ND WBB: Citron's limp sours Notre Dame's dominant 110-52 win over Northwestern

Nov. 15—SOUTH BEND — A hushed crowd in the third quarter overshadowed a 110-52 win for No. 16 Notre Dame over Northwestern at Purcell Pavilion Wednesday night in South Bend.

With nearly a minute left in third quarter, junior guard Sonia Citron collapsed on the baseline following a collision under the rim. As silence swept over the arena, fans applauded their standout when she limped off the court with the help of assistance.

Head coach Niele Ivey missed the collision that caused her to lose one of her most experienced and talented members on the roster.

"I didn't," said Ivey when asked if she had seen what happened on the play. "It seemed like Cass [Prosper] fell and bumped her... it seemed like it was a collision. I don't know, I couldn't see it to be honest. I think it was a bit of collision from the baseline."

It was a bitter result from a home opening contest in which Notre Dame played well for the majority of Wednesday's contest. Citron, who led the team with 23 points, had been a large reason for the rout of the Wildcats.

Ivey immediately knew the impact on her team and it showed from one of her teammates after the game.

"Sonia's just a great person," Prosper said. "On the court, you guys see it, she's so consistent we know what we're gonna get from her. She's amazing, she just cares for us and the team and that's why she plays so hard for us. I love her, I hope she's OK."

Despite the injury, Ivey's squad controlled most of the home opener despite an early deficit.

A little over two minutes into the action, Notre Dame had committed four turnovers in its first five possessions, assisting the Wildcats to an 8-0 lead. That forced the Irish, who Ivey said seemed like they were "sleepwalking", to take an early timeout.

"I think we just came out flat for whatever reason," Ivey said. "Credit to Northwestern, they came out very aggressive, I thought they had a great start. I think we just didn't start very well and had to call timeout and then [we] started playing Irish basketball."

From then on, Notre Dame was strong the rest of the way. A 15-0 run out of the timeout included several flashy plays on defense, helping Ivey's group jump out in transition, scoring quickly and often.

Early freshman standout Hannah Hidalgo, who scored 31 and 26 points in her first two games in an Irish uniform, was the catalyst of the explosion of energy on both ends of the court. Her physicality on the defensive side forced the Wildcats into making bad mistakes. That energy carried over to the Irish who attacked on the run.

If you blinked, you likely missed one of the many steals and transition layups forced by the full-court press.

"Definitely her defensive energy is contagious with the team and with that energy, she brings it on the offensive and defensive end," Ivey said of Hidalgo, who finished second on the Irish with 21 points, six steals, six rebounds and five assists. "I think she's done a really good job of just running the team and learning a lot on the fly. She is a sponge so she is learning a lot."

Notre Dame would fire back against the 8-0 deficit to finish the first half on a 56-18 run, taking a 30-point lead into the break.

The Irish committed nine first half turnovers but eight in the first quarter, contrasting the two periods.

Coasting to start the third quarter, the Notre Dame defense remained confident and aggressive as it added visible frustration to the Wildcats effort. After Citron's injury towards the end of the third quarter, the Irish were well on their way to winning their home opener 110-52.

Ivey called the win "bittersweet" during her opening remarks, clearly keeping Citron's injury in mind. The significance of said injury is unknown, but a loss for a sustained period would be dreadful for the Irish who are still without junior guard Olivia Miles who remains on the recovery track to playing soon this season.

"I think it's the opportunity for everybody to do more," Ivey said in reference that more than just Hidalgo will be asked to step up if needed. "We have an incredible team, not just one person. We're very balanced."

HIGHLIGHTS AT HOME

The Notre Dame crowd inside Purcell Pavilion got accustomed to applauding the Irish's effort but it was the duo of Hidalgo and graduate guard Anna DeWolfe that drew the most praise.

With the game tied at eight in the first quarter, Citron made a steal, quickly throwing an overhead pass to DeWolfe just outside the paint on the offensive end of the court. DeWolfe than made a flashy pass behind her back which found Hidalgo for the score and the foul shot.

Moments later, DeWolfe found Hidalgo again with an overhead skip-pass, sending the crowd to erupt as Notre Dame mounted its lead.

Citron also added to the reason for praise, sinking a pair of buzzer-beating three-pointers to end the first and second quarter. Freshman Emma Risch also added a trey to beat the buzzer in the third quarter for the Irish.

Senior 5-foot-4 guard Sarah Cernugel also got a standing ovation, connecting on a three-pointer in the fourth quarter when Ivey utilized the depth of her bench.

INTERNATIONAL SENSATION

Cassandre Prosper was back with Ivey's squad following a stint with Team Canada. The Canadians went 3-0 in the Olympic pre-qualifiers.

"It was great," Prosper said about her experience with her group north of the border. "It was extremely fun just because I got to play three games in four days and it was just a lot of basketball in a short amount of time. I'm extremely thankful for coach Ivey letting me go too.

NEXT UP

Notre Dame next travels to our nation's capital for a matchup against Illinois (2-1) in the 2023 Citi Shamrock Classic. The game Saturday tips off at 1 p.m. The Irish will return home Tuesday for a contest against Chicago State at 7 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Northwestern (2-1) — 16; 10; 16; 10 — 52

#16 Notre Dame (2-1) — 24; 32; 23; 31 — 110

Reach Matt Lucas at 574-533-2151, ext. 240325, or at matt.lucas@goshennews.com.