Notre Dame stays hot and takes care of Boston College, 89-63

Remain unbeaten in ACC play

Notre Dame women’s basketball is ranked #3 in the nation but are playing like they are on top of the world. The Irish stay unbeaten in ACC play after taking down the Boston College Eagles, 89-63 on the road.

From the ND press release:

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — No. 3 Notre Dame (17-2, 8-0) improved to 7-0 on the road this season on Thursday, downing Boston College (12-9, 3-5), 89-63.

It was a group effort on the offensive end, as six players had at least 8 points. Hannah Hidalgo led with 23 points, and Sonia Citron stuffed the stat sheet with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block.

The teams alternated buckets for a first quarter that featured six lead changes and three ties. Of Notre Dame’s 17 first frame points, 14 came in the paint. A Hidalgo triple was the only source of points outside of the paint. The Eagles had an 18-17 lead after 10 minutes.

Notre Dame opened the second quarter 4-6 from deep, including a pair from a red hot Maddy Westbeld. The latter Westbeld triple, a Liatu King spin cycle layup and an Olivia Miles trey over 1:04 without a counter from Boston College led to a Boston College timeout.

At the half, the Irish had a 41-31 lead after holding Boston College scoreless for the final 2:52 of the second quarter. The Irish closed on a 14-5 run and had 10 offensive rebounds leading to 11 second chance points.

Hidalgo (11) and Westbeld (10) were the only players who scored in double-figures. Westbeld was 4-4 from the floor. Citron had a game-leading 5 assists, and Hidalgo a game-leading 5 rebounds.

The Irish started to pull away in the third, sparked by 10 points from Hidalgo and 7 from Citron. Notre Dame was 12-19 from the floor in Q3 and scored 22 points in the paint in the frame. The visitors carried a 20-point, 68-48 lead into the final 10 minutes.

A 13-0 run pushed the lead to 85-57, as the Irish continued to mount points while Boston College went cold. The Eagles finished the game 1-17 from the field and didn’t score for 5 minutes in the fourth. Miles had 6 points in the final frame, and Emma Risch stepped in for 4 points and a rebound. Notre Dame was 19-34 (55.9 percent) in the second half.

Notre Dame has the weekend off before heading back on the road Jan. 30 to play Virginia Tech.