SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey took the intensity up a notch at practice this week, calling on her team to respond after a second conference loss in three games. No. 18 Notre Dame (11-3, 2-2) heard the call. The Irish beat Boston College (9-8, 1-3), 98-48 on Thursday night. The 50-point margin of victory is tied for the third-largest over a conference opponent since Notre Dame joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season.
“Our offense was clicking on all cylinders, and our defense was dominant,” Ivey said after the win. “It means everything to have this type of game, to come out with the level of intensity that we did. All week, we worked on different offenses that I thought could beat their scrappy defense and zone, and I thought we came out right away and executed really well.”
Maddy Westbeld was a monster on the boards from the tip, notching 5 rebounds prior to the first media break. She ended the frame with 7 and had 11 by halftime. It was a notable welcome back for the forward, who missed Sunday’s game with a concussion.
“It was tough having to watch [from the bench] against UNC,” Westbeld said on Thursday night. “I was getting back into a rhythm this week and getting back on the court with my team, and it was good to feel that cohesive bonding again with them.”
The Irish lead from every moment after 4:23 in the first quarter, but it was an 11-0 run in the second quarter that really provided a spark. The Eagles had just 8 points in Q2, and Boston College standout Dontavia Waggoner did not score until the 3:58 mark of that frame.
Notre Dame was up 39-19 at the break, its largest halftime lead of conference play. Free throws played a notable role in the deficit, as BC only got to the line twice in the first half. Notre Dame was there 17 times, making 11 of them.
The second half was all Notre Dame, and it was the team’s highest scoring half of the season (59). Hannah Hidalgo had 12 and Sonia Citron had 9. Kylee Watson went 4-5 from the floor in Q3 and Q4. When the buzzer hit zero, every available Notre Dame player had scored.
Hidalgo finished with 27 points, the 12th game this season with 20+ points for the ACC’s leading scorer. That is now tied for second in program history for a freshman. She also had 10 rebounds and 4 steals, notching her fifth double-double this year.
For the second time in her career, Westbeld had 15 points and 15 rebounds. Since she arrived at Notre Dame, she is the only player to have posted a 15-15 game.
KK Bransford finished with 13 points on the night, followed by Sonia Citron, Anna DeWolfe, and Kylee Watson, who each posted 11 points apiece. That was a season-high for Bransford. It was the first time this year six players have been in double figures.
“I knew I owed it to my team and the coaching staff,” Watson said of her recent offensive slump. “I know I haven’t been showing up the way I should’ve been the last few games. I knew I needed to stay within myself, relax, and demand the ball.”
Watson also had 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks on the night. She has had 2 blocks in three of Notre Dame’s last four games.
The Irish are back in Purcell Pavilion on Sunday, Jan. 14 to host Miami at noon.