Notre Dame women’s basketball continued their NCAA Tournament run on Sunday afternoon by hosting Michigan for the right to move to the Sweet 16. Although a classic football rivalry, the women’s basketball programs have met only 21 times, with the most recent being a 76-66 Michigan victory in South Bend back on Dec. 3, 2020.
The No. 3 seeded Irish responded to their late-season slide with a resounding 106-54 win over No. 14 Stephen F. Austin in Friday’s First Round. The 52-point triumph was the largest margin of victory in school history, and the team also set a program record for most field goals in a NCAA Tournament game with 45.
Fifth-year head coach Niele Ivey’s side is led by a dynamic backcourt which features ACC Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo. The sophomore from New Jersey scored 24 points in the win over the Ladyjacks to match her season average, while also getting it done on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the nation in steals per game with 3.7. Hidalgo is complemented by projected top-3 picks in April’s upcoming WNBA Draft, graduate Olivia Miles and senior Sonia Citron. Miles runs the show on the offensive end for Notre Dame, leading the nation with three triple-doubles. A versatile wing, Citron has been on fire recently, averaging over 16 points on 40% three-point shooting over the last ten games.
The No. 6 seeded Wolverines are making their seventh consecutive March Madness appearance, and used a comeback win over No. 11 seed Iowa State on Friday to advance to the Second Round for the seventh time in school history. Senior guard Jordan Hobbs led Michigan with a career-high 28 points in the 80-74 win over the Cyclones. 13th-year head coach Kim Barnes Arico utilizes a small ball, five-guard lineup, spearheaded by the freshmen tandem of Olivia Olson and Syla Swords. A New Hope, Minnesota native, Olson leads Michigan in scoring with over 16 points per game, with the Canadian Swords not far behind at 15.9.
The Irish were shot out of a cannon to start the game, quickly gaining a 6-0 advantage that prompted Michigan to burn a timeout. Notre Dame then closed the frame on a 15-2 run to push the lead to 20 at 32-12. Hidalgo, Citron and graduate forward Liatu King each scored eight points in the first quarter, with the Irish shooting an astounding 75% from the floor. Notre Dame out-rebounded Michigan 12-4 and held the Wolverines to just 4-15 shooting in the opening ten minutes.
When asked how Notre Dame matched up with the quick Wolverines, Citron said, “Our post players are pretty versatile, so that helped us switch 1 through 5 and exploit some of those matchups against them.”
Focusing on the offense, Ivey cited shot selection for the first quarter surge. “Everyone took efficient shots. I thought we got great shots in transition and in the halfcourt, which was better than last game,” she said.
Michigan senior guard Greta Kampschroeder noticed that the Irish pace didn’t allow her team to settle into the game. “We couldn’t get ourselves situated on defense, and we weren’t helping or playing team defense. We just weren’t ourselves in that first quarter,” she said.
The Wolverines started the second on a 12-2 run before a Hidalgo dish and driving layup on successive possessions pushed the lead back out to 16, forcing Barnes Arico to use her second timeout. Notre Dame’s stifling defense would continue through the remainder of the half, with the Irish taking a 46-28 lead into the intermission. King, the transfer from Pittsburgh, led the way with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Citron and Hidalgo both reached double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
In the third quarter, the Irish used a 12-0 run to build their lead up to as much as 28. The defense held the Wolverines to just eight points, including a seven-minute stretch where Michigan was held without a field goal.
Notre Dame would get up by as much as 35 midway through the fourth quarter, before taking out Citron, Miles and graduate forward Maddy Westbeld to a raucous applause from the Irish faithful.
Hidalgo advocated for her seniors in the press conference, proclaiming, “They’re dogs. They’re gonna fight. No matter what situation they are in, they are always gonna get better, be versatile, and have strong careers.”
Michigan would close the contest on a 15-1 run, but Notre Dame prevailed 76-55 to reach their fourth consecutive Sweet Sixteen, and 21st all-time.
When asked postgame about what this game proves about the Irish, Citron stated, “We showed that we are a bunch of fighters. Coach Ivey challenged us, and we responded.”
Hidalgo took it a step further, attesting, “I learned how we can dominate and take another team’s heart away from the start of the game.” She continued by saying, “It doesn’t matter what the doubters or the media thinks. We know the talent that we have in that locker room, and we had confidence that we could advance far in this tournament.”
Her play backed up her talk, as she led the Irish in scoring for the 25th time this season, finishing with 21. King recorded her 13th double-double of the year, tallying 18 points and 15 rebounds, good for her fourth 15-rebound performance of the campaign. Citron added 16 points and six boards for Notre Dame.
King praised her teammates for aiding her performance, adding, “My teammates found me, and saw the mismatches with how they were defending ball screens. I give them credit for finding me in open spots.”
After Ivey implored her side to improve their effort on the defensive end following the ACC Tournament Semifinal loss to Duke, Notre Dame has held both Stephen F. Austin and Michigan to their season lows in points.
“Everyone knows that we went through a tough stretch the last couple weeks. The way we’ve defended the last two games has been phenomenal. We are excited to keep dancing and survive and advance into the next round,” Ivey said. “This group wants to win. They are unselfish. I knew this team was gonna respond because they’ve done it before. The stakes are high, so I’m happy that they have shown up at the right time.”
Olson and Swords led the Wolverines as they have all season, the pair of freshman guards combining to shoot 14-32 for 37 of Michigan’s 55 points. Alongside starting freshman guard Mila Holloway, the Wolverines have a strong nucleus for the future.
Barnes Arico lauded her freshmen class postgame, saying, “Being a freshman point guard and having to play against Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo is a heavy load. [Holloway] is very hard on herself, but I told her that this is what she has to go through to get to the next level. All of them stepped up today and I am proud of the way they handled themselves in this environment.”
Notre Dame moves on to the Birmingham Regional where they are set for a rematch with No. 2 seeded TCU. Led by star graduate guard Hailey Van Lith, the Horned Frogs captured the Big 12 regular season and Tournament championships and also bested the Irish 76-68 back in November in the Cayman Islands. The Sweet 16 showdown will take place next Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. Tip-off time is still to be determined, with coverage on ABC or ESPN.
