Notre Dame Defeats Miami 69-54; Sets Up 2024 ACC Championship Rematch

Brenden Duffy
Mar 5
4 min read

Notre Dame knocked off the Miami Hurricanes 69-54 on Thursday afternoon in an ACC Tournament Second Round matchup at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

Photo via Notre Dame Athletics

The fifth-seeded Irish, winners of five straight to close out the regular season, squared off with 12-seed Miami on Thursday to open ACC Tournament play. The Hurricanes defeated 13-seed Stanford on Wednesday in a First Round tilt that required overtime to advance to Thursday’s Second Round. Notre Dame received a First Round bye, and most recently defeated Miami in South Bend 74-66 on January 22nd.

Before the game, Hannah Hidalgo was recognized and received her ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards for the second consecutive season. She showed why she was deserving of these honors with a 28-point and 5-steal performance in which she set a new single-season ACC record for steals. A dominant second quarter, highlighted by elite defense, ultimately proved too much for the Hurricanes to handle as Notre Dame advanced to the Quarterfinals.

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A competitive first quarter saw both sides tied at four under a minute into the contest after the ACC’s two-time Player of the Year, Hannah Hidalgo, knocked down a short jumper. The Hurricanes then went on a 10-5 run featuring a couple of threes that put Miami ahead 14-9 with 4:47 on the clock. The Irish were able to respond strongly, closing the quarter on a 14-5 stretch led by Hidalgo and Prosper to take a 23-19 lead into the second frame. Hidalgo and the ACC’s Most Improved Player, Prosper, combined for 18 of the Irish’s 23 points, both scoring nine on 4-7 shooting from the field to open the game.

The second quarter was all defense, and all Notre Dame. The Irish out-scored the Hurricanes 14-4 in the frame, taking total control of the game as the Hurricanes shot just 2-11 from the field in the second. Notre Dame opened the quarter on a 7-0 run featuring four different scorers that pushed the Irish lead to 30-19 with 4:08 to play. The Irish held Miami scoreless for the first 6:12 of the quarter before the ‘Canes went on a quick 4-0 stretch to cut their deficit back to single digits; however, these would be their only baskets of the quarter. Notre Dame closed the quarter on another 7-0 run featuring three different scorers that pushed their halftime lead to 37-23. Hidalgo’s five points and two steals paced the Irish in the second quarter as Iyana Moore contributed four points on a pair of baskets.

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The third quarter saw both teams trading baskets, with Miami able to cut their deficit to 45-33 4:26 into the frame. This is when the Irish went on a 6-0 run led by Hidalgo with four points that extended Notre Dame’s lead to 18, 51-33, with 3:46 on the clock. Giving Hidalgo a rest on the bench, Miami went on a quick 5-0 burst in 1:38 with the star catching her breath. She made sure to get those points back when she checked back in, ending the quarter with six straight points as the Irish out-scored the ‘Canes 7-2 in the last 1:41 of the frame. Hidalgo converted an and-one opportunity to close the quarter, extending the Irish lead to 58-40 heading into the fourth. The Irish PG tallied a game-high 12 points on 5-6 shooting from the field in the third.

Notre Dame gave fans a bit of a panic attack in the fourth, allowing Miami to open the quarter on a 10-0 run to cut the Irish lead down to 58-50. After going scoreless the first 5:39 of the quarter, Gisela Sanchez was able to kickstart a 6-0 stretch with a big-time three to help extend the Irish lead to 14 with 2:42 to play, officially putting the game out of reach for Miami. The Irish out-scored the Hurricanes 5-4 to close the game with Moore nailing a shot-clock buzzer-beating three in the final seconds to secure Notre Dame’s 69-54 win. Moore led Irish scorers in a tough offensive quarter with four points as the team shot 4-13 in the final frame.

Five-seed Notre Dame advances to the ACC Quarterfinals to take on the four-seed NC State Wolfpack on Friday at 1:30 PM EST. The Irish’s first of their current six-game winning streak came against the Wolfpack in South Bend on February 15th, when they defeated NC State 79-67. The matchup also represents a rematch of the 2024 ACC Championship, where a freshman Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish to a victory as she was named Tournament MVP.

Irish Stars

Hannah Hidalgo: 28 points (12-22 FGs, 2-2 3FGs), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals (broke ACC single-season record), +17, 37 minutes played

Cassandre Prosper: 12 points, 2 blocks, +12, 34 minutes played

Malaya Cowles: 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, +10, 34 minutes played

Key Team Stats:

Field Goal Percentage: ND (46%) - Miami (46%)

Three Point Percentage: Miami (31%) - ND (29%)

Free Throw Percentage: ND (53%) - Miami (42%)

Turnovers: Miami (18) - ND (12)

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