INDIANAPOLIS — After an exciting week of Irish hoops that featured two wins, including an overtime victory over No. 4 Texas, Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron has been named one of this week’s U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s National Players of the Week.
Citron averaged 21.5 points, 9 rebounds and 4.5 steals in wins over Texas and Syracuse. She shot 53.6 percent from the floor (15-28) and 50 percent from beyond the arc (7-14). The senior wing led Notre Dame with 25 points and four made treys at Syracuse and added 11 rebounds to notch her first double-double of the year and ninth of her career, which ranks sixth all-time among Notre Dame guards. She also had a career-high 7 steals against the Longhorns. Her previous best was 4.
“Soni, the always solid, poised veteran that she is, stepped up and made huge plays time after time,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said after the Texas game. “We were undersized in the post, and I thought she did a great job getting in there, getting rebounds, getting tips.”
Citron has been stuffing the stat sheet all season, but she has been particularly good recently. In her last four games, she has averaged 19.8 points and 3.8 steals per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from deep.
On the year, Citron ranks 14th in the ACC with 14.9 points per contest and second with 2.8 steals per game. She ranks 42nd nationally in swipes. A jack-of-all-trades, Citron is one of just three major conference players in the country currently averaging at least 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block per game.
Citron and the eighth-ranked Irish start a three-game home stand on Thursday by hosting No. 2 UConn. The game tips off on ESPN at 7 p.m.