No. 8 Notre Dame defeated No. 2 UConn 79-68 at Purcell Pavilion due to all-around performances from stars Hannah Hidalgo and Liatu King.
Photo by Notre Dame Athletics
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- For the third time in this early season, Notre Dame had the opportunity to play a top 5 ranked team in the nation, and the Irish have risen to each challenge. First it was the emphatic 74-61 road victory against JuJu Watkins and the No. 3 USC Trojans. Then after two setbacks in the Cayman Islands against TCU and Utah, the Irish returned to form at Purcell Pavilion against the then ranked No. 4 Texas, to win in overtime 80-70. When projected No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers and the No. 2 UConn Huskies came to South Bend, there was no added pressure for Niele Ivey and her squad.
The Irish controlled the game all throughout, and after UConn cut the lead to one point late in the third quarter, Hannah Hidalgo hit a buzzer beating three that extended the Irish's lead.
Hidalgo has earned the reputation of a big-game player early in her career, and the sophomore has done nothing but impress at every twist-and-turn. She finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and three steals. In a marquee matchup, Hidalgo proved to be the best player in the nation, once again.
To help Hidalgo in the scoring effort was Pitt transfer Liatu King, who added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Hildalgo's backcourt partner Olivia Miles added 15 points of her own, while playing through an ankle injury.
Defensively, Sonia Citron put together another solid performance against one of the nation's best scorers, but Bueckers ended the game with an impressive 25 points. Outside of Bueckers, true freshman Sarah Strong was UConn's brightest star, as she navigated herself through foul trouble and still racked 14 points and 7 rebounds.
In a game that will very much impact March Madness rankings later in the year, Notre Dame displayed once again that they are capable of being a No. 1 seeded team in the tournament. The Irish will enjoy this win, and then match-up against Eastern Michigan this Sunday.
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