Notre Dame women basketball dominate first-round NCAA Tournament game

Notre Dame women’s basketball entered its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Fairfield as big favorites, and that’s exactly how it went.

The Irish started off fairly slow, up just 17-12 after the first quarter, and held a 36-24 lead at the break. Notre Dame would score 26-points in the third quarter, its most in a single period in the game, then cruised to a 79-60 victory.

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As she often does, Hannah Hidalgo was the star for the Irish, scoring 23-points with 9 rebounds, 6 assists and breaking the single-game program record for steals in an NCAA Tournament game with eight. That effort puts her at No. 2 in ACC history, a record that will be in her sights next season as she chases Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry’s 481, back just 16 back from the conference mark. It’s highly unlikely that she’ll break the NCAA record, as he’s behind almost 200. However, Hidalgo most likely will finish in the top-5, cementing herself as one of the best ever in South Bend.

Notre Dame will now take on regional host Ohio State, who defeated Howard earlier in the day. The Irish are 4-0 all-time against the Buckeyes, with their last meeting being a 99-76 victory in 2017. The two teams will play on Monday, with the time yet to be released.