Ohio native Kathryn Westbeld, Notre Dame, advance to national championship game

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ask around. UConn wasn’t supposed to lose in the Final Four this year. Not again.

Talk to Kathryn Westbeld and her Notre Dame teammates. You’ll hear an entirely different perspective.

“We knew we could beat ’em from the get go,” Westbeld said after Notre Dame’s 91-89 overtime victory over the undefeated Huskies.

At least 30 friends and family of the Kettering, Ohio native were in attendance for Friday’s game. They were treated to a thrilling back-and-forth game of runs that began with the Fighting Irish delivering the first blow.

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“I think it was just a matter of throwing the first punch,” Westbeld said. “The fact that we got to go on a run first really got us going and kept us in the game the whole time.”

Westbeld has often been referred to as the glue for this Notre Dame team, lauded for bringing toughness, rebounding, intangibles — classic traits of the key role player every championship-caliber team needs.

“We call her the glue because she just keeps us together and does so many things,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said Thursday.

Though Westbeld is now less than 48 hours away from competing for a national championship in her home state of Ohio, things have not come easy at all this season for the lone senior in Notre Dame’s rotation.

Westbeld tweaked her left ankle in the first round of the tournament. She suited up in the second round against Villanova but sat the first half. The senior forward got the call to start the second half, and the Irish immediately responded, pulling away in the third quarter before cruising to victory.

She went for 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists a week later against Oregon in the Elite Eight. The Ducks gave Westbeld a cushion to work with in the middle of their zone as they locked in on other Notre Dame players. The glue player showed then that she could make a team pay for overlooking her. The win over Oregon secured a spot in Columbus.

“I was saying to someone after the Oregon game,” McGraw said. “I couldn’t be happier for a person than I am for Kathryn Westbeld. She has gone through so much, so many injuries.

“Then she turns the ankle again,” McGraw continued. “We wouldn’t have beaten Villanova without her. She’s won the Oregon game for us.”

Westbeld’s Friday line (eight points, six rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal) may not pop quite as much as Monday’s 20-point performance. Her impact could still be seen in every aspect of the game, and her hall of fame coach values her immensely.

COLUMBUS, OH – MARCH 30: Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

“She’s done so many things that have just not shown up anywhere,” McGraw said. “She doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet like she did in those games because she’s taking a charge, getting an offensive rebound that gives us another possession. She’s steady and always calm.”

Notre Dame’s steadiness was put to the ultimate test Friday against the undefeated Huskies. The Irish jumped out to a big lead. UConn flipped the script and build a double-digit lead. Notre Dame fought their way back in it, then pulled ahead by five in the final minute.

UConn rallied with their backs against the wall to force overtime. A Kia Nurse three-pointer put the Huskies up by two in the extra period. The team kept its cool, never showing doubt as to whether they belonged on that stage.

“I think that we wanted it more,” Westbeld said postgame when asked about their ability to get stops in key moments against UConn.

Notre Dame got enough of those stops when they needed them. They scored just enough even as UConn switched up its defenses throughout the game to try to disrupt their rhythm.

Those efforts set the stage for Arike Ogunbowale, who sealed the deal with her jumper from the right wing with one second to play in overtime.

Westbeld had a good feeling about the shot the second it left Ogunbowale’s hand.

“I think we all felt it,” Westbeld said with a smile. “I swear it was in slow motion. Right when it left her hand, we were like, ‘That’s in. That’s cash.’ Honestly, I’m just so proud of her. She is truly an All-American player.”

Even with four key players unavailable due to injury, Notre Dame managed to make it this far. The point has been made repeatedly that the past year has been a long one for UConn after Mississippi State’s Morgan William beat them at the buzzer last season.

Nobody would have hoped for so many injuries to pile up for the Irish. But in a way, the obstacles they’ve managed to overcome may have created the perfect storm for them to come together as a unit to defeat this determined UConn group.

Westbeld has been an invaluable piece in Notre Dame’s success. She expressed a great deal of gratitude for the outpouring of community support and opportunity to now play in front of so many loved ones with a national championship on the line.

“My elementary school tagged me in a video today of a bunch of different classrooms all wishing me good luck. They all wore green today,” Westbeld said. “Just knowing that so many people are watching that I had no idea about just really means so much especially for me in my home state.”

Of course, being the ultimate glue player, Westbeld couldn’t help but bring it back to her teammates.

“I’m just so proud of everyone on this team,” she added. “We fought so hard all season long. And for us tor really control the game the whole way and come out on top is just unreal.”

Unlikely as this outcome may have seemed, one thing is known for certain: This Notre Dame team is very much real as a national championship contender. They’ll battle Mississippi State on Sunday for the opportunity to cut down the nets in Columbus, just 75 minutes east of Westbeld’s hometown.

Header photo via AP.