CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — It was a team win peppered with impressive individual performances for No. 19 Notre Dame (13-3, 4-2) on Thursday night, as the Irish took down Virginia (8-9, 0-6), 86-76.
Sonia Citron was the star of the night for Notre Dame, as the junior guard became the 43rd player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 points. Citron had 28 on the night — including a 12-12 showing from the charity stripe — which marked a season-high.
“She was so tough,” Ivey said of Citron after the game. “She’s our glue, and I’m just so happy for her. She does so much for this program and for me, so to celebrate this with her is just amazing.”
“It feels really good,” Citron added. “Coming back after the injury, I knew things weren’t going to be perfect. But it feels great to feel like I’m coming into myself and progressing a little every game.”
Hannah Hidalgo hit a few milestones herself on the night. She had at least 6 steals for the ninth time this season, setting a program record for games with at least 6 steals. She also now has 91 steals on the year, which is the record for an Irish rookie. Both of the aforementioned records were held by Skylar Diggins.
“It’s amazing, the things that she does defensively,” Ivey said. “The way that she can read defenses and her energy is something that you don’t see very often. It’s something she loves to do and she’s great at it.”
The story of the game — which was part of the reason Citron had the opportunity to hit 12 free throws — was the fouls. In total, the teams were called for 56 fouls, 35 of which were on Virginia. That led to 33 made free throws for the Irish on 44 attempts, the most free throws made by Notre Dame in a conference game since joining the ACC a decade again.
Citron got the scoring started on Thursday with a shot from behind the arc before the teams largely traded buckets through the first 7 minutes. Notre Dame went on a 13-3 run to close out frame No. 1. Seven different players scored in the first quarter, with Maddy Westbeld and Hidalgo leading the charge (6). Westbeld also had 4 boards.
Of note, three Cavaliers picked up 2 fouls in the first quarter, including leading scorer Camryn Taylor.
Notre Dame kept trying to put the game away in the second quarter, but a pesky UVA team wouldn’t go away. Even when the Irish took a 10-point lead with 1:54 to go, Virginia made it a 6-point game at the half, 39-33. Citron and Westbeld each had 10 points.
The Irish started the second half on a 9-0 run, what would ultimately be the largest run of the game. Notre Dame won the frame 25-14, and Hidalgo had 7 points. She was just as active on the defensive end of the floor, notching that 91st steal.
Despite the growing deficit and leading scorer Camryn Taylor fouling out with 7:47 to go in the game, the Hoos did not give up. Notre Dame went through a nearly 5-minute scoring drought and attempted just 8 field goals in the final quarter. They made their money at the line, however, going 14-17. Citron was 6-6, and Hidalgo was 6-7. Virginia stuck around and actually won the quarter 29-22, going 11-19 from the floor. In the end, Notre Dame walked away with another ACC road win on a night otherwise filled with conference upsets.
Hidalgo finished with 23 points, marking the 14th time she has eclipsed the 20-point mark. That breaks the Irish freshman record previously held by Beth Morgan. She was munificent with the ball as well, dishing out 9 assists.
Westbeld added 9 more rebounds to her tally as she continues to average a near double-double. She had 14 points and was the only other Irish player in double figures outside of Citron and Hidalgo.
As a team, Notre Dame forced 23 turnovers and held Taylor to 6 points. The only team to hold her to fewer points this year was LSU.
The Irish are back in action on Sunday as they face Wake Forest at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.