With consecutive losses against No. 17 TCU and unranked Utah, Notre Dame women’s basketball needed a victory to get back on track. The stage was set against top-five opponent Texas as Notre Dame took on the toughest home matchup of the season so far. In a back-and-forth game going to overtime off a miraculous Olivia Miles layup, the Irish closed out overtime on a 12-0 run to win 80-70. Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo finished with her season-high of 30 points.
“She lives for these moments,” Irish head coach Niele Ivey commented of Hidalgo after the game.
Opening the game in a zone defense, the Irish game plan was forcing the Longhorns to shoot three-pointers; they had only shot 26% from three-point range as a team throughout the season. Hidalgo scored the first basket for the Irish on a three-pointer, which was only the start of a season-high scoring performance. Sophomore and leading scorer for Texas, Madison Booker, hit a jumper with 4:22 left in the first quarter to give the Longhorns their first lead of the game, 10-8. She would extend the Texas lead to six points with a three, and the Irish trailed, 22-16. Booker was a handful for the Irish throughout the game, scoring 20 points. As time expired in the first quarter, Hidalgo hoisted a buzzer-beating three-pointer that swished through the net, but the Irish still trailed, 22-19.
Hidalgo’s three-pointer helped give Notre Dame a huge boost of momentum as it sparked a 10-0 run to open the second quarter. Graduate guard Olivia Miles stepped back for a smooth three-pointer, and Hidalgo finished an acrobatic layup to regain the lead to 29-22 to begin the quarter. Texas senior Shay Holle kept the Longhorns in the game and went blow for blow with the Irish in the first half, scoring 14 points with a career-high four three-pointers to help Texas close the lead within two points. Hidalgo scored a layup with 3:33 left in the second quarter that would be the last Irish basket in the first half, and defense would help them hold a 39-34 lead entering the break. Despite the Longhorns shooting 46.3% from three-point range in the first half, Notre Dame led by five points in large part to winning the turnover battle 11-7 through two quarters, which was a theme that persisted in the second half.
“We didn’t play well. We had 23 turnovers against a 2-3 zone. Everyone had three or four turnovers,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after the game.
The Irish began the third quarter slowly, but inside of the final six minutes, the offense began to take back off. Notre Dame opened the game back up with back-to-back three-pointers from senior guard Sonia Citron and Miles. Citron stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven steals, hounding Booker all game long. Texas continued to fight back with consecutive layups, bringing the Irish lead to just three points at 49-46 with 3:21 left in the third quarter. Graduate forward Liatu King sank an off-balance layup to bring the lead back to five points. The Irish led 53-48 after Miles and Hidalgo stopped the last shot opportunity from the Longhorns, which held them to less than 50 points through three quarters for the first time in the season.
The Irish knew a big fourth quarter from Hidalgo was the necessary ingredient to propel them to a win. Hidalgo answered the call and began with the first basket after finishing scoreless in the third. Booker tied the game at 55-55 with eight minutes left in the fourth. Five-star freshman forward Kate Koval regained the lead for the Irish at 59-57 off a bank shot as time expired. Seesawing back and forth, free throws from the Irish gave them the lead again, 61-60. Koval earned her fourth foul with 5:14 left in the fourth and was subbed out for only a minute. The 6-5 freshman post player dominated defensively with five blocks and was critical to holding Texas senior Taylor Jones to eight points.
“Kate is growing up right before our eyes,” Ivey remarked.
Inside of three minutes in a tight game meant every moment mattered for the Irish. The Irish regained the lead once again off of a third Hidalgo steal and dish to Miles for the layup. Citron had an open three-pointer opportunity that rimmed out with 31.5 seconds left in the game. Texas senior Rori Harmon responded out of the timeout with a difficult jump shot over Hidalgo that tied the game at 66 with just seven seconds to go. With a last-shot opportunity, everyone in the building knew the ball would end up in Olivia Miles’ hand as she made an unbelievable buzzer-beater against Louisville two seasons before. Miles dashed into the lane off of the timeout play in isolation and rolled a layup in with two seconds left to give Notre Dame the lead, 68-66. Miles finished the game with 18 points, none more critical than the final basket in regulation, along with six assists and two rebounds. However, with two seconds left, Harmon was fouled and hit both free throws to tie the game, 68-68. Upon review, the stadium erupted in boos, the fans vocally disagreeing with the last foul. Hidalgo had one last look from three-point range to win that missed long. Overtime.
The last overtime game for the Irish was against Florida State a season ago, ending in a victory. This time at home, overtime began with a Texas basket to take a 70-68 lead. Facing a deficit to begin the period seemed to motivate the Irish as they caught fire and finished the game on a 12-0 run. Hidalgo and Citron made consecutive three-pointers, and Hidalgo reached her season high of 30. The building exploded in cheers as these shots gave the Irish a 76-70 lead with 2:33 left, and the defense held Texas scoreless throughout the rest of the contest. Notre Dame went on to win 80-70.
Commenting on the near-sellout crowd, Ivey said, “I want to thank the crowd. The energy was amazing. We were so excited to be home. We feed off their energy. They were our sixth man on the floor tonight.”
A signature win against undefeated and fourth-ranked Texas gives Notre Dame a huge confidence boost in dealing with injuries, playing big minutes and being outmatched in size. Despite the foul trouble down the stretch and only playing six players, the Irish responded with a signature win to defend home court.
“We were outmatched with size, but not in our toughness and heart,” Ivey said.
Notre Dame will take on Syracuse on Sunday for the ACC opener on the road, followed by hosting No. 2 UConn next Thursday in what is sure to be one of the most anticipated games of the season.
