Now 4-0 on the season, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team continues to shine on the court, as it took a 91-55 win over the Lafayette Leopards on Sunday in Easton, Pennsylvania.
The first quarter looked strong for the Irish, as senior guard Sonia Citron scored the first two points of the night with a layup. Sophomore guard Cassandre Prosper shortly after added on a three-pointer to bring the lead to 5-0, but the Leopards responded by adding on a three-pointer of their own to make it a two-point game. A jump shot from Citron and a layup from graduate guard Olivia Miles made the game 9-5, but the Leopards responded after adding on a three-pointer of their own to make the score 9-8. Seven points from sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo, six points from Miles, three points from sophomore guard Emma Risch, two points from freshman forward Kate Koval and a free throw from Prosper gave the Irish a big, 28-10 lead over the Leopards. While Lafayette managed to add on three more points for itself, the Irish finished on top at the end of the first quarter, 28-13.
Risch and Hidalgo started off the second quarter strong for the Irish, as both put up three-point shots to make the score 34-17 after the Leopards put up points of their own. Miles added on five more points of her own alongside three more points from Hidalgo to make the score 42-17. After four points from the Leopards, the Irish did not hesitate as Koval added on two points, Hidalgo added on five points and Prosper added on three to bring the score to 52-21. As the teams went back and forth, Lafayette went on a 7-2 run to make the score 53-28, but a free throw from Koval at the end of the second quarter kept the Irish ahead 54-28.
With 26-point lead over the Leopards, a combined effort of two points from Citron, three points from Hidalgo and two points from Prosper brought the score to 61-28. After a 7-2 run from Lafayette, Koval responded as she put up two points alongside two points scored by Hidalgo, three from Risch, two from Miles and two from Citron to close out the third quarter at 74-39.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Miles added two points for the Irish in the first 10 seconds of the quarter to make the score 76-39. After a 9-0 run from Lafayette, Hidalgo put up a three-pointer and a layup, Koval added on two layups and Citron added on a layup to make the score 87-53. While the Leopards added on two more points for themselves, the Irish kept the ball rolling as Risch added on a three-pointer and Hidalgo made a free throw to end the fourth quarter and make the final score 91-55.
Power duo Miles and Hidalgo led on the court for the Irish, as Hidalgo finished with 29 points and Miles finished with 20 points. Koval led the team on defense as she grabbed 19 rebounds for the Irish as well as Miles who tallied 11 rebounds on the day. In total, the team shot 34 for 73 from the field, 15 for 33 from the three-point line and 8 for 13 from the free-throw line.
The Notre Dame women’s basketball team now travels to Los Angeles to face off against Southern California on Nov. 23 starting at 4 p.m.
