SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Sonia Citron scored 20 points, hitting a career-high six 3-pointers, and grabbed nine rebounds to help No. 7 Notre Dame rout Virginia 76-54 on Sunday.
Lauren Ebo added 15 points and a career-high four steals, while Olivia Miles had 12 points and seven assists for the Fighting Irish (16-2, 7-1 ACC).
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Notre Dame lost starter Dara Mabrey to a knee injury in the game’s second minute and her Irish teammates picked up the slack. Mabrey went down on a fast break at 8:01 of the first quarter and did not return.
“I don’t know the timeline,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “She’s going to get further examination. It’s obviously just a little bit emotional for us. I was very proud of the way we responded.”
Camryn Taylor produced 13 points before fouling out for the Cavaliers (14-6, 3-6).
FAST START
Notre Dame raced out to a 18-4 lead and was ahead 18-9 at the close of the first quarter and 35-23 at halftime. The Irish shot 14 of 27 from the floor in the first half.
“The first couple minutes we really set the tone,” Ivey said. “We looked really dominant.”
DEFENSE
Virginia made 19 of 64 shots from the floor for the game.
It was a variety of coverages that Ivey credited for disrupting the Cavaliers’ offense.
“We showed a couple of things,” Ivey said. “The first half we picked up the press and slowed them down.”
SHORT-HANDED
While serving a one-game suspension for fighting in Virginia’s Thursday game against Florida State, Sam Brunelle did not play for the Cavaliers. She is a transfer from Notre Dame and did make the trip to South Bend. She averages 11.4 points and 27.3 minutes per game.
“She’s a phenomenal kid,” Virginia coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “We missed her out there. Our next has that ‘next woman up’ mentality. We’ve had to with different players out this whole entire season.”
BIG PICTURE
Notre Dame: The Irish remain tied with Duke for first place in the ACC.
Virginia: After a 13-1 start to the season, the Cavaliers are 1-5 during the 2023 portion of the schedule — all conference games.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame: The Irish will get a chance to be 8-1 at home when the team hosts Florida State Thursday, Jan. 26. Notre Dame lost to the Seminoles during the 2021-22 regular season.
Virginia: The Cavaliers take a 4-4 road mark to Syracuse Thursday, Jan. 26. Virginia lost to the Orange last season.