Tag: Natalija Marshall

Niele Ivey, Cassandre Prosper speak after win over Northwestern

No updates about Citron yet.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Emotions were running high for Notre Dame after it beat Northwestern, 110-52. Instead of celebrating a victory, the Irish were concerned for the well-being of standout guard [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag], who scored 23 points but suffered an injury late in the third quarter.

When [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] and [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] (seven points off the bench) came down to speak with the media after the game, neither knew what was going on with Citron. All they and anyone who follows the Irish knew was that losing Citron for an extended period of time would be devastating. This is a team also wondering when [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] will be healthy enough to rejoin the lineup.

Fortunately, Citron’s injury wasn’t the only topic of discussion during the postgame news conference. Most questions were aimed at Ivey, but Prosper had a couple of questions thrown her way. Here is some of what they had to say about a mixed bag of an evening:

Photos from Notre Dame’s exhibition win over Purdue Northwest

The Irish are back!

Notre Dame finally was able to get back on the Purcell Pavilion court and compete. Purdue Northwest had the rare honor of being this year’s exhibition opponent for a Division I powerhouse.

It’s unlikely the Pride had any expectations of winning, which they realistically shouldn’t have. If anything, it was an honor to have the chance to lose to the Irish, 110-48.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag], this year’s freshman phenom, led everybody with 23 points and seven assists. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] was just behind Hidalgo in the scoring column with 22 points and came within a rebound of a double-double.

[autotag]Becky Obinma[/autotag] completed the double-double with a line of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Also reaching double figures in scoring for the Irish were [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] (17), [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] (15) and [autotag]Natalija Marshall[/autotag] (11).

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] was on the bench as she continues to recover from the knee injury she suffered late last season. The timeline for her return remains unclear, but hopefully, it won’t be too long of a wait.

Here are photos from the exhibition contest in South Bend:

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, Maddy Westbeld, Lauren Ebo speak after Notre Dame win

Hear from the winners of the ACC Tournament quarterfinal against NC State.

Despite having the ACC Tournament’s top seed, Notre Dame was dealt a tough hand for its quarterfinal. It had to face an NC State program that had won the last two matchups, and Olivia Miles was sidelined with a knee injury, probably for the entire weekend. Rather than panic, the Irish merely adjusted, and they won, 66-60. That earned them the right to face another tough squad in Louisville in the semifinals.

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] showed why she was named ACC Coach of the Year by keeping her players prepared even though they were missing their best asset. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag]’s 3 near the end of the first half gave the Irish a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, and she achieved a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] enjoyed a balanced afternoon with eight points, six rebounds, a steal and an assist.

All three women spoke to the media afterwards, and here’s what they had to say:

Niele Ivey, Maddy Westbeld speak after loss to Duke knocks Irish out of first

Read some inside thoughts on the defeat.

SOUTH BEND – The good news for Notre Dame is there’s plenty of time to reclaim first place in the ACC after Duke claimed it.

The bad news is the 57-52 loss the Blue Devils handed the Irish means [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] will have to figure out how to play catch-up. That’s not where a team wants to be with less than a month to go before the ACC Tournament. Alas, the Irish have no choice.

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] played the entire game and had 15 points and seven rebounds. But she contributed to the Irish’s 2-of-13 shooting from the field in the fourth quarter, missing all three of her shots. In fact, the six points [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] scored in that frame were all the Irish produced. [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] surely could have helped stop the bleeding had she been available, but we’ll never know for sure.

Here is some of what Ivey and Westbeld said about the Irish’s toughest loss this season:

Niele Ivey, Olivia Miles and Kylee Watson discuss Notre Dame win

The Irish speak about their win in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS — Notre Dame’s 90-79 win over California at the Shamrock Classic in St. Louis came tougher than anticipated. Still, a win is a win, and to have it come live from the Enterprise Center on NBC made it all the more special. The opportunity for [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] to do it in her hometown was among the topics covered in her postgame news conference with [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag]. Here is some of what they said:

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey speaks at ACC media day

Think the Irish have another deep tournament run in them?

Entering her third season as the legendary [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag]’s successor, Notre Dame coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] has every reason for optimism. She went from .500 in her first year at the helm to 24-9 and an appearance in the Sweet 16. But for a late Irish collapse against NC State in their final game, the Final Four would have been within their reach. Alas, neither Ivey nor her team could be disappointed by how far they had come.

All of that is history now, and Ivey is ready to see what she can do with this year’s Irish. She answered questions about it during the ACC’s media day Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina: