Hidalgo Shines as Notre Dame Bounces Fairfield 79-60; Second Round Tilt at Ohio State on Deck
- Brenden Duffy
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Second Round following a 79-60 win against Fairfield on Saturday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Following absences in 2020 and 2021, the Niele Ivey-led Irish return to the big dance for a fifth consecutive season, looking to secure a fifth-straight trip to the Sweet 16. Notre Dame earned a six-seed after finishing 22-10 (12-6) and placing fifth in the ACC’s regular season. The Irish’s First Round opponent, the Fairfield Stags, are no strangers to the NCAA Tournament either, with this year marking their third straight appearance, and fourth in five years. The 11-seeded Stags received their place in the bracket after a 28-4 (19-1) season, which saw Fairfield take home MAAC co-Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
Unfortunately for the Stags, Hannah Hidalgo's AP 1st-Team All-American snub was felt by everyone on Fairfield as she stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, nine boards, eight steals, and six assists in another superstar outing. Offensively, the trio of Hidalgo, Iyana Moore, and Cassandre Prosper combined for 58 of Notre Dame’s 79 points as they shot an uber-efficient 6-11 from deep. Along with the three-ball falling, the Irish also had a rare advantage down low, where they dominated the paint on both sides of the ball, especially on the glass.
Notre Dame jumped out to an early 11-4 lead 3:35 into the game, with Hidalgo and Prosper doing all the scoring for the Irish. However, Fairfield was able to put together a 6-0 stretch to cut their deficit to just one with 3:59 left in the first quarter. Then, the Irish responded with a 6-0 run of their own, with four points from Moore leading the way as Notre Dame claimed a 17-10 advantage with 2:41 on the clock. The offenses went stagnant to close the period, featuring a slew of turnovers and fouls, with a Fairfield two-point bucket with 24 seconds left marking the only points in the last 2:40. Hidalgo paced the Irish with a team-high seven points and three steals in the first quarter as Notre Dame held a 17-12 lead. Prosper and Moore each contributed four points to open the game.
Fairfield opened the second quarter’s scoring, hitting one of two free throw attempts, but the Irish crafted another 6-0 run with three different scorers that extended their lead to 24-13 3:10 into the frame. The Stags were able to convert on consecutive layups to cut their deficit back down to seven, but Hidalgo rattled off four points on a quick 5-0 Irish run that pushed the lead to 29-17 with 4:13 left in the half. The two sides went back-and-forth to end the half, with a Vanessa de Jesus layup in the final minute maintaining the Irish’s 12-point, 36-24, lead at the break. Hidalgo, who added two more steals defensively, and Moore led the Irish offense with six points apiece in the second quarter.
The Irish came out of the half stifling Fairfield’s offense as Notre Dame opened the third quarter on an 11-2 stretch, highlighted by a tough, converted and-one layup from Moore, that helped extend the lead to 47-26 with 4:10 elapsed in the frame. A made free throw by Prosper capped a 7-5 Irish stretch that extended the lead to a game-high 23 points with 2:20 on the clock. In the final minute, Prosper converted an and-one opportunity and buried a three, but Fairfield countered with a pair of threes of their own to cancel out Prosper’s impressive burst. A three from the Stags with a few seconds remaining in the quarter sent the Irish to the final frame with a 62-43 advantage. Prosper’s nine points on 3-4 shooting from the field led an Irish offense that featured five different scorers in the quarter. Hidalgo added three more steals in this quarter to bring her total to eight in about 28 minutes played, officially putting her on quadruple-double watch.
The two teams opened up the final quarter trading baskets for the first 2:41 before Prosper and KK Bransford were able to connect on back-to-back buckets to extend the Irish lead to 72-49 with 5:10 to play. A trio of Fairfield threes was a part of an effort that cut the Stags deficit down to 16 with 1:53 left, but Moore had the last word as she nailed a three with 1:08 on the clock to close the game’s scoring and send Notre Dame to the Second Round with a 79-60 victory. Six different Irish players etched their names in the scoring column in the fourth quarter, with Hidalgo and De Jesus’s four points leading the way.
Six-seed Notre Dame will be up against a true road environment in the Second Round on March 23rd when they face three-seed Ohio State at Value City Arena in Columbus. Coach Ivey and Notre Dame will be seeking their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth.
Irish Stars
Hannah Hidalgo: 23 points (6-6 FTs), 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 8 steals (NCAA Tournament Single-Game Program Record), +27, 33 minutes played
Iyana Moore: 18 points (6-11 FGs, 4-7 3FGs), 3 rebounds, +24, 37 minutes played
Cassandre Prosper: 17 points (7-12 FGs), 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, +27, 33 minutes played
Key Team Stats
Field Goal Percentage: ND (47%) - FU (38%)
Three Point Percentage: ND (46%) - FU (35%)
Free Throw Percentage: ND (72%) - FU (63%)
Rebounds: ND (43) - FU (31)
Points in the Paint: ND (44) - FU (22)
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