SOUTH BEND - Forward Maddy Westbeld scored 20 points and led No. 3 seed Notre Dame to an 82-56 win over No. 14 seed Southern Utah in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Guard Sonia Citron chipped in 14 points and a season-high six assists. The team’s leading scorer, she transitioned into the team’s primary facilitator with second-team Associated Press All-American guard Olivia Miles out the remainder of the season with an undisclosed knee injury.
Lauren Ebo had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Megan Jensen led Southern Utah (23-10) with 11 points.
Notre Dame (26-5) awaits the winner of the first-round matchup on Friday evening between No. 6 Creighton and No. 11 Mississippi State.
NEVER IN DOUBT
Notre Dame jumped out to a 16-0 lead and kept its foot on the gas.
The Irish held a 27-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, making 13 of 16 field goal attempts with 20 points in the paint. Westbeld led the way with eight points, while Ebo and Watson each scored six.
BIG PICTURE
Southern Utah: Saw its magical 2022-23 season end. The Thunderbirds won the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title and earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Notre Dame: The ACC regular season champs look to make their second straight Sweet Sixteen appearance.