Head coach Niele Ivey’s No. 8 Notre Dame women’s basketball team triumphed Thursday night, defeating the No. 2 Connecticut Huskies at Purcell Pavilion in a thrilling renewal of the greatest rivalry in women’s college basketball.
What started in January 1996 as a traditional Big East Conference matchup between the Irish and Huskies has now evolved into an annual meeting between two of the most storied programs in the sport. Led by 40th-year bench boss Geno Auriemma, UConn has revolutionized and transformed the game, drawing elite talent and commanding immense media coverage to Storrs en route to appearing in 23 NCAA Final Fours and capturing 11 national championships.
The impassioned mutual hostility between Auriemma and longtime Irish program figurehead Muffet McGraw created spectacle for every meeting between the two, which included eight Final Four battles and two national championship game duels. The 2014 final, which UConn won, is the only NCAA basketball final in history to feature two undefeated teams.
McGraw retired in 2020 following 34 years at the helm, a storied stint which included 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven national championship game appearances and the 2001 and 2018 cational championship crowns. Ivey, a former Irish standout and longtime McGraw assistant, took the reins during the COVID-19 pandemic and has led the Irish to three consecutive Sweet 16 berths, as well as 2-1 record over the Huskies.
In a press conference after Thursday’s game, graduate transfer forward Liatu King said, “It’s surreal, and really special to play in games like this. I didn’t realize how big the rivalry was until Coach Ivey started talking about it and showed us some videos.”
The 2024-25 Huskies are led by national standout Paige Bueckers, who has overcome two season-ending leg injuries to become the surefire No. 1 selection in next spring’s WNBA Draft. The graduate guard from Edina, Minnesota, is a career 20-point-per-game scorer who also captured consensus National Player of the Year honors following her breakout freshman campaign in 2021. Connecticut lost starters Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl to the WNBA following last-year’s Final Four defeat to Caitlin Clark and Iowa but recently were gifted with the return of graduate guard Azzi Fudd, who missed nearly all of last season with an ACL tear following a 15.1 PPG season as a sophomore. However, Fudd would miss Thursday’s matchup as she continues to progress in rehab, while her Huskies entered Thursday night’s tilt with an 8-0 record, including marquee victories over ranked opponents North Carolina, Ole Miss and Louisville.
Across the sideline for the Irish, the dynamic backcourt of Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles have spearheaded a 7-2 start, which includes wins at No. 3 USC and at home over No. 4 Texas. Miles, a graduate guard from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, has become one of the nation’s premier players, returning from an ACL injury suffered in the 2022-23 season finale that also caused her to miss the entirety of last season. An All-American that season, Miles now averages 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists. Hidalgo, a sophomore guard from Merchantville, New Jersey, earned first-team All-American honors after her freshman season, in which she averaged 22.6 points and 6.2 rebounds while starting all 35 games the Irish played.
Auriemma knew his team would have its hands full with the Irish backcourt. “I don’t know if there is a better combination of guards in the country, with all they can hurt you with," he said.
Injuries have tormented both sides the last few seasons, and the start of the 2024-25 season has been no different. Despite the much-anticipated returns of Fudd and Jana El Alfy, the Huskies will still be without key contributors Ayanna Patterson, Aubrey Griffin and Caroline Ducharme for the near future. For the Irish, frontcourt depth has been seriously tested, as key forwards junior KK Bransford, graduate student Kylee Watson and graduate student Maddy Westbeld have yet to play this season, leading Ivey to rely heavily on freshmen.
Donning the alternate kelly green threads for the 2024 edition of the Shamrock Classic, the Irish started Thursday’s game hot, overcoming an early injury to Miles to hold a 9-4 advantage at the foremost media timeout. The back half of the quarter saw both offenses grind to a halt, before consecutive triples from Hidalgo ignited the energetic sold-out crowd, prompting Auriemma to call a timeout with the Irish leading 15-10.
The 9,149 fans inside Purcell Pavilion included a rowdy student section, Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman and former Notre Dame women’s basketball stars Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale.
Coach Ivey was appreciative of the support, saying postgame, “The alums are still a part of this. It’s great to know that they have our backs.” She also expressed her appreciation for the student support. “I’m very grateful for the crowd and especially the student body, for their support tonight against a great team. We had over 1,000 student ticket requests, the most in program history,” she said.
Much to the delight of the Irish faithful, Miles would return, and a late triple from sophomore guard Cassandre Prosper gave Notre Dame an 18-12 edge as the first quarter came to a close.
Hidalgo, who was honored pregame for collecting her 1,000th career point in Sunday’s win at Syracuse, took over the game during the second frame. The 2023-24 ACC Rookie of the Year quelled multiple UConn runs with two huge triples, finishing the first half with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 18 minutes of action. A 7-0 Irish run to finish the half was ended as Bueckers knocked down a mid-range jumper as the horn sounded, giving her 12 points for the half. Due in large part to 6-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc and a rebounding margin of 25-16, Notre Dame took a 39-28 advantage into the locker rooms.
The Huskies responded with a swift 7-0 run coming out of the intermission, led by freshman guard Sarah Strong and Princeton transfer guard Kaitlyn Chen. Strong, a Durham, North Carolina, native, was the unanimous No. 1-ranked recruit in the Class of 2024 and has started her collegiate career with a bang, averaging 16 points while starting all eight of UConn’s games. Speaking of Strong’s development, Auriemma said, “This is the first time in her career that she’s faced an environment like this, but she is only going to get better and better. She was probably a bit passive tonight though, only taking 12 shots.”
Despite no points from Bueckers, Hidalgo or Miles throughout the first seven minutes of the quarter, both high-powered offenses continued to trade blows, with UConn cutting the lead to as few as four. The Huskies would trim the advantage all the way down to one, before Hidalgo connected on a stepback three to beat the quarter buzzer, giving her six triples on the night and pushing the Irish lead to 56-52. Senior guard Sonia Citron finally got on the board in the third frame, scoring five points, while King inched towards a double-double, reaching 14 points and nine rebounds.
Hidalgo recognized how key her trey was, commenting postgame, “It was a big shot to ice [UConn’s] run heading to the fourth quarter.”
The Irish would build on the momentum of Hidalgo’s three-point barrage, blitzing UConn with a rapid 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter, inducing the third Husky timeout with just over 7:30 to play. Bueckers would spark the UConn offense, but Miles would provide a response each and every time, and the Irish lead would never dip below eight through the period. Led by Miles and Hidalgo, Notre Dame connected on its final seven field goals of the night, punctuating the 79-68 win for its third top-five victory of the season.
“I know I control the energy for my team. I try to be consistent and the team feeds off it every practice and every game,” Hidalgo added.
Bueckers steered the Huskies all night, collecting 25 points on 11-for-20 shooting. Strong, Chen and sophomore guard KK Arnold all scored in double figures for Connecticut, now 8-1. The Huskies connected on just three of 16 shots from beyond the arc and were outrebounded 38-30 in the loss.
“We weren’t able to take enough threes, and we obviously weren’t able to make enough. It’s miraculous that we were in the game, when the score was 30-9 on threes,” Auriemma said.
He also lambasted the lack of scoring outside of Bueckers.
“Our inability to get contributions outside of Paige hurt. They have depth, and we needed to match that. If you’re playing at Connecticut, you need to be able to make an impact in games like this.”
For Notre Dame, it was the starpower once again, as Hidalgo came up two assists shy of her second career triple-double, tallying 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, alongside a career-high six three-pointers, vaulting herself to the frontrunner for National Player of the Year.
Auriemma was complimentary when speaking of Hidalgo’s performance, saying “Her talent is obvious. She’s a pretty unique player, but more importantly, she attacks everything she does. She attacks you on offense, on defense and she leads her team, and when you combine all three, that makes her a very tough matchup.”
Ivey agreed, “Hannah was amazing, her shooting really got the crowd going in the first half and she just continued to hit big shots,” she said. “She’s one of the best in the country, but she has solidified that since the moment she walked on campus last summer.”
After the early injury scare, Miles made her mark late, totaling 16 points for the Irish, 11 of which came in the second half. Additionally, King recorded her best outing for the blue and gold, completing the double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, Notre Dame shot 10 for 18 from three, and also converted 79% from the charity stripe.
Ivey was proud of King’s performance, stating, “Liatu was the X-factor. She played with poise and energy on both ends, and showed the world what we all know.”
The Irish victory marks three straight triumphs over UConn dating back to December of 2022, moving the all-time series to 39-16 in favor of the Huskies.
Now, sitting at 8-2, the Irish will be back in action on Sunday, as the Eastern Michigan Eagles come to South Bend for the penultimate non-conference clash. Notre Dame will then have a week off for finals before hosting Loyola (Maryland) on Sunday, Dec. 22, prior to ACC play recommencing on Dec. 29 when the Virginia Cavaliers travel to Purcell Pavilion. This Sunday’s showdown with Eastern Michigan is set for a 2 p.m. tip-off and can be streamed on ACCNX.
