With a 71-56 win over the Ole Miss Rebels, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will advance to its third straight Sweet 16.
“This one is really, really special,” Ivey said. “Obviously going to the Sweet 16 with this group, this is a special group, so all glory to God, number one. We’ve been through a lot. We been through a lot this season. We’ve had a lot of highs and lows, a lot of adversity, and to see this group just find a way to come together to persevere through all of our adversity is something special.”
The Fighting Irish came out for the opening tip, playing with a high tempo and outstanding defense.
Fast Pace
“We’re a pace team,” Ivey said. “We’re better in transition. We like to run. We like to play fast. So did Ole Miss. That was the goal. Get out and run, make them defend us.”
Notre Dame jumped out to an early 21-9 lead and used a tough zone defense. It forced Ole Miss into tough shots. The Rebels shot 4-17 in the first quarter, and the Irish pretty much controlled the game for all three quarters.
Ole Miss did go an 8-2 run in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to get back in the game.
Three Double-Digit Scorers
Maddy Westbeld led the Irish in scoring with 20 points on 8-13 shooting. Standout Freshman Hannah Hidalgo scored 19 points and added four rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
“We came out with this mentality that we were going to go on a 10-0 run, and we were just going to stop them from the jump,” said Hidalgo, who also dished out four assists and had four steals. “The team knew that we needed to hit them before they kind of hit us, because they’re a great team and they’re really athletic. We were all just locked into the scout, and everyone was locked in on defense, so I was able to be more aggressive.”
Sonia Citron also had 17 points, grabbed ten rebounds, and dished out six assists.
Notre Dame’s defense held the Rebels to 38.6% field-goal shooting and forced 22 turnovers. On offense, the Irish shot 50% from the field and dished out 17 team assists.
Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin was disappointed in her team’s performance.
“The disappointing part was someone got beat up, and it wasn’t them,” she said. “They beat us up. That’s what’s disappointing when your character and your reputation is to dictate and disrupt. I thought that they came prepared for a fight, and I don’t think we fought.”
Notre Dame will now face Oregon State in the Sweet 16 Friday.
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