SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It was all Irish. All night.
On Thursday, No. 17 Notre Dame (22-6, 12-5) topped No. 5 Virginia Tech (23-5, 14-3), 71-58. The Irish led for 33:16 of the game and did not allow the Hokies to take a lead after 3:06 in the first quarter. Hannah Hidalgo paced the Irish with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Sonia Citron had 21 points, all in the second half.
“Phenomenal game,” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said after the win. “I have a lot of respect for Virginia Tech, and we were locked in from the beginning of the game. We’ve had so much growth in the last couple of weeks.
“It was a magical night for us.”
The Irish overcame recent first half troubles and came out on fire. Both Hidalgo and Westbeld had 14 points before the break, and the Irish led 36-28 at the half.
Notre Dame entered the game 16-0 on the year when leading at the half, and the Irish are now 17-0. In the midst of a minor Virginia Tech run in Q3, Notre Dame countered every time. Both Westbeld and Kylee Watson continued to keep Hokies post Elizabeth Kitley out of her comfort zone, forcing her to shoot jumpers.
Notre Dame played lights out defense throughout the night. The Irish held reigning ACC Player of the Year Kitley to 12 points and a 4-11 showing from the floor. Shooter Georgia Amoore had 20 points on the night but shot just 7-24.
Ivey played man-to-man for the entire game. It worked. As a team, Virginia Tech shot 36.8 percent (21-57). Notre Dame outscored the Hokies 34-16 in the paint.
“I didn’t want Virginia Tech to get comfortable in the zone,” Ivey said. “They have too many shooters. We showed our individual pride in man-to-man, and it was working, so I stayed in it.”
Notre Dame finishes up the regular season by hosting Louisville on Sunday. The game tips off on ESPN at 2 p.m.