SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Notre Dame women's basketball team won today over Kent State 81 to 67 in the NCAA tournament in South Bend at Purcell Pavilion.

The second seed Irish struggled out of the gate against the fifteenth seed Kent State, but they found their rhythm and took a strong 22 to 10 lead after the first.

Carrying the momentum in the second, the Irish, led by Sonia Criton, Hannah Hidalgo, and Becky Obinma, went up 40 to 23 at the media timeout.

The Irish struggled in the third offensively, only scoring ten points, but they got it going again in the fourth, finishing strong and closing out the win.

Criton led the team with 29 points and Hidalgo was second in points with 14. Hidalgo also had 11 assists.

The Irish face off against the seventh seed Ole Miss on Monday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.