Citron scores 23 as No. 16 Notre Dame women overwhelm Northwestern

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Sonia Citron scored 23 points, Hannah Hidalgo added 21 and No. 16 Notre Dame won its 29th-straight home opener, coasting to a 110-52 win over Northwestern on Wednesday night.

Maddy Westbeld had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (2-1) and Anna DeWolfe and Kylee Watson scored 10 each.

Hailey Weaver and Melannie Daley had 11 points each for the Wildcats (2-1).

After Northwestern scored the first eight points of the game, the Fighting Irish reeled off the next 15, nine by Hidalgo on two 3-pointers and a three-point play. Citron hit a jumper and a buzzer-beating 3 to make the score 25-16 after one quarter.

Citron then had the last 11 points of a 13-0 run to end the half, including another buzzer beater, for a 56-26 lead at the break.

Citron had 19 points and Hidalgo 15 in the first half.

Hidalgo continued the impressive start to her freshman season, going 9 of 12 from the field with 2 3s, and six rebounds, six steals and five assists. She has 21 steals and 78 points in three games.

The Irish finished 9 of 20 from 3-point range and shot 55% while going 17-20 from the foul line. They had 10 fewer turnovers and 20 more rebounds than the Wildcats, who shot 34%.

Notre Dame plays Illinois, which was ranked in the preseason poll, in Washington D.C. on Saturday in the Citi Shamrock Classic. Northwestern plays Southeast Missouri on Sunday.

__ Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball