After recovering from two losses in the Cayman Islands, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team now gears up to face off against the University of Texas Longhorns on Thursday. The last matchup between the two teams took place in 1997 where the Irish won by a narrow margin 86-83.
From a resounding 105-61 opener against Mercyhurst to a statement win over No. 3 USC, the Irish have demonstrated their depth and talent. However, back-to-back losses over Thanksgiving break against Texas Christian University (TCU) and Utah have tested their resilience. Now, the Irish prepare for their biggest challenge yet: a showdown against undefeated No. 4 Texas.
Starting with their exhibition game, the team took a huge 101-41 win over Davenport. Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo made her first appearance of the season and led the team to victory as she finished the night with a total of 31 points, nine assists and five steals.
“It’s kinda insane but it felt surreal to be out there,” graduate student guard Olivia Miles said as she made her first appearance on the court after being out for two seasons with an ACL injury. Miles finished with 15 points, nine assists and two steals.
The Irish kept the ball rolling as they opened the season against Mercyhurst, the first-ever meeting of the teams, and took the 105-61 win. Graduate student forward Liatu King led the Irish finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Irish. Miles followed close behind finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Head coach Niele Ivey said, “It was a dominant performance from the beginning till the end.”
In the following game against Purdue, the Irish continued to dominate on the court as they took the 102-58 win. Hidalgo led the way, finishing with 28 points and seven rebounds for the night. King hit double digits in two categories, finishing with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Senior guard Sonia Citron played her first competitive game and finished the night with a total of 14 points and six rebounds for herself against Purdue.
Game No. 5 went in favor of the Irish as they faced off against James Madison for the first time since 1988 and took the 92-46 win.
Hidalgo continued to shine on the court and lead the Irish to victory finishing with a total of 24 points and six rebounds. She was not alone, with freshman forward Kate Koval helping the Irish heavily on defense while also tallying 16 rebounds.
After another routine 91-55 win against Lafayette, the Irish traveled to Los Angeles for a marquee matchup with then No. 3-ranked USC. Behind another sparkling performance from the backcourt of Hidalgo and Miles, who combined for 44 points and 15 assists en route to a statement 74-61 victory.
Over Thanksgiving break, however, the Irish faced TCU, where they took their first 76-68 loss. While the Irish managed to hold the lead throughout the game, TCU pulled ahead in the fourth, scoring 31 points in the quarter to take the win. Hidalgo led the Irish with 27 points and nine rebounds and King contributed 13 rebounds.
The second team that the Irish faced over break was Utah, where things once again did not go their way, taking a second consecutive 78-67 loss. Citron led on the court for the Irish with 22 points and five rebounds while King led on the glass with 11 rebounds for the Irish.
The Irish now prepare to face off against No. 4 Texas, who are currently undefeated with seven wins on the season so far.
The first game the Longhorns played was against Southeast Missouri State where they took the 119-47 win. Senior guard Rori Harmon pitched in the with 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals alongside junior center Kyla Oldacre, who finished the night with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
In the Longhorns’ second and third games they won against Lamar University and DePaul, respectively. In the game against Lamar University, senior guard Shay Holle and freshman forward Justice Carlton led on the court both tallying 15 points. Senior forward Taylor Jones was the star on both sides of the ball in the game against DePaul with 22 points and 12 rebounds for Texas.
In their game against Carleton State Texas took the 83-41 win. The fourth team that Texas faced was against Tarleton State where they took the 83-41 win. Freshman forward Madison Booker led the Longhorns as she finished the night with a total of 25 points and three assists.
A big 90-50 win against New Mexico State starred Booker and Jones. The duo finished with 21 and 20 points respectively.
The Longhorns dominated Butler 94-59, led by Carlton’s 30 points. In their most recent game and the closest game of the season, they defeated No. 12 West Virginia 78-73, with senior forward Aaliyah Moore scoring 20 points and Booker adding 19.
The two teams now prepare to face off against each other on Thursday with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
