It was a close contest between the No. 6 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday afternoon at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, with Notre Dame narrowly winning 67-64, highlighting the game’s intense back-and-forth momentum.
“It’s a special group,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said. “You know, this group is really, really unselfish. They play really well together. They’ve grown. They’ve bonded, and I just feel like, again, this group they love to defend. I think that’s the difference. I know defense is what’s helped us get to this point, and this group, they’re tenacious defensively one through five. Everybody is on the court. Everybody loves to play defense. I think that’s the biggest difference.”
Notre Dame got off to a good start and took a 15-11 lead into the second quarter. Hannah Hidalgo led the Fighting Irish with six points. Vanderbilt’s star player, Mikayla Blakes, struggled in the quarter, going 0-6 from the field, but did manage to hit free throws. Vanderbilt outrebounded Notre Dame 13-6 in the quarter, including five offensive rebounds to help keep the game close.
Notre Dame started the second quarter strong, 8-0 run, but Vanderbilt answred wth some strong play. Aubrey Galvan led the charge for Vandebilt with 9 points, including a nice circus shot at the rim. She scored 13 points in the first half. Blakes continues to struggle from the field, shooting 1-13, but she is 8-8 from the charity stripe.
Hidalgo had 10 second-quarter points for the Fighting Irish. She has 16 points at the half, along with seven steals. Vanderbilt is shooting just 23 from the field and is only down 31-26 at the half.
Quarter three saw a lot more scoring, as Notre Dame outscored Vanderbilt 19-18. Hidalgo continued her strong play, scoring seven points. Vanderbilt’s Galvan scored six points, and Blakes added four points. Even with Blakes’ struggles, Vanderbilt only trailed by six in the final quarter, 50-44.
Blakes came out strong in the fourth quarter, scoring a quick nine points. Galvan hit three to tie the game at 54 for Vanderbilt. Later in the quarter, Blakes put Vanderbilt up 62-61 with 1:45 left. With the game tied 62, Hidalgo got a clutch steal and layup to put Notre Dame up 64-62 with under a minute to play. Galvan hit two free throws to tie the game at 64, with 56.7 left.
A Cassandre Prosper bucket with 22.9 left put Notre Dame up 66-64 with 22.9. The Fighting Irish forced a turnover, Prosper was fouled, and made one of two free throws to extend Notre Dame’s lead to 67-64 with 14.2 left. On Vanderbilt’s last possession, Galvan and Blake both missed three-point shots, and Notre Dame wins the game to advance to the Elite Eight.
Hidalgo’s standout performance included a triple-double with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 steals, showcasing her dominance on both ends of the court. Prosper contributed 15 points, providing crucial support for Notre Dame.
“I think first and foremost to get over the hump with this group of women is so special. It means so much,” Hidalgo said. “I spoke earlier about how I used to take just being in the Sweet 16 for granted and how I embrace it so much more now, and I’m so much more grateful to be here.”
“Then to finally get over the hump,” Hidalgo added. “Especially when nobody thought we would even make it to the Sweet 16 or get past the second round, and like Coach Ivey said, first and foremost, I want to give all glory to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Blakes led Vanderbilt with 26 points but shot 7-26 from the field.
“Starting the game, I guess, human,” Blakes said. “I miss shots. So I wouldn’t say it was nerves or anything like that. I just (indiscernible) the performance, because I can’t perform for my team like that in a moment as big as this.”
Galvan added 24 points.
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