SOUTH BEND, Ind. — NC State came out hot, and Notre Dame couldn’t recover. On Thursday, the 16th-ranked Irish fell to the No. 6 Wolfpack, 59-43.
NC State started on a 19-4 run and never gave up the lead. The Irish went just 8-30 in the first half (26.7 percent), and for the first time in her Notre Dame career Hannah Hidalgo was held scoreless in a half. Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron were the only two Irish players to score in H1. Westbeld had 12 points and 8 rebounds, while Citron had 6 points.
The second half was more of the same, although Notre Dame played decently well on defense. The difference in the game was points off turnovers. NC State scored 16 points off of 15 Notre Dame turnovers. The Irish scored just 4 points off of the Wolfpack’s 13 giveaways.
When the clock hit zero, four NC State players finished in double figures. Three Irish were in double figures, with Westbeld leading the way at 14. She finished with 9 boards. Citron had 13 points, while Hidalgo had 10. Notre Dame ended with just 5 total assists.
The Irish are back on the road on Monday as they head to Cameron Indoor to face Duke (16-7, 8-4) on Monday.