SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and No. 8 Notre Dame handed second-seeded UConn its first loss Thursday night with a 79-68 victory.
Olivia Miles weathered an early ankle injury to score 16 points and Liatu King also had 16 for the Fighting Irish (8-2).
Paige Bueckers led the Huskies (8-1) with 25 points. Sara Strong scored 14.
Notre Dame forced UConn into 3-of-16 shooting from three-point range, while the Fighting Irish were 10 for 18 from behind the arc.
Takeaways
Notre Dame: Liza Karlena 6-foot-4 forward who suited up for the Fighting Irish for the first time since suffering a sprained left ankle in Notre Dame’s exhibition against Davenport. Karlen, who averaged 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds for Marquette last season, missed Notre Dame’s first nine games but now gives the Fighting Irish some much-needed bench strength.
UConn: The Huskies played their first real road game without one Azzi Fudda guard who averages 10 points. The senior sprained her knee during the Huskies’ 85-52 win over Louisville on Saturday.
Key moment
UConn cut an 11-point halftime lead at Notre Dame to 53-52 with 21 seconds left in the third quarter, but Hidalgo made a three at the buzzer. Notre Dame scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to push the lead to 62-52. The Huskies didn’t get closer than six after that.
Key stat
UConn was 0 for 7 behind the arc in the first half.
Next
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish host Eastern Michigan on Sunday.
UConn: The Huskies host Georgetown in a Big East game on Sunday.
