5 takeaways from Notre Dame’s convincing win over UConn

Hannah Hidalgo is inevitable.

With 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals, the Notre Dame sophomore cemented her entry into the National Player of the Year discussion by defeating undefeated No. 2 Connecticut on Thursday at Purcell Pavilion ( 79-68). . It is the third No. 8 top-5 team Notre Dame has defeated this season.

Hidalgo started cold against a Huskies defense that wanted to force her left after beating her right by 24 points last year. She missed four 3-point attempts before the first failed in the final 90 seconds of the first quarter. The guard let out a demonstrative scream, reverted to his roving defensive role and stole the ball from 2021 Player of the Year Paige Bueckers. A transition 3 on the other end brightened Hidalgo’s fiery night and all but officially wiped out UConn. The Irish are on a three-game winning streak in this injury-riddled rivalry this decade.

UConn would do little to counter Hidalgo down the stretch. She had 17 points at halftime while shooting 4 of 6 from 3 (5 of 11 overall) and drained another 3 at the end of the third quarter to bring Notre Dame back to within four points. It negated the momentum of KK Arnold’s layup on the other end and set her single-game career 3-point mark. Hidalgo was 2 of 6 from inside the arc, 6 of 11 from beyond the arc and 7 of 7 from the free throw line.

There should be absolutely no doubt that Hidalgo is a leading candidate for the Naismith and Wooden Player of the Year awards. She averages 24.6 points per game and proved to be a leading superstar against other Final Four favorites in all three contests. Against then-No. 3 Southern Cal, she led Notre Dame with 24 points (42.9 FG%), six rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Against then-No. 6 Texas, Hidalgo scored a season-high 30 points (55 FG%, 3-5 3 FGs), eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. She’s also a strong contender for Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 4.1 steals per game, and is otherwise causing havoc.

Here’s what else we learned from the game.

UConn needs Fudd’s shooting technique

There was both good and bad news for UConn this week. The good thing is that shooting guard Azzi Fudd’s injury is minor after leaving the win over Louisville. Fudd suffered a knee sprain, a best-case scenario after her far more serious knee injuries, and she continues to be one. The bad thing is that it left her out of the game against Notre Dame, UConn’s toughest matchup on the schedule so far and one of its non-conference highlights.

The Huskies needed their outside shooting and spacing to keep up with Notre Dame’s guards. UConn shot 0 of 7 from 3-point range until forward Sarah Strong scored from distance in the opening minutes of the second half. Fudd has shot 33% from 3-point range in five games but ranks second on the team in overall field goal percentage (70.6%). Her absence focused defensive attention on Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers, who led UConn with 24 points, did not make a 3-pointer in the game. The team was 3 of 16, a season-low mark. They were 3 of 14 against a similarly strong Ole Miss defense, but built enough of a lead early and held off the Rebels to overcome them.

Notre Dame operated from a distance and shot 10 of 18 (55.6%), mostly from Hidalgo. Olivia Miles (two), Sonia Citron and Cassandre Prosper scored one each.

Too strong on fouls

Strong’s first real foul came at a bad time. The freshman scored three draws in a four-minute span early in the second quarter in a tight game. She fouled Hidalgo on a 3-pointer at 7:42 and got the third at the five-minute mark while aggressively going for a loose rebound. She sat until the third quarter.

UConn didn’t lose too much ground, as the deficit increased from seven when Strong left to 11 at halftime. Geno Auriemma introduced 6-foot-2 Jana El Alfy into the game, but overall the offense was stagnant and everyone except Bueckers seemed hesitant to attempt a shot. Strong’s career high was three fouls against Ole Miss. She and guard Kaitlyn Chen each had four at the end of the game.

Strong scored 14 points and attempted seven of her 12 field goals from behind the arc. Chen had 11 and Arnold 10 for the Huskies’ most efficient night (5 of 8).

Notre Dame is a top-five team

Notre Dame plummeted in the AP Top 25 poll by losing back-to-back games to unranked teams in its Thanksgiving week tournament. Turnovers were a problem, the defense wasn’t solid, and head coach Niele Ivey had to juggle an incredibly short bench. But it appears to be nothing more than an early holiday blip.

The Fighting Irish beat the best in the nation and deserve a ranking to show it. They also haven’t reached their full strength yet. Liza Karlen, a transfer from Marquette, played her first minutes of the season after a lower leg injury in the exhibition game kept her off the field. She scored four points within 10 minutes, relieving the pressure on frontcourt starters Kate Koval and Liatu King.

With a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds, King continues to look like the best transfer addition of the season. She was 8 of 14 and a force on defense (three steals), especially early. Four-year forward Maddy Westbeld should be back soon.

And the Irish have avoided their own additional injury misfortune. Miles, whose feet were caught in a loose ball in the first quarter, limped to the bench and was seen by coaches before returning after three minutes of play. The All-American point guard scored 16 points (6 of 9) with four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes.

Injuries marred the era of elite rivalry

The rivalry between UConn and Notre Dame peaked in the 1990s and 2010s, when both competed in the Big East and met in the Final Four. They had the best players in the country who would go on to brilliant WNBA championship careers.

Although they are no longer in the same conference, the two programs still attract top recruits and the game has a certain appeal. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to see the duel in full force recently and have probably missed our last chance to see the best guard duos in the country compete against each other.

Bueckers and Miles played on very different rosters in the 2021-22 game in Connecticut. Bueckers missed the 2022-23 game due to a knee injury. Miles and Fudd missed last year’s meeting, when Hidalgo posted 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on 58 percent shooting. And Fudd didn’t play on Thursday.

Bueckers, Miles and Fudd are all eligible for the WNBA Draft in April. Bueckers is the projected No. 1 pick the Dallas Wings have acquired the rights to, and she has said it is her final year as a Husky. She has an additional year of eligibility under the COVID-19 exemption. Miles and Fudd played redshirts for years and gave no details about their plans.