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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have had some recent slip ups — or bad games, if you will, and that has cost them in the polls. The Irish fell out of the top 25, but on Sunday, they showed that they still belong in the rankings with a whooping of #22 North Carolina.
Huge Third Quarter Propels Irish To Win Over No. 22 UNC
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Fighting Irish picked up their second ranked win inside Purcell Pavilion this season, knocking off No. 22 UNC in impressive fashion by a score of 73-50 on Sunday afternoon.
The victory improves Notre Dame’s record to 12-4 on the season and 4-2 in ACC play.
Hannah Hidalgo was masterful in all facets of the game, scoring a game-high 31 points on 13-of-25 shooting while adding eight rebounds, seven steals and six assists.
Cassandre Prosper continued her run of great play with her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 14 rebounds, which ties her career high for rebounds in a game.
Vanessa de Jesus also had a notable performance, finishing with 16 points on an excellent shooting performance, finishing 6-of-7 from the floor and 4-for-5 from three-point range.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The defenses by both teams dominated the opening stages of play, as the score was level at 9-9 with under 3 minutes of play left in the first quarter. The Irish finished the frame by scoring six straight to take a 15-9 lead after the opening 10 minutes of action.
The Fighting Irish limited the Tar Heels to just 3-of-16 shooting from the field in the first frame, including 0-4 from three-point range.
The two sides played an even second stanza, both sides scoring 18 points to move the score to 33-27 at the halftime intermission. Prosper led the Irish in the second quarter with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting.
Notre Dame completely took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Tar Heels 22-5 to break the game wide open at 55-32. The duo of de Jesus and Hidalgo combined for 20 of the 22 Irish points with de Jesus shooting 4-of-5, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. The five Tar Heel points mark the fewest they have scored in a quarter this season.
Notre Dame pushed its lead to as many 29 points on three occasions during the fourth quarter before going on to win by a final score of 73-50.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Irish defense made the headlines, holding UNC to a season-low 50 points in the victory. The Tar Heels shot just 34.5 percent (19-of-55) from the floor, its lowest mark of the season. Notre Dame pressured North Carolina into 22 turnovers, 11 coming by steals.
NOTRE DAME NOTES
Notre Dame is now 12-5 all-time against North Carolina in the all-time series.
The Fighting Irish have recorded double-digit steals in 14 of 16 games this season.
Notre Dame remains unbeaten at home this season, posting a record of 10-0, and have now won 13-straight games inside Purcell Pavilion.
The Irish held North Carolina to its second fewest point total in a first half this season with 27 points.
Eleven of Notre Dame’s 12 wins have come by at least 10 points.
The Fighting Irish have recorded 10 or more steals in 58-of-84 games since the start of the 2023-24 season.
With 31 points, Hidalgo has scored 30+ points in five games this season and 14 games in her career, a program record.
Hidalgo has finished in double figures in the scoring column in all 83 games of her career, the longest streak in program history.
Prosper recorded her sixth double-double of her career, all coming in the last eight games.
Prosper has scored 20+ points in four of her seven double-doubles.
With 16 points, de Jesus set a career-high for most points in a game against a ranked opponent.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish cap off the three-game homestand by welcoming No. 10 Louisville to Purcell Pavilion for a midweek matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 15 and the game will air on ACCN.
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