Having just completed one of the most successful two-game homestands imaginable, Notre Dame women’s basketball heads back on the road this week. The Irish (21-2, 12-0 ACC) have won 16 consecutive games, beating Stanford and No. 21 Cal by a combined 88 points over the last two.
“Pretty much everybody’s clicking on all cylinders,” head coach Niele Ivey said after Sunday’s 91-52 win.
With their offense still humming along near 90 points per game, the Irish have been especially dominant on defense lately. They forced 50 combined turnovers against Stanford and Cal. Players like freshman forward Kate Koval, who tallied 6 points and 4 rebounds Sunday, also helped Notre Dame control the interior.
“I thought she had one of her best games,” Ivey said on Sunday. “Really physical, did a great job down low [with] great blocks. [She] did a great job of finding position offensively and setting great screens. She’s somebody that’s just gonna continue just to get better and better, and I’m really proud of her because she puts in so much work.”
Koval, a big part of Notre Dame’s fast start in November, has seen her playing time diminish with graduate forward Maddy Westbeld’s return, but she’s still finding ways to contribute. Senior guard Sonia Citron, on the other hand, has been in the main rotation all year, taking her defensive game to another level.
“[She’s] our Elmer’s glue of a person that comes in and does everything for us,” Ivey described. “I thought she made some huge plays defensively, and offensively just being solid for us. Great in transition — her speed, her pace — just fantastic.”
Citron stuffed the stat sheet on Sunday, blending 16 points with four rebounds, five assists and four steals. She and the Irish will take a Thursday trip to Pittsburgh (11-14, 3-9 ACC) before hosting No. 13 Duke (19-5, 10-2 ACC) within the next week.
Irish slide up to No. 2 nationally
Nearly two months had passed since Notre Dame’s last movement in the national rankings. Credit goes to UCLA and South Carolina, whose constant kept the Irish locked up at No. 3.
However, on Sunday Notre Dame got some help from a team it beat earlier this year. Then-No. 4 Texas, which the Irish toppled in overtime on Dec. 5, knocked off the Gamecocks in Austin, sliding them down to No. 4. UCLA remains in the No. 1 position at. 23-0, with Notre Dame and Texas now occupying the next two slots.
There’s also a new highest-ranked ACC team behind the Irish. With Duke’s loss to N.C. State and subsequent drop from No. 10 to No. 13, the Wolfpack now own the 10th position. The Irish will travel to Raleigh, where the Blue Devils lost, on Feb. 23.
King’s return to the Steel City
When Notre Dame played in Pittsburgh last January, it flirted with disaster. The Irish turned a 28-12 lead after one quarter into a 48-47 deficit after three, also putting five players out of its seven available in foul trouble.
Essentially all of the fouls — and come-from-behind Panther points — happened because of one player: Liatu King. The ACC’s Most Improved Player was a monster against the Irish, totaling 34 points and 13 rebounds while drawing eight whistles. Fortunately for Notre Dame, no other Panthers scored more than 9 points, helping the Irish drag away a 71-66 win. A month later, they’d more handily beat Pitt at home, but King still double-doubled with 18 points and 14 rebounds in South Bend.
On Thursday, King will make her return to the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. The four-year Panther forward from the nation’s capital transferred to the Irish in May after finishing on the All-ACC First Team last season. Now an ultra-consistent player for Notre Dame, King ranks 10th nationally in rebounds per game (10.8) and averages 12 points per contest.
Opponent previews
Barring another wild combination of scenarios, Thursday’s game at Pittsburgh shouldn’t be close for the Irish. The Panthers have won each of their last two games (79-66 vs. Boston College, 58-57 at SMU) and mounted the largest regulation comeback win in NCAA women’s basketball history earlier this season, but they’re still 11-14.
Like last year, stopping the Panthers more or less comes down to containing one player. Graduate center Khadija Faye, a Senegalese transfer from Texas leads the team with 17.9 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per contest. She just had a massive game on Sunday against SMU, recording 22 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks. Senior forward MaKayla Elmore, who contributes 7.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, has helped her out lately, averaging 14.5 points and 10 rebounds during the last two wins.
Upon returning from the Steel City, the Irish will take an extra day of rest before hosting Duke on Monday night. One of the last teams realistically standing between Notre Dame and an unbeaten run through ACC, the Blue Devils wield a terrific, steal-happy defense that held Pitt to 31 points. They’ve also stayed healthy, starting the same five players in all 24 games and getting massive contributions from their bench.
In fact, Duke’s top scorer hasn’t started a game this year. Freshman forward Toby Fournier scored 13.4 points per game while playing an average of less than 20 minutes. Duke head coach Kara Lawson discussed Fournier’s development after Sunday’s 90-49 defeat of Miami (FL), a game in which she scored 24 points.
“Every day she picks something up or refines something — maybe does it a little bit better,” Lawson said. “She’s remarkably productive … she’s the best freshman in the league.”
“It’s unique how she’s able to finish, how she’s able to impact the game with her athleticism on both ends. And she’s trending upward. She’s figuring things out … She’s more consistent with her performances night in and night out.”
Even with such a marquee game coming up on Monday, Notre Dame’s mentality suggests it won’t overlook the importance of Thursday night’s affair.
“We’re not looking ahead. We’re not looking forward,” Citron said. “It’s just game by game, and we’re just preparing like our biggest game of the season is the one that we’re playing right now.”
Notre Dame will take on Pittsburgh at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
