Notre Dame Stifles Virginia Tech To Advance To ACC Championship Game
Greensboro, N.C. - Notre Dame used a balanced scoring attack and another stingy defensive performance to trounce No. 1 seeded Virginia Tech 82-53 in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Fighting Irish (25-6) won their seventh consecutive game to advance to the ACC Championship finals for the first time since 2019 while keeping the Hokies (24-7) from repeating as tournament champions.
Sonia Citron led four Irish players in double figures with 19 points. Citron was 5 of 7 with 11 of her points coming in a second half that saw the Irish outscore the defending ACC champions 49-30 to put the game away.
Notre Dame led 15-12 after a first quarter that saw Virginia Tech, who was playing its second straight game without three-time reigning ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, hit just 5 of 21 shots overall including 2 of 9 from 3-point range.
Hannah Hidalgo missed her first four shots from the field and appeared shaken up after being knocked to the floor a handful of times early in the game. The ACC’s Rookie of the Year was 1 for 7 with four points in the first 20 minutes but ended her day with 15 points thanks to a third quarter that saw her score nine points on 3 of 4 shooting. The freshman has scored in double figures in all 31 games this season.
The Fighting Irish led 33-23 at halftime but opened the second half with a 19-2 run to blow the game open. Maddy Westbeld hit her first three shots to score 10 points in the half and 18 in the game.
Tech point guard Georgia Amoore, a first-team All-ACC selection, did her best to keep the Hokies in the game with 11 points in the third quarter. She scored 24 in the game a day after scoring 27 points in a win over Miami.
Anna DeWolfe added 14 points thanks to four 3-points. She hit all three of her fourth quarter attempts behind the arc for all nine of her points in the game’s final 10 minutes.
The game was marred in the third quarter when Irish forward Kylee Watson went to the floor with an apparent knee injury at the 3:59 mark. The senior had to be helped off the floor by Notre Dame’s team medical staff. She would later come back to the Irish bench using crutches. Kitley, who injured her knee in last Sunday’s loss to Virginia, was in tears on the Virginia Tech bench as she watched Watson being tended to on the floor.
Notre Dame held Virginia Tech to 21 of 70 shooting (30%) overall, including 8 for 28 (28%) on 3-pointers. The Irish have held their opponents to 57.2 points per game during their current seven-game winning streak.
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