After following up a 19-game winning streak with two straight losses to ACC opponents, the Fighting Irish needed a bounce-back game Sunday.
It got that and then some against Louisville. After a down game from Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles against the Seminoles, the duo combined for a cool 35 points to claim a share of the ACC regular season title, led by Hidalgo’s 20.
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It’s a huge win for a Notre Dame team that is looking to get back on the one-line for the NCAA Tournament. While it hardly clinches anything, it does give Notre Dame a fighting chance in the ACC Tournament.
The game looked like it might be a knock-em-down drag-em-out when Louisville limited Notre Dame to just 14 points in the quarter. However, 22 points in each of the middle frames gave Notre Dame a comfortable cushion heading into the fourth, where it completed its symmetrical board with another 14-point quarter to get a 72-56 win.
After Louisville’s initial onslaught,
its physical game-plan saw guards Tajianna Roberts and Ja’Leah Williams get into first-half foul trouble. That was a hole it never dug itself out of, and now Louisville will prepare for the ACC Tournament on its back foot.Look below to see a recap of Notre Dame’s win over Louisville, as covered by USA TODAY Sports.Notre Dame women’s basketball vs Louisville score updatesThis section will be updated at tip-off
TEAMS Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FLouisville 15 13 12 19 56Notre Dame 14 22 22 14 Final: Notre Dame 72, Louisville 56Fourth QuarterHannah Hidalgo hits a daggerHidalgo has a killer instinct. Already up 69-52, Hidalgo squares up on a mismatch and buries a triple to make it a 20-point lead. Advantage: Irish. Those are the shots Notre Dame looks for.Notre Dame takes timeoutNotre Dame still holds a decisive lead and looks to have this well in hand, but Ivey is still displeased. With the Louisville press on, Ivey takes a timeout, then the Fighting Irish turn it over anyways.They still hold a double-digit lead, but this is still that will have to be cleaned up ahead of March.
Third QuarterOlivia Miles hits buzzer-beaterNotre Dame is going to the fourth quarter with an 18-point lead on the heels of a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Olivia Miles.After a Louisville bucket, Miles jets up the floor , fading to her right, hits a triple to make it a 58-40 game heading into the final quarter. Notre Dame needed this game from its stars.Notre Dame extends leadWith a pair of free throws made at the line by Olivia Miles, Notre Dame extends its lead to double digits for the first time on the afternoon at 45-35.
Notre Dame’s defense continues to cause struggles for Louisville’s offense, as the Cardinals have not hit a field goal in the last 3:28. The Irish have taken back all momentum in this one.Kate Koval blockNotre Dame gets a big stop on defense with a block from forward Kate Koval, and there is a timeout on the floor for the under-five media timeout.
The Irish’s defense has been responded back
nicely after Jayda Curry’s back-to-back 3-pointers, as Louisville has not scored over the last 2:07 of game time.Louisville strikes backThe Cardinals take advantage of numbers with back-to-back triples from Jayda Curry in less than 16 seconds to cut their deficit to three.A 6-0 run for Louisville has forced a timeout from Notre Dame, who now leads 37-34 with 7:05 remaining in the third quarter.
Louisville has outscored Notre Dame 6-1 to open the third quarter.Notre Dame on boardThe Irish are the first to get on the board in the second half thanks to one of two free throws from Hannah Hidalgo.Both teams have started the half 0-for-5 combined from the field.