 rebounds a game. She has reached double digits in rebounds 13 times and recorded 12 double-doubles.

After missing time early in the season with injury, Citron has bounced back nicely to play in 20 games and earn her second straight All-ACC selection. She is averaging career highs in scoring (16.3) and assists (2.7). She also has 1.7 steals a game and has tied her career-high of four steals in a game twice this season.

Everyone talks about All-ACC First Team selection [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag], who also was the conference’s top rookie and defensive player, but she can’t do as much if Citron and Westbeld aren’t around. They’re just as deserving of recogntion no matter how much attention Hidalgo gets.

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Ivey, Hidalgo, Citron, Westbeld speak after Notre Dame win

Hear what the victors had to say about this game.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – There’s no doubt Notre Dame wants to have one or two more games at Purcell Pavilion this season. The Irish have been playing even better lately, most recently with their 74-58 win over Louisville. It all depends on what the NCAA Tournament selection committee thinks of its resume. We’ll save that discussion for another day though.

The discussion right now is this latest victory, which [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] was happy to talk about afterwards. After a win like that though, it wasn’t enough to bring in the usual one or two players. She brought in her three best, and they all deserved it.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] did her usual thing with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six steals. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored 17 points, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Fighting Irish Wire was on hand during this postgame news conference, and here is some of what was said:

Notre Dame clinches ACC Tournament double-bye with win vs. Louisville

Great way to end the regular season.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Hopefully, Notre Dame has not played its final game at Purcell Pavilion this season. That depends on how the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament feels about giving the Irish a top-four seed. Regardless, the Irish continued to make their case in front of a packed house with a 74-58 win over Louisville, giving them a double-bye for this week’s ACC Tournament.

The first half was very much even until the Irish (23-6, 13-5) saw the Cardinals (23-8, 12-6) take their biggest lead at seven going into halftime. The third quarter was a much different story though as the Irish became as red-hot from the field as the Cardinals became ice-cold, though the Irish’s defense also had a hand in that. The shooting numbers in that quarter told the story: 11 of 13 for the Irish, and 2 of 17 for the Cardinals.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had a trademark game of 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six steals. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored 17 points, [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] added 10, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards.

With the victory in their final regular-season game, the Irish didn’t need to worry about Wake Forest having to upset NC State. They now get to go straight to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. That extra rest will do wonders for a team that has had depth issues all season. We’ll see how much it pays off.

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Notre Dame stuns No. 5 Virginia Tech with big win

Biggest victory this season by far.

As impressive as Notre Dame’s win at UConn earlier this season was, it was a nonconference game. What ultimately matters is how you do against your conference foes, and the Irish had a tough one in No. 5 Virginia Tech on Thursday at Purcell Pavilion. It turned out not to matter as the Irish upset the Hokies in convincing fashion, 71-58.

Not only did the Irish (22-6, 12-5) keep the Hokies (23-5, 14-3) from clinching the outright ACC title with a victory and snap their 10-game winning streak, but they kept their hopes for a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament alive. A loss would have caused those hopes to hang by a thread at best, but that’s not the case.

This game featured eight lead changes, all in the first quarter. The Irish never trailed again after [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] made a layup late in that first quarter. By locking down on the Hokies’ top players, executing their offensive game plan flawlessly and simply outplaying their opponents, the Irish led by as much as 14. The Hokies cut the lead to five a couple of times in the second half but got no closer. The Irish weathered every storm and came out on top.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] embraced the higher stakes with 23 points, six assists, three steals and a career-high 12 rebounds. She also became the ACC’s all-time leading freshman scorer by bringing her season total to 663. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored all 21 of her points in the second half, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

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Maddy Westbeld makes watch list for Women’s College All-Star Game

Way to go, Maddy!

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] still will have college eligibility left after this season, but will she use it? That question has to be burning even more after the 6-foot-3 Notre Dame forward was named to the watch list for the Women’s College All-Star Game, a hotbed for future WNBA players.

Westbeld was one of about 60 players selected, but only 20 will get to participate in the April 6 event in Cleveland. Among the most prominent names on the list are Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese and Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley. Westbeld and Kitley are two of 10 ACC players who made the list.

Westbeld is having a great season, averaging career highs in scoring (23.2) and rebounds (15.4). She might often be overlooked because of the phenomenal season [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has had. But make no mistake about the fact that Westbeld is just as important, giving the Irish an imposing presence down low more than anyone else. She will be key in however this season turns out.

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Notre Dame starts slowly, then dominates Boston College in second half

That was scary for a little bit.

Slow starts by Notre Dame have to be a concern for [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag]. But what ultimately matters is how the Irish finish, and they did that in a big way against Boston College. After it seemed early on like the Eagles might pull off a big upset, the Irish roared back and rolled to a 79-55 victory.

The Irish, who were without [autotag]Natalija Marshall[/autotag] because of an illness, struggled badly in the first quarter, shooting only 4 of 18 from the field and allowing the Eagles to go up by as much as 11. The second quarter was different as the Eagles didn’t make a field goal until the final seconds, and the Irish took advantage.

But even though they outscored the Eagles, 18-4, in the quarter to take a four-point halftime lead, the Irish still didn’t look impressive, especially since they missed all 11 3-point attempts in the first half.

The Irish came out for the second half looking more like the team we’ve seen all year. They outscored the Eagles, 50-30, for the rest of the game as the talent gap between the two programs became obvious. That scoring output helped by the fact that they shot 64.5% from the floor.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had an extremely balanced game of 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] scored 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers that got the second half going for the Irish. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] had a 16-point, seven-rebound outing, and [autotag]Anna DeWolfe[/autotag] scored 11.

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