Tag: Maya Dodson

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’s Maya Dodson denied sixth year of eligibility by NCAA

Best wishes in her professional career.

Notre Dame forward Maya Dodson was in a no-lose situation. If the NCAA denied her request for a sixth year of eligibility, she could instead prepare for the upcoming WNBA draft. Well, it’s time for her to start thinking about her professional career because the NCAA denied her appeal. With her collegiate career officially over, she took to social media to profess her gratitude to the Irish:

Dodson came to the Irish for the 2021-22 season after transferring from Stanford. Injuries limited her to nine games in 2019-20, and she opted out of the COVID-19-hampered 2020-21 season. By doing so, she was not eligible for the extra year of eligibility that the NCAA gave those who played that season. That made the appeal process necessary.

In her lone season with the Irish, Dodson was named to the All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team. She led the team in rebounds (7.3) and blocks (2.8) a game while also placing second in scoring (12.6).

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

NC State deals Notre Dame heartbreaking defeat in NCAA Tournament

This one hurts.

Notre Dame had top-seeded NC State on the ropes in the Sweet 16 of the Bridgeport Regional in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the Irish were mere seconds away from defeating the Wolfpack for the second time this season and getting back to the Elite Eight. Instead, the tables turned at the worst possible time, and the Irish will head home after losing a 66-63 heartbreaker.

The Irish (24-9) took the lead in the second quarter, during which they had a 26-14 scoring advantage over the Wolfpack (32-3). They led by as much as 10 without falling behind and still had a four-point advantage with 1:45 to go. That lead was cut to 66-63, and the game was about to be tied but for Elissa Cunane’s first missed free throw of the game. Maya Dodson got the rebound, and the Irish called a timeout hoping to milk the clock with 35 seconds left.

Out of the timeout, the worst possible thing happened, and it surely will haunt Dara Mabrey forever. Raina Perez picked the senior clean at the center-court logo and broke free for a wide-open layup with nobody in front of her, giving the Wolfpack the slimmest of leads. The Irish called their last timeout to set up a game-winning basket, but Maddy Westbeld missed a 3-pointer, and Perez got the rebound and was fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining. Perez made two free throws, and the stunned Irish could only watch the Wolfpack celebrate their incredible come-from-behind victory.

As predicted, Cunane was the Wolfpack’s most productive player with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but it was the defense that will be remembered most in this game. Kai Crutchfield had three of her four steals in the fourth quarter, and two of those led to four of her 14 points. Perez also had four steals, none bigger than the last one.

Olivia Miles nearly carried the Irish on her back to the finish line as she led all scorers with 21 points. Westbeld scored 13 points to go with eight rebounds and three steals. However, she also committed five of the Irish’s 16 turnovers.

This one will sting for the Irish for a while, especially after being outscored, 20-10, in the fourth quarter. At the same time, this was the season in which Niele Ivey was able to establish herself as the right person to lead the program going forward. Most of the team will be back next season, and only more progress can result. The Irish are back, and they’re not going away.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame dominates Oklahoma from start to advance to Sweet 16

That was a whooping.

The second-round NCAA Tournament game between Notre Dame and Oklahoma was competitive for about two-and-a-half minutes. After that, any semblance of a level playing field in this contest completely evaporated. That’s because the Irish began a complete embarrassment of the Sooners on their home floor. Their 108-64 win set a program NCAA Tournament record for offensive output and set up a meeting with top-seeded NC State in the Sweet 16.

After the Irish (24-8) found themselves down, 7-5, to the Sooners (25-9), they had absolutely nothing to worry about. Led by four 3-pointers from Dara Mabrey, they scored 20 unanswered points and never were threatened again. Their 35 first-quarter points were their most in any quarter this season. Helped by Sooners 28 turnovers, they continued to pour it on throughout, reminding everyone yet again that this program has emerged from the doldrums.

Mabrey finished with seven 3-pointers and a game-high 29 points. Sonia Citron wasn’t far behind with 25, and she made all 11 of her free throws. Maya Dodson scored 20 on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, and Maddy Westbeld flirted with a double-double as she totaled 13 points and nine rebounds. Also coming close to a double-double was Olivia Miles, who scored nine points and had 12 assists.

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Oklahoma Sooners vs. Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament: Stream, injury report and broadcast

Here’s how you can check out the action between the Oklahoma Sooners and Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the NCAA Tournament.

After a strong performance against IUPUI in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Oklahoma Women’s basketball team will face a tough test from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. With four players averaging double-figures in points, the Sooners will have to be on guard to slow down the Irish offense.

The Sooners got fantastic performances from Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson, who each scored 20 points in the opening round win over IUPUI. This is the furthest the Sooners have advanced in the NCAA Tournament since 2017. If they can knock off Notre Dame tonight at the Lloyd Noble Center, they’ll advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.

For Notre Dame, they knocked off UMass in the opening round of the tournament behind Olivia Miles triple double. Like Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk, it was the first win for Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey in her tenure with the Irish.

How to Watch

  • Date: March 21
  • Time: 5 p.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN2
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Injury Report

Oklahoma

Skylar Vann: probable (leg)

Notre Dame

N/A

Players to watch

Oklahoma

Madi Williams: 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals per game.

Taylor Robertson: 17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals per game.

Skylar Vann: 11.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game

Notre Dame

Olivia Miles: 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 steals per game.

Maya Dodson: 12.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.7 blocks per game.

Maddy Westbeld: 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals per game.

Sonia Citron: 11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Notre Dame beats Massachusetts in first round of NCAA Tournament

The Irish have past their first tournament test.

If Notre Dame had lost to Massachusetts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, no one would have been surprised. After all, two No. 5 seeds already had fallen, so it would have been forgivable not to bat an eye at seeing it happen again. But it didn’t happen this time, and the Irish are into the second round after an 89-78 win in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Irish (23-8) got off to a fast start, going up by as much as 17 in the first half. The Minutewomen (26-7) cut that lead by more than half going into the break when Sam Breen hit a buzzer-beating half-court shot. When the lead was whittled down to six in the third quarter, another No. 12 seed looked like it was on its way to victory. Instead, the Irish went on an 11-0 run, and that was all she wrote for the Minutewomen.

It was a historic game for Olivia Miles, who achieved the second triple-double of her collegiate career: 12 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. She joins Skylar Diggins and Jackie Young as the only players in program history with two triple-doubles. While she also had six turnovers, no one will remember that.

Maddy Westbeld led the Irish with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. The Irish also got 18 points apiece from Dara Mabrey and Maya Dodson.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame’s Dodson named ACC Player of the Week

Big honors for a big time player

GREENSBORO, N.C.  — Notre Dame’s Maya Dodson has been named Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, for her outstanding play in the road win over DePaul on Dec. 22. The achievement marks the first for Dodson in her career, including her Pac-12 days. It’s also the first Player of the Week honor for the Irish this season, as Sonia Citron has claimed four Freshman of the Week honors.

Dodson scored a career-high 28 points to lead the now 17th-ranked Fighting Irish to a 91-86 win at (RV) DePaul. The 6-3 forward turned in a stellar second-half performance, scoring 20 of her points after the break. In fact, Dodson was instrumental down the stretch, scoring 10 straight points from 4:46-0:26, maintaining a lead that didn’t stretch more than two possessions in length.

All-in-all Dodson scored 12 of the Irish’s 19 points in the fourth quarter and even got a clutch offensive board in the final 10 seconds after a Maddy Westbeld free-throw which iced the game. Dodson finished the game with eight rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

Dodson and the rest of the Irish return to action on Dec. 30 in a road matchup at Virginia. That contest will tip at 7 pm ET on ACCNX.