Notre Dame Women fall to Maryland in Sweet Sixteen

 

GREENVILLE, S.C., --- Notre Dame Women's March Madness tournament run coming to an end after falling to Maryland 76-59 in the Sweet Sixteen.

"Obviously disappointed in the game, the last thought the second half, we really struggled with pressure, turned the ball over more than we would like, couldn't really get into our flow and that third quarter," said Notre Dame Head Coach Niele Ivey.

The Irish were not only unable to answer the Terrapins 9-0 run in the third quarter, but Notre dame also got in foul trouble early on, which hurt their play throughout the entire game.

"Yeah, we definitely had to change the game plan. Based on that, just me and Ebo and Kylee. But yeah, it was pretty tough. But at the end of the day, we just weren't as tough as we should have been on the boards," said Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld.

Despite Notre Dame's tournament dreams getting cut short, the team said they are hopeful for what next season will bring.

"I think you can look on the part of the positive side and next year, I'll have like, we will all just have so much more experience because of the situations we are put in," said Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron.

"It never feels good when you go through a game like this, but what I am encouraged by is that I have a very, you know, a sophomore, junior coming back my core strong. I'm looking forward to what Notre Dame women's basketball is going to look like in the future," added Coach Ivey.

With the exception of Lauren Ebo, who has already exhausted all five years of her eligibility, all Notre Dame players who took the court Saturday are expected to return including star point guard Olivia Miles who went down with an injury during the last regular season game.

The Irish are also set to get some top high school recruits.