SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In an impressive display, Sonia Citron led the way with 21 points, while Maddy Westbeld added 20 as No. 3 Notre Dame overcame No. 17 Georgia Tech with a score of 81-66 during their Thursday night matchup.

The Fighting Irish were without their key player, All-American Hannah Hidalgo, who missed her second game due to an ankle injury. Hidalgo, a 5-foot-6 sophomore point guard, ranks second in the country for scoring, averaging 25.7 points per game, and is also known for her steals, averaging 4.1 per game. Her ability beyond the arc is evident, hitting 45.8% of her three-point attempts.

For this game, Citron hit 9 of her 13 shots, while Westbeld was efficient with 8 of 11 from the field. As a result, Notre Dame (15-2; 6-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) achieved a shooting percentage of 55%, in contrast to Georgia Tech’s (15-3; 3-3) 38% effectiveness.

Kara Dunn carried the Yellow Jackets with 21 points. Georgia Tech played without Dani Carnegie, a 5-foot-9 freshman guard, who averages 15.9 points per game and suffered a hamstring injury in a double-overtime defeat to Virginia Tech on January 9.

The Yellow Jackets finished the second quarter strong, executing a 14-4 run that trimmed Notre Dame’s lead to just three points. Dunn evened the score at 39 with a three-pointer early in the third quarter, but Notre Dame responded by increasing its pace, securing a 61-50 advantage by the end of the period.

Notably, Cassandre Prosper came off the bench to contribute with 15 points, demonstrating her shooting prowess by making 5 of 7 attempts, including 3 of 4 from three-point range.

Georgia Tech managed to excel in converting turnovers, outscoring Notre Dame 22-8 in that category.

A turning point in the game came when Citron executed a three-point play that pushed Notre Dame ahead 27-16 during the second quarter. One concerning statistic for the Fighting Irish was their struggle with turnovers; they averaged 14.6 per game but committed 14 in the first half alone without Hidalgo. Ultimately, they accumulated a season-high 21 turnovers.

Looking ahead, the Fighting Irish are set to host SMU on Sunday, while the Yellow Jackets will take on Clemson at home the same day.