Hannah Hidalgo drops 29 points as No. 8 Notre Dame hands No. 2 UConn its first loss

No. 2 UConn is no longer undefeated. Hannah Hidalgo had something to do with it.

The Notre Dame star posted 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals to lead the No. 8 Fighting Irish in a 79-68 victory over the Huskies on Thursday. UConn, now 8-1, entered Thursday’s game as one of eight undefeated teams in the AP Poll.

Hidalgo’s performance included a retreating 3-pointer to end the third quarter

That shot was part of a 9-0 run between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter that ended up being the game for Notre Dame. At the start of the game the Irish had a lead of as many as 13 points, but the lead dwindled to one point before the series began.

In addition to Hidalgo, Liatu King recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds as well as two assists and three steals. Notre Dame held UConn, which was without Azzi Fudd, to just 3 of 16 shooting from long range and allowed them just five shots to the free throw line.

Since the back-to-back losses that pushed them out of the top five in the AP Rankings, Notre Dame has now picked up two wins over top five teams. They beat No. 4 Texas in overtime in the SEC/ACC Challenge last week and also beat No. 3 USC earlier this month.

That’s a pretty strong collection of non-conference wins. Notre Dame begins its ACC scheduled for Dec. 29 against Virginia before a road matchup with No. 14 North Carolina on Jan. 5.