Dec. 5—SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame sophomore Hannah Hidalgo scored 30 points and teammates Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron added 18 each as the Irish took care of business in overtime to score a second victory over a top-5 opponent this season Thursday night.
Winning 80-70 and handing No. 4 Texas (7-1) its first loss of the season, No. 10 Notre Dame (6-2) snapped a two-game losing streak in its first game at home since Nov. 13.
“I’m really ecstatic for this group,” head coach Niele Ivey said. “We had a tough week as everybody knows. We got back to work and got back home and they were mentally tough. We had a couple really hard practices and film sessions and they turned the page. They came out, they responded and they responded with their defense.”
Notre Dame’s zone defense limited the Longhorns to shoot just 35% at halftime and 37% for the game.
Hidalgo’s 30 points were the most by a Notre Dame player against a top-5 team since 2019.
“She’s a big stage-type player, you know, the bright lights,” Ivey said. “She just lives for these moments, so I knew that she was going to come out ready today.”
Miles scored the short-lived game-winner with a driving layup from the right elbow to put Notre Dame in front 68-66 with just three seconds remaining. On the inbounds pass, Fighting Irish guard Liatu King made a poor mistake by fouling and putting Texas at the line with one second left. Longhorn guard Rori Harmon cashed both shots at the line to even the score. Hidalgo missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the two teams headed for a five-minute overtime period.
Miles, King and freshman forward Kate Koval each had four fouls entering the overtime period. Koval had picked up her third foul in the second quarter but had fouled just once the rest of the way. No Longhorns had over three fouls entering the extra period.
After going up 70-68, Texas watched the Notre Dame crowd celebrate following back-to-back triples from Hidalgo and Citron. The Fighting Irish would jump out to a 12-0 run in overtime to end the game as Hidalgo reached the 30-point mark at the free throw line.
“I think I’m just blessed,” Hidalgo said on her talent afterward. “God has given me a talent and I just try to go out there and have fun with it.”
“Soni brings that energy every single game and she’s always picking up the best player on the court and she’s always going to be that vet for us,” Hidalgo said in response to Citron’s seven steals to lead the Irish.
Ivey spoke on what it took to grind out the win after facing an overtime with three players holding four fouls.
“Just gutsy plays,” Ivey said. “They left it all out on the floor. They played with their hearts. They played with passion and fire.”
Only King (10 points) and Koval (4) joined Hidalgo, Miles and Citron in the scoring column as the Irish played just six players deep. King also grabbed 12 rebounds to capture the double-double.
Madison Booker scored 20 points to lead the Longhorns and finished 3-of-7 from behind the perimeter. Senior Shay Holle scored 14 points for Texas, all in the first half and off of four 3-pointers.
Koval was a necessity on the court to shrink the height disadvantage the Irish already faced in the frontcourt. After picking up her second foul in the second quarter, Ivey showed confidence in the freshman by showing no signs of time limitations in the second half.
She recorded five blocks and entered the night second in the nation in blocks per game, averaging 3.7 a contest.
“She’s growing up in front of our eyes and she’s playing against some of the best posts in the country night after night, so she’s in the fire,” Ivey said about Koval. “For her, she’s such a positive player and person that regardless of the adversity, she just responds and gets to the next play.”
“Her minutes were huge even though she had four fouls,” Ivey said. “We needed her presence and she knows that.”
With neither team leading by more than nine until the final horn, the game was back and forth throughout the night. Notre Dame trailed 22-19 at the end of the first quarter.
The Irish had fallen behind in the first quarter as the Longhorns controlled the boards with a clear size advantage in the paint. Texas led after the first frame and had a 15-6 advantage on the glass with a 6-0 edge on offensive rebounds.
Hidalgo capped the introductory quarter with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 22-19 deficit into the second quarter. It’s the second time this season the Fighting Irish had lost the first quarter. They entered the night outscoring opponents 168-84 in the first quarter.
Feeding off the sophomore’s trey, Notre Dame scored the next 10 points to key a 13-0 run and take a 29-22 lead just two minutes into the second quarter. Miles was the main offensive force during the run, scoring a step-back 3-pointer and the transition layup to cap the run.
With the crowd at its peak volume, Holle knocked down two shots from the outside and narrowed the Longhorns’ deficit to just two with 6:48 to go in the second quarter. It was her third and fourth triple of the night, giving her 14 points to lead the visitors.
The Fighting Irish would grow their lead back to seven, but after going scoreless in the final 3:33 minutes of action, Notre Dame took a 39-34 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter was equal for both teams as the Irish trailed twice before entering the fourth quarter up 53-48.
It was the first game in South Bend for Ivey and the Irish since mid-November. Notre Dame won games at Lafayette and then-No. 3 Southern Cal before coming up winless in their trip to the Cayman Islands Classic. The Irish lost to then-No. 17 TCU (76-68) as well as Utah (78-67). The Horned Frogs are currently ranked ninth.
This is the first meeting between the Longhorns and Fighting Irish since 1997. The all-time series is now led by Notre Dame, holding a 2-1 lead.
No. 10 Notre Dame (6-2) pauses nonconference action as it plays a one-off Atlantic Coast Conference contest on the road at Syracuse. The Orange swept the Irish in both conference matchups last season, including the conference opener for both teams. Notre Dame returns home a week from when No. 2 Connecticut pays the Irish a visit.
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ND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(4) Texas — 22; 12; 14; 20; 2 — 70
(10) Notre Dame — 19; 20; 14; 15; 12 — 80
Notre Dame — Points (Hannah Hidalgo, 30), Rebounds (Liatu King, 12), Assists (Olivia Miles, 6), Steals (Sonia Citron, 7), Blocks (Kate Koval, 5)
Texas — Points (Madison Booker, 20), Rebounds (Booker, Kyla Oldacre, 8), Assists (Booker, Rori Harmon, 5), Steals (Harmon, 3), Blocks (Oldacre, 3)
Reach Matt Lucas at 574-533-2151, ext. 240325, or at matt.lucas@goshennews.com.
