SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sonia Citron scored 29 points and Hannah Hidalgo added a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists to help No. 2-seed Notre Dame beat 15th-seeded Kent State 81-67 on Saturday in the women's NCAA Tournament.
Citron was 13 of 20 from the field while Hidalgo added six steals for the Irish (27-6), who play Monday in the second round.
Katie Shumate led Kent State (21-11) with 20 points while Janae Tyler scored 18.
A relentless defensive effort in the first quarter set a dominating tone for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish used an 18-0 run on the way to building a 22-5 lead, harassing Kent State into a stretch of 0-for-13 shooting.
Notre Dame built the advantage to 49-30 at the half. The Fighting Irish hit six of their first nine shots from 3-point range and also had the transition game in high gear, racing to a 13-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
Kent State wouldn’t let Notre Dame romp into the next round. The Flashes closed the deficit to 67-55 with 5:30 left in the game.
Citron countered with a 3 and then cashed in on the next possession with a baseline cut to the hoop, scoring off a stunning dish from Hidalgo.
Hidalgo then delivered the knockout punch with a driving basket as she was fouled. Her free throw put the Fighting Irish up by 20 points at 77-57 with 3:41 left in the game.
UP NEXT:
The Irish play the winner of Ole Miss and Marquette in the second round.
Notre Dame 81, Kent St. 67
KENT ST. (21-11) — Batsch 4-13 2-2 13, Dunn 0-6 0-0 0, Morris 1-3 0-0 2, Gray 3-8 4-6 12, Shumate 7-17 4-4 20, Tyler 8-11 2-3 18, Maier 0-1 0-0 0, Ogle 1-3 0-0 2, Totals: 24-62 12-15 67
NOTRE DAME (27-6) — Marshall 3-5 1-2 7, Westbeld 4-13 1-2 9, Citron 13-20 0-0 29, DeWolfe 5-7 0-0 12, Hidalgo 5-14 2-5 14, Obinma 1-1 0-0 2, Bransford 4-7 0-0 8, Totals: 35-67 4-9 81
Kent St. 10 20 16 21 — 67
Notre Dame 22 27 10 22 — 81
3-Point Goals—Kent St. 7-22 (Batsch 3-5, Dunn 0-5, Gray 2-4, Shumate 2-6, Maier 0-1, Ogle 0-1), Notre Dame 7-17 (Westbeld 0-2, Citron 3-7, DeWolfe 2-4, Hidalgo 2-4). Assists—Kent St. 13 (Gray 5), Notre Dame 24 (Hidalgo 11). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Kent St. 37 (Shumate 11), Notre Dame 32 (Westbeld 10). Total Fouls—Kent St. 13, Notre Dame 17. Technical Fouls—None.