UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma didn’t hold back his admiration for Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo after her impressive playing led Notre Dame women's basketball to a 79-68 win over the Huskies on Thursday. Hidalgo’s near triple-double — 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists — cemented her status as one of the premier players in the country.

“Her talent is obvious,” Auriemma said, as reported by Alexa Philippou of ESPN. “There’s a talent level that she has that’s pretty unique. But I think more importantly is the way she attacks everything that she does. The way she attacks your defense, the way when she’s on defense, she attacks your offense, and the way that she leads her team in so many different ways. I think you put all those three things together, and it’s just a really, really, really difficult matchup for anybody.”

The No. 8 Fighting Irish handed No. 2 UConn its first loss of the season in a game that saw Notre Dame take control early and maintain the upper hand throughout. Hidalgo was instrumental, scoring or assisting on 48 of Notre Dame’s 79 points. Her dominance extended beyond scoring, as she became the first player in the past 25 seasons to record multiple 25-point, 10-rebound, and 5-assist games against UConn.

UConn women's basketball no match for Hannah Hidalgo

Notre Dame women's basketball guard Hannah Hidalgo shoots the ball during a NCAA women's basketball game against James Madison.
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The Huskies struggled to contain Hidalgo’s offensive arsenal, particularly from beyond the arc, where she shot 6-for-11. UConn, on the other hand, managed just 3-for-16 from three-point range, a disparity that proved critical. The Huskies rallied to cut the deficit to one point late in the third quarter, but Hidalgo’s buzzer-beating three swung momentum back to Notre Dame, which extended its lead early in the fourth and never looked back.

Hidalgo’s backcourt partner Olivia Miles, returning after missing the 2023-24 season with an ACL injury, added 16 points, including nine in the final quarter. Miles briefly exited in the first quarter after rolling her ankle but returned to deliver key plays down the stretch. Auriemma praised the duo, calling them “a better combination of guards than I’ve seen up close.”

The loss marked UConn’s third consecutive defeat to Notre Dame, a streak that dates back to the 2022-23 season.

The Huskies, led by Paige Bueckers’ 25 points, will look to regroup as they continue their challenging schedule.