Memorable Notre Dame Run Falls Short To Dominant UConn Squad; Irish Stumble 70-52
- Brenden Duffy
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Another chapter of the Notre Dame - UConn rivalry was added on Sunday afternoon when the Huskies ended the Irish’s March run with a 70-52 thumping at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth in an Elite Eight matchup.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Notre Dame (25-10) and UConn (37-0) met during a regular season matchup on January 19th in Storrs that saw the Huskies obliterate a short-handed Irish squad 85-47. In this first matchup, the Irish were without KK Bransford and utilizing a six-player rotation while Malaya Cowles picked up two first-quarter fouls, creating early pressure on an already depleted Notre Dame roster.
Since that meeting, the Irish have been healthier and playing better basketball. Two reasons Notre Dame earned a six-seed and has advanced to the Elite Eight. Elsewhere, the next highest remaining seed is a three, a testament to Head Coach Niele Ivey and her staff’s abilities. To reach the Elite Eight, the Irish defeated 11-seed Fairfield before pulling off upsets against three-seed Ohio State and two-seed Vanderbilt. This game marks Notre Dame’s first trip to the Elite Eight since 2019, when the Irish reached the National Championship, and it is the first under HC Ivey’s tenure.
On the other hand, UConn has been the most dominant team in the country all season long, and they have not slowed down. The Big East Regular Season and Tournament Champions earned the overall number one seed in the NCAA Tournament and are looking to complete a perfect 40-0 season. They have been on the right track, entering the Elite Eight with dominant wins over 16-seed UTSA, nine-seed Syracuse, and four-seed UNC, all by at least 21 points. In addition to a perfect season, the Huskies are also seeking to repeat as NCAA Tournament Champions.
UConn proved its star power and depth are no joke on Sunday. Strong performances from Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd can be expected, as the superstar duo combined for 34 points on 11-24 shooting from the field. Blanca Quinonez’s bench performance is what put the Huskies over the top, though. The freshman from Ecuador tallied 20 points, including four threes, eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 30 minutes played off the bench. Hidalgo did all she could for the Irish, recording 22 points and 11 rebounds as UConn held her to 7-19 shooting from the field with five turnovers. No other Notre Dame player reached double-digit scoring as the Irish shot 39.1% from the field and an unimpressive 12-19 from the free throw line. Additionally, the Irish’s 18 made field goals equaled their 18 offensive turnovers, a formula that will never lead to success.
The first quarter was a Quinonez showcase as the UConn sixth-man out-scored Notre Dame 12-11 in just six minutes played. The Irish were able to keep it within one possession for nearly the first six minutes of the game until a 6-0 Huskies run pushed their lead to 10-5 with 4:04 on the clock. Cowles was able to respond with a hookshot for the Irish, but Quinonez responded with a three to extend UConn’s lead to 13-7 with 2:57 left in the quarter. UConn went on to close the quarter on a 7-4 stretch, including an easy Quinonez layup in the final seconds off a turnover from Hidalgo that made it a 20-11 game after one. Cassandre Prosper and Cowles led Notre Dame’s first-quarter efforts with four points apiece as the Irish struggled to find an answer for Quinonez.
Notre Dame came out strong defensively to open the second quarter, and Hidalgo was able to get her offense going after a 0-4 showing in the first frame. The Irish held the Huskies scoreless for the first 3:35 as Hidalgo picked up four points and a steal, helping cut their deficit to 20-15 with 6:41 on the clock. Hidalgo scored the first nine Irish points of the quarter, with a three making it a 24-20 game with 4:46 left in the half. Following Hidalgo’s three, UConn responded with a 6-0 run led by Quinonez and Strong that pushed the Huskies' lead to 30-20 with 2:56 remaining in the quarter. Notre Dame had a strong finish, featuring a 5-0 stretch with a three-pointer from Bransford, wiped away as UConn was able to hit another last-second shot off an Irish turnover. Hidalgo’s nine points paced the Irish offense as Notre Dame was able to out-score UConn 14-12 in the second quarter. However, the Irish still trailed 32-25 at the half as they entered the break with the same amount of field goals made as turnovers lost (ten).
UConn came out of the half strong, going on a quick 6-1 run to open the third quarter and extending their lead to 38-26 just 1:17 into the frame. After Hidalgo hit a pair of free throws and a pull-up jumper on back-to-back possessions, both sides went scoreless for 4:01 as UConn held a 38-30 advantage. The Huskies were able to break the drought with easy points off a Hidalgo turnover that pushed UConn’s lead to ten with 3:51 on the clock. Hidalgo was able to respond with a tough and-one layup where she buried the free throw to make it a 40-33 game with 2:42 left in the quarter. UConn was able to close the quarter on a 7-3 run, with a Vanessa de Jesus three-pointer bailing the Irish with 26 seconds remaining, that sent the Huskies into the final frame with a 47-36 lead. Hidalgo’s eight points led an Irish offense that only scored 11 in the quarter. The Irish saw their offensive struggles continue, converting just 3-9 shots from the field and adding another five turnovers to their total in this quarter.
Both sides went back and forth to open the final quarter with UConn opening the frame on a slight 7-6 stretch in the first 2:51 that made it a 54-42 contest. The Huskies then opened up the game, going on a 9-2 run featuring two threes from Quinonez that extended UConn’s advantage to 63-44 with 5:43 on the clock. Notre Dame was able to respond with a 6-2 run led by Hidalgo that cut the Irish deficit to 65-50 with 3:57 left in the quarter. Notably, Prosper fouled out at the 4:23 mark. Needing to build on this late-game run, the Irish unfortunately went scoreless for a 2:14 stretch that saw UConn build their lead to 68-50. A pair of traded free throws sealed the Irish’s fate, sending Notre Dame back to South Bend with a 70-52 defeat at the hands of the number one team in the country. Iyana Moore led the Irish offense with seven fourth-quarter points as Notre Dame consistently struggled to find production outside of Hidalgo on Sunday.
With Notre Dame’s season officially concluded, UConn’s bid to repeat as NCAA Tournament Champions remains alive. The Huskies will take on the winner of South Carolina/TCU on April 3rd in this season’s edition of the Final Four in Phoenix.
Irish Stars
Hannah Hidalgo: 22 points (broke ACC single-season scoring record), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 40 minutes played
Key Team Stats
Field Goal Percentage: UConn (44%) - ND (39%)
Three Point Percentage: UConn (35%) - ND (33%)
Free Throw Percentage: UConn (80%) - ND (63%)
Turnovers: ND (18) - UConn (14)
Points off Turnovers: UConn (19) - ND (7)
Rebounds: UConn (35) - ND (29)
Bench Points: UConn (32) - ND (7)
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