By Justin O’Neal
On Monday, the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s basketball team went head to head against the 11th-ranked Duke Blue Devils. The matchup would have heavy implications on the ACC standings as well as national rankings. In a big game like this, where everyone knows it will be a hard fought battle, teams need a game changer. Someone with the ability to create momentum that can feed the rest of their team. On Monday night, Irish fans saw senior guard Sonia Citron be that game changer as she helped lead Notre Dame to a 64-49 win.
The game began as a defensive battle. It was clear Duke wanted to limit Notre Dame’s points in transition and make the game a low scoring bout. This worked well for the Blue Devils in the first half. At halftime, Notre Dame led by 2 points with neither team cracking 30 points through the game’s first 20 minutes.
As the second half was set to begin, it was clear that someone would have to step up in order for the Irish to create separation from such a hard-nosed Blue Devils team. Amongst the abundance of talent on Notre Dame’s roster, it was Citron who set the tone for the rest of the game by going on a tear on both sides of the floor early in the third quarter.
Citron drove hard down the left lane line, spinning back to the middle and knocking down a short jumpshot in the lane to extend the Irish lead to 31-27. On the next possession, Citron showcased her defensive prowess, blocking a 3-point attempt from Duke guard Ashlon Jackson at the top of the key. Citron grabbed the loose ball and pushed in transition, drawing a foul on her layup. After converting both free throws, the Joyce Center crowd was starting to feed the team’s momentum.
The rest of the team fed off the energy created by Citron’s block and a few plays later senior forward Maddy Westbeld swatted a layup attempt out of the air and launched the rebound down court to Hannah Hidalgo. The sophomore point guard threw a beautiful pass to Citron, who was streaking down the left side of the court. Citron took it all the way to the rim, finishing the layup to complete a 6-0 run by herself. The crowd erupted and Notre Dame would eventually go on a blistering 17-1 run. This scoring outburst took less than five minutes, and Duke was never able to recover.
“We were getting stops and getting out in transition,” Citron said after the game. “We have always said that is our best game (when) our defense fuels our offense.”
After the momentous run, Notre Dame cruised to victory, winning 64-49. Citron finished the game with her name all over the stat sheet. She scored 15 points while also bringing down 7 rebounds, with 3 steals and a block.
“Soni is our big defensive stopper,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey praised in the post game press conference. “That’s what Soni has been doing all season.”
Notre Dame will look to defend its crown as the best team in college basketball on Thursday night when the group goes on the road to face off against the Miami Hurricanes. With the ACC tournament and March Madness on the horizon, Irish fans can rest assured that Citron will continue to be the game changer that she has been all season long.
Justin O’Neal is a student assistant with the Notre Dame Athletics Communications Office in 2024-25 and is a senior at Holy Cross College, where he is a member of the school’s men’s basketball program.