Notre Dame Sends NC State Packing; Advances to ACC Semifinals

Brenden Duffy
Mar 6
4 min read

Notre Dame showed out in Friday’s ACC Quarterfinal matchup against NC State, dominating the Wolfpack 81-63 at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

Photo via Notre Dame Athletics

Following a decisive 69-54 Second Round win for Notre Dame against 12-seed Miami on Thursday, the Irish advanced to the Quarterfinals for a Friday matchup with four-seed NC State. The fifth-seeded Irish defeated NC State 79-67 in South Bend under a month ago on February 15th. Friday’s matchup marked NC State’s first ACC Tournament game after receiving First and Second Round byes.

There is no question that, as of right now, Notre Dame is playing its best basketball of the season. Hannah Hidalgo and Iyana Moore combined for 45 points in the game, with Hidalgo’s 25 leading all scorers. Defensively, the Irish’s ability to force turnovers, including 10 steals, and holding the Wolfpack to just 4-19 shooting from three were keys to Notre Dame’s success on Friday.

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Moore opened up the game’s scoring, scoring the first five points of the contest to give the Irish an early lead. Following some back-and-forth with Notre Dame leading 9-7 four minutes into the game, the Irish went on a 10-2 run with threes from Moore and Vanessa de Jesus to extend their advantage to 19-9 with 4:02 on the clock. NC State’s Qadence Samuels responded with a 5-0 stretch by herself to cut the Wolfpack’s deficit back to five with 2:37 to play in the quarter. After a couple of traded baskets, including a last-second NC State layup, the Irish held a 23-18 lead after one. Hidalgo and Moore paced the Irish offense with 10 points apiece in the first ten minutes, shooting a combined 8-11 from the field.

Following nearly two minutes of no points to open the second quarter, the Irish exploded to begin the frame on a 13-4 run with another pair of threes from De Jesus and Moore helping extend Notre Dame’s lead to 36-22 with 4:19 on the clock. NC State was able to close the half on a 10-4 run led by Zoe Brooks to cut their halftime deficit to 40-32. The Irish combined for six steals in the second quarter, with Moore and De Jesus each grabbing a pair. Moore also led the Irish offense in the second with seven points, including her third three-pointer of the game, to push her halftime total to a team-high of 17.

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Notre Dame really took control in the third quarter, opening the half on a 20-4 stretch led by Hidalgo and Prosper that included a 10-0 run to begin the frame. At the 2:31 mark, the Irish held a 60-36 lead, asserting their dominance against the Wolfpack. NC State closed the quarter on a 5-2 run to cut the Irish lead to 62-41 with ten minutes to play. Prosper led the Irish with 11 points in a perfect-shooting quarter for the recently named ACC Most Improved Player as Notre Dame held the Wolfpack to just 3-10 shooting from the field.

The Irish kept the momentum rolling into the fourth, opening the quarter on a 6-0 run featuring three different scorers that extended their lead to 27 with 8:19 to play. After KK Bransford hit a three to maintain the Irish’s 27-point lead with 5:31 left, NC State went on a 10-0 run featuring a couple of threes to make it a 74-57 game with 2:56 to play, but it would end up being too much for the Wolfpack to overcome. The Irish emptied their bench at the end with both teams trading a couple of baskets, securing Notre Dame’s 81-63 ACC Quarterfinal victory. Bransford led the Irish scoring efforts in the final frame with six points, including the mentioned three-pointer and a converted and-one opportunity.

Five-seed Notre Dame continues their quest at the 2026 ACC Championship during Saturday’s Semifinal against top-seeded Duke at 12 EST. The Irish will be seeking revenge on a Blue Devils squad that handled them 82-68 in Durham on January 4th.

Irish Stars

Hannah Hidalgo: 25 points (12-20 FGs), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, +28, 32 minutes played

Iyana Moore: 20 points (4-9 3FGs, 4-4 FTs), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, +18, 38 minutes played

Cassandre Prosper: 13 points (5-9 FGs, 1-2 3FGs), 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, +31, 30 minutes played

Key Team Stats

Field Goal Percentage: ND (48%) - NC St. (42%)

Three Point Percentage: ND (36%) - NC St. (21%)

Free Throw Percentage: ND (82%) - NC St. (65%)

Turnovers: NC St. (17) - ND (10)

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