No. 8 Notre Dame hands No. 2 UConn its first loss of the season, 79-68, behind a captivating performance from Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo.
This was the Huskies’ first true road game of the season, and the Irish faithful were rocking as Notre Dame took down UConn for the third straight time.
The Irish jumped out to a 39-28 lead at halftime, powered by Hidalgo’s 17 first-half points. Notre Dame connected on six of nine three-pointers in the first 20 minutes — four from Hidalgo. The Huskies’ offense could not keep up with this barrage, finishing 0-7 from beyond the arc at the break.
UConn stormed back in the third quarter, pulling within one point with 20 seconds before the fourth. But Hidalgo ignited her home crowd again, drilling a step-back three at the buzzer to end the third.
HANNAH!! HIDALGO!! BUZZER!! BEATER!!
📺 ESPN#GoIrish // @HannahHidalgo pic.twitter.com/gyqEzUs7ig
— Notre Dame Women’s Basketball (@ndwbb) December 13, 2024
Purcell Pavilion was rocking heading into the final 10 minutes, and the Irish coasted to their third top-five win of the season.
Hidalgo finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in the win. Huskies’ star Paige Bueckers tallied 25 points, going 11-20 from the field, but she failed to connect from long range.
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Notre Dame (8-2, 4-0 home) has solidified itself as one of the top threats in the country, handing No. 6 Texas, No. 5 Southern Cal and now No. 2 UConn their only losses of the season. Hidalgo is averaging 28 points per game in these signature wins.
UConn (8-1, 0-1 away) will look to get back on track at home against Georgetown in its Big East opener.
