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Paige Bueckers, No. 2 UConn Upset by Hannah Hidalgo, No. 8 Notre Dame; Stun WCBB fans | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
Paige Bueckers, No. 2 UConn Upset by Hannah Hidalgo, No. 8 Notre Dame; Stun WCBB fans | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – DECEMBER 12: Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies is defended by Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on December 12, 2024 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Hannah Hidalgo scored 29 points on Thursday to help No. 8 Notre Dame suffer its first loss of the season against Paige Bueckers and No. 2 UConn.

The Fighting Irish held off a comeback push from the Huskies in the third quarter to claim a 79-68 victory.

ACC Network @Accnetwork

NO. 8 NOTRE DAME TAKES NO. 2 UCONN ☘️
That is @ndwbbThe 16th win against Geno Auriemma, the most of any school. pic.twitter.com/7AHyX0LZ0S

Hidalgo added 10 rebounds to her double-double and also recorded eight assists and three steals.

Chiney Ogwumike @Chiney

Hannah Hidalgo is the most competitive player in the women’s collegiate game on BOTH ends!

Talia Goodman @TaliaGoodmanWBB

Hannah Hidalgo is currently my NPOY favorite.
I’m just saying it.

UConn’s undefeated streak will end after eight games. Bueckers led the Huskies with 25 points and added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Notre Dame led by 11 points at halftime, but UConn erased the deficit in the final moments of the third quarter and came within one point.

Hidalgo responded with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to keep the Fighting Irish on top.

Missing is star guard Azzi Fudd, who is currently sidelined Knee sprainThe Huskies couldn’t close the gap in the fourth quarter.

Allie @Al_lieeee

UCONN needs Azzi Fudd‼️

#firegeno @firegeno

UConn had a bad night, Notre Dame had a good night. But I honestly think this game would have turned out differently if Azzi Fudd had been in the game. She is the spark we were missing. I hope we can put this game behind us!

The loss marks UConn’s third straight loss against Notre Dame, the Huskies’ worst streak in the rivalry since 2013.

UConn is now 38-16 Record of all time against Notre Dame. According to ACC Network, the Fighting Irish are the first team to defeat the Huskies 16 times under head coach Geno Auriemma.

Fans are now putting pressure on Auriemma after UConn was outrebounded in the loss, 38-30. UConn also shot 3 of 16 from behind the arc, while Notre Dame converted 10 of 18 three-point opportunities.

Bi⚡️ERK @BizerkJerk

This is also what happens when you play so much off-ball Geno Auriemma against Paige Bueckers. Hidalgo had the ball in her hands all night.

Kendall Green @ontargethoops

Geno Auriemma with the Steve Kerr school of nonsense. Allow your best shot creator and scorer to play large portions of the game without the ball, allowing them to lose their rhythm.

GirlSTIR @GirlStir

Geno Auriemma doesn’t know how to train against teams that have the same talent as him. Oh, how times have changed.

Sporty guy @FellaSporty

This loss is due to Geno Auriemma. He didn’t prepare his team at all for the ball pressure and ball denial, and it had to be a decision by the coach that they helped from corners as much as they did. The 3-point difference was 3 UConn 3s to 10 Notre Dame 3s

Thursday’s result could come up again during March Madness seeding.

Although the Fighting Irish struggled with a 0-2 record against Big 12 foe Cayman Islanders early in conference play, the win also marks Notre Dame’s third win against a top-five opponent. The team also earned victories over USC on Nov. 23 and Texas last week.

Geoffrey Clark @gfclark89

Assuming that score holds, USC, Texas and UConn will be a combined 0-3 against Notre Dame but 26-0 against everyone else. Three Irish wins over top five opponents.

Kim Adams @_kimadams

Notre Dame’s two losses in the Cayman Islands are now irrelevant.
They responded with two top-five wins. Texas now UConn. 📈📈📈

UConn, meanwhile, will look to learn from its first loss of the season as the Huskies prepare to begin conference play in earnest in the new year.

Megan @msxo20

Well, this was a disappointing game for UCONN…but a good growing game…learn from it.

Southcentral boots @Curiosity51db

Hopefully this game is a wake up call to what Uconn needs to do to get stronger because that’s not how they’re going to win if it looks like this 😭

Mr. UConn @1999 Huskies

I really believe in this team. But we need to look at what we did wrong in this game, where ND was better than us and how ND capitalized on our mistakes. Take that and improve upon it, we absolutely have the talent to get the job done.

The Huskies return to play on Sunday against Georgetown, while the Fighting Irish face Eastern Michigan at home on the same day.

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