The Notre Dame Fighting Irish hosted the UConn Huskies in the Shamrock Classic. One of the best rivalries in college basketball, the Huskies lead the all-time series 39-15. But the Fighting Irish have won the last two meetings and were looking for the third win.
This was the first road for the Huskies this season, with their previous games being at home or neutral site. They were without Azzi Fudd, who suffered a knee injury. It was later revealed that she suffered a knee sprain, so she avoided a more serious injury. Considering she is just coming back from an ACL tear, this was the best news for her and the team.
Marquette transfer Liza Karlen was cleared to make her season debut for Notre Dame. She was out for the first nine games due to an injury she suffered in one of the exhibition games. Maddy Westbeld, Kylee Watson and KK Bransford remain out due to injury recovery.
Olivia Miles kicked things off with a three to get her team on the board, and Ice Brady answered with a jumper to get UConn on the board. Not long after, Miles went down with an ankle injury that left to be taken out of the game. Obviously there was huge concern considering she suffered a season-ending knee injury last year.
Fortunately she got her ankle taped up and returned to the game later in the quarter. Notre Dame began the game on a 9-4 run. UConn’s offense was stagnant and they were sloppy with the ball, committing six turnovers. Those turnovers turned into five points for the Fighting Irish.
The Huskies also had trouble boxing out, allowing six offensive boards. They were able to take their first lead of the game thanks to a 6-0 run. But then Hannah Hidalgo hit back to back threes to push the lead back to five, and they ended the quarter on a 9-2 run.
Sonia Citron was given the defensive assignment on Paige Bueckers and held her to just two points on ¼ shooting. It was the first time this season that UConn trailed entering the second quarter. Bueckers was on the bench to start the quarter, but later came into the game and wasted no time getting herself going.
She scored four quick points to cut into Notre Dame’s lead. She had 10 points in the quarter, but it did not do much as Notre Dame continued to hit their shots. Strong also picked her third foul midway through the quarter, so she had to stay on the bench for the remainder of the half.
Hidalgo picked up where she left off by scoring 11 points in the quarter. Liatu King was also very productive, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds. The Huskies could not keep her off the glass. Notre Dame led by as many as 13 points, which was the largest lead of the game. That was also the largest deficit UConn had faced this season.
Despite picking up three fouls in the first half, Strong was on the court to start the third quarter. The Huskies jumped out with a quick 7-0 run to cut the lead to four. Their offense seemed more in rhythm and the three pointers started falling after starting 0/6. They also did a better job of boxing out, and even attacked the offensive glass.
The Fighting Irish eventually got the scoring going, but the Huskies were on a roll. They got it within one until Hidalgo hit a three at the buzzer to end the quarter. It was the sixth three by Hidalgo, which was a new career-high.
That three shifted the momentum as Notre Dame began the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run to push the lead back to double digits. The offense was stagnant and they got sloppy with the ball, committing three consecutive turnovers. It was not until the 7:13 mark that they finally scored thanks to a Bueckers jumper.
Olivia Miles scored nine of the team’s 16 points in the quarter. The Fighting Irish won the game 79-68, handing UConn their first loss of the season. They also improved to 3-0 against AP top 5 opponents.
Hannah Hidalgo finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Olivia Miles finished with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. The backcourt duo continues to shine and put the nation on notice. Laitu King finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three steals.
Paige Bueckers finished with 25 points to lead the Huskies. Sara Strong finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Kaitlyn Chen finished with 11 points and KK Arnold finished with 10 points.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)