SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When the NCAA Tournament selection committee in March tries to make sense of an erratic Notre Dame women’s basketball résumé, the challenge may be which version of the Irish will show up for March Madness.
With its opening day starting lineup intact for just the fourth time this season, the 18th-ranked Irish may have flashed a glimpse of their true identity Thursday night at Purcell Pavilion in game No. 100 of the Niele Ivey coaching era.
And perhaps gained some significant traction toward rebuilding chemistry disrupted by missing pieces.
Freshman Hannah Hidalgo again was her typical stat-sheet-stuffing self, but it was what went with the nation’s fourth-leading scorer’s 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals that helped Notre Dame scrape its ceiling in a 98-48 strut past Boston College.
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It started with the latest comeback kid, senior forward Maddy Westbeld, who had booked a double-double less than three minutes into the second half. In fact, she was on track much of the game to threaten Jane Politiski’s 46-year-old single-game rebound school record set against Goshen College (22) until picking up two quick fouls — her third and fourth — in the third quarter to limit her opportunities.
In her first game back since leaving a close road win at Pitt early with a concussion the previous Thursday and not playing at all in a late fade at home in an upset loss to North Carolina on Sunday, Westbeld returned with a protective mask and an attitude.
With four rebounds in the first 83 seconds of the game, the 6-foot-3 forward finished with a game-high 15 boards to match her 15 points. She added three assists, two blocked shots and was a force in ND’s zone defense that limited the Eagles (9-8, 1-3) to season lows in points, field-goal percentage (29%) and 3-point shooting (5% 1-of-19).
“It definitely took some adjusting,” Westbeld said of the mask. “You could see me on the sidelines, like messing with it. But I think I was just focused on being tough when we came out. So that's where my mind was when we started — just be aggressive and bring that presence that I know my team missed and that they expect from me.”
It was contagious.
Nine players scored and six players finished in double figures for the Irish (11-3, 2-2), including forward Kylee Watson, who broke out of a prolonged offensive slump to contribute 11 points, eight rebounds and a fiery mentality.
“I knew I owed it to my team and the coaching staff and everything,” Watson said. “I feel like I haven't really been showing up the way that I should have been in the past few games. I knew that it's kind of needed.
“So, I just stayed within myself and just relaxed and kind of demanded the ball when I'm down there.”
Guard KK Bransford came off the bench for a season-high 13 points. Starting guards Anna DeWolfe and Sonia Citron each added 11 points.
For Citron, it was her second game back following a 7½-week layoff with a knee injury. And there was a key sequence before the Irish were able to turn a close game into the third-largest winning margin in an ACC game since joining the league 10 years ago.
The 6-1 junior picked up two quick fouls late in the first quarter with the Irish having just gained the lead after a 7-0 Boston College run. The second came with 17 seconds left in the period, and Citron headed to the bench.
But Ivey (72-28 in her first 100 games) trusted Citron to play smart and brought her back at the 8:14 mark of the second quarter. And the Irish offense immediately took off.
“I mean, she's been out for seven weeks, and I wanted to see her out there,” Ivey said. “She's somebody that we really need to build that chemistry with.”
It was quite a chemical reaction.
After hitting just six of 17 shots in the first quarter, the Irish hit 31 of 48 (.646) for the balance of the game to finish at 57 percent for the game. Their 54 points in the paint were more than BC scored, period.
“My level of intensity went up this week,” Ivey offered of the aftermath of the sloppy win at Pitt and the 61-57 loss to the Tar Heels. “I felt like they needed it, as a dose of reality. This is a tough conference. You’ve got to learn from it, and then you’ve got to move forward and you’ve got to get back to work.
“And so I felt like the intensity was raised this week. They responded to the challenge. And then they came out dominant the way that I feel like this team can be all the time. And sometimes it's a little bit of just like what do I need to do individually to help the team? And I feel like they all did that.”
There continue to be two significant pieces that could be added yet this season, though Ivey has provided no timetable for either when asked — All-American junior guard Olivia Miles and sophomore guard Cass Prosper, the latter one of the ACC’s premier defensive players.
Neither figures to be any more than part of the cheering section Sunday, when Miami (11-4, 1-3) comes to Purcell Pavilion for a noon EST matchup (The CW Network).
But if/when they do return, the Irish might find another gear. Miles (knee) hasn’t played since last February. Prosper (leg) last saw game action the day after Thanksgiving against Ball State.
But for now, Ivey seems to have enough key parts — and nine total — to build some momentum and make for some difficult seeding calculus for the selection committee when considering early-season losses and close calls.
“My goal is for us to continue to trend the right way,” Ivey said when asked about how often she thinks about the bigger picture. “And so, that's why I'm focusing on one game at a time. I'm hoping that by March, the trajectory is in a positive direction. As a coach, that's what I'm hoping for.
“But I'm literally locked in 40 minutes at a time. And as we continue to grow together, [continue to] stay healthy. I think that it should turn [our] way.”
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