Notre Dame led Michigan State on the road by 10 points on two separate occasions in East Lansing on Thursday night. But every time the Fighting Irish appeared poised to break the game open, the Spartans fought back.
The Irish still held on for a 76-71 victory behind a career night from freshman combo guard Sonia Citron. She scored 29 points off the bench for head coach Niele Ivey.
The No. 24 Fighting Irish secured its second true road victory of the season and improved to 7-1 before a road tilt against No. 2 UConn (3-1) on Sunday.
Sonia Citron has career night
Citron made her first four shots from the field. From there, it was clear she was going to have a big night.
She constantly cut backdoor on the baseline and was fed the ball in favorable positions by her teammates. If she didn’t score on the initial layup attempt, she scored at the free throw line. Citron made all eight of her attempts from the line.
Overall, she shot 9 of 12 from the floor. She connected on 3 of 4 three-point attempts, the last of which put Notre Dame ahead 70-62 with 2:27 remaining. It was the shot that effectively put the game out of reach.
“I knew I was going to shoot it because the play before, I got passed the ball and I was open and Coach Ivey said, ‘Give me one,’ and I didn’t shoot it,” Citron said. “So I had to give her that one.”
Citron also had five rebounds, three assists and zero turnovers. She doesn’t start for Ivey, but she just might be one of the best sixth options in the country. She’s well on her way to becoming an elite player in the ACC.
Olivia Miles makes impact in multiple ways
The player who most often fed Citron on her signature backdoor cuts was Miles, another freshman. The point guard flirted with a triple-double in recording 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Miles was Notre Dame’s best player in the first quarter. She affected the game on both ends of the court to keep Notre Dame afloat in a quarter in which Michigan State threatened to open up a sizable advantage.
Miles only made 5 of 15 shots from the floor, but Notre Dame can live with a 33.3 percent shooting night when she’s dishing dimes and battling for rebounds.
“I try to give her as much freedom as I can,” Ivey said. “Having a point guard mentality is hard because you have to know everybody’s position. It’s a lot that you have to carry. So I’m trying to open the floor for her to give her space and freedom. I think she’s thriving.”
Maya Dodson doesn’t have to score to be a force
A smaller Michigan State team came out with a stingy game plan against Notre Dame’s post players. Graduate student center Maya Dodson only scored four points as a result.
But Dodson doesn’t need to score to leave her mark.
Dodson had a career-high six blocks. She had six rebounds as well. Dodson scored 13 and 14 points in Notre Dame’s games against Georgia and Oregon State in Daytona Beach last week. She wasn’t able to put the ball in the bucket against the Spartans, but she’s not always going to be counted on to do so. Notre Dame has enough scorers to take a little pressure off the Stanford transfer’s shoulders.
“She’s going to have those types of games where the shot isn’t falling, but she does so many things when she’s on the floor,” Ivey said. “She’s a rim protector, she’s a great defender, she’s long and athletic, she helps us inside, rebounding and defense. If she’s not scoring, she’s trying to affect the game on the other side of the ball. That’s what I love about her.”
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