Everything Niele Ivey said after Notre Dame women's basketball exhibition win

Notre Dame beat Purdue Northwest 110-48 in an exhibition game at Purcell Pavilion Monday night, and the Fighting Irish did it with four contributing guards watching in street clothes from the bench. Olivia Miles, KK Bransford, Emma Risch and Jenna Brown all did not play because of injuries.

Miles is coming back from major knee surgery. She’s on her own timeline, one that is to be determined day by day. The other three, meanwhile, will be “healthier sooner than later” according to head coach Niele Ivey. Hopefully for Notre Dame, “sooner” means within a week. The No. 10 Irish open the regular season in Paris, France, against South Carolina on Nov. 6.

“The other three are day-to-day, so they’re working to come back,” Ivey said. “And then Liv is also day-to-day. She’s running. She looks great. She’s on the court right now. She’s doing a lot more. It’s not rehab for Liv. It’s a little bit more of strengthening. I don’t have a definite timeline for her. Just waiting for her to get where she’s comfortable and ready. But she’s doing great. She’s killing it with her workouts.”

Here is everything else Ivey said about her team’s tuneup victory.

Opening statement

“So happy to be back. Excited for this win but also excited this season is starting. Really proud of the group. We’ve had a lot of great work the past several weeks and this summer. And just to have the opportunity to play someone else was really exciting for us.

“There were so many highlights. I love the way we started. I talked pregame about setting the tone, having a dominating mindset. I feel like we did. We’re working on a lot of stuff, so some things we need to clean up. But collectively, just an incredible performance.

“One thing I loved about this win was we had six players in double figures. So it shows the balance we will have this year. Super proud.”

On Notre Dame guards Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron working together defensively

“Twenty one steals is amazing. That’s amazing. Credit to the way this team works. I felt like their competitiveness, the edge they have, is incredible. Hannah has hit the ground running since she’s been on campus. Her defense is contagious, and she’s really raised our level of competitiveness on the defensive end. And they’ve all matched her energy.

“That was awesome, the way she anticipates passes. Sony is like that glue. She’s always in the right spot either in rotations or on the ball. Having both of them, having that defensive presence, really ignited that stat.”

On the play of Notre Dame’s posts

“Becky [Obinma] had 12 rebounds, so that was great. I kind of talked to everybody about doing a little bit more. We lost about seven to eight rebounds in Liv, and [Lauren] Ebo. I really challenged our guards to rebound more. Everybody do a little bit more. So that was good. We out-rebounded them. That’s always the goal. I think it’s something that everybody is going to have to bring every night.

“Maddy [Westbeld] has been doing a great job of rebounding. She only had five today but she had four offensive rebounds. Everyone is being active on the glass knowing that’s a stat we have to make sure our team carries now without having Ebo and Liv’s rebounds.”

On the play of junior center Nat Marshall

“I’m super happy. I think she comes and gives us great energy. She’s been great on the offensive glass. She’s smart. She knows my system. She knows what I’m looking for. Always be in the right spots. Knowing the offense. Being active. She’s confident, and she’s healthy. That’s the biggest thing. Having her on the floor, being healthy, I’m really happy for her for that because she has fought through a lot. She gives us a great spark on both sides of the ball. I’m really happy with her play. Happy to see her out there contributing.”

On heading to Paris to start the season

“I’m looking forward to the experience. We get a chance to do a lot of different things that a lot of people won’t be able to experience. We’re going to the Louvre Museum. We’re having collaboration with an incredible designer. A lot of cool things are happening. But again, ultimately we got to keep the main thing the main thing. Basketball is why we’re there. Getting the chance to have this bond with the team but also taking care of business. We know this is a business trip.”