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Notre Dame women's basketball defeated UConn 79-68 on Thursday night. Paige Bueckers attempted to help UConn remain undefeated, but Notre Dame ultimately earned the victory. Hannah Hidalgo led the way for Notre Dame, scoring 29 points to go along with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Hidalgo was asked if there is a rivalry between UConn and Notre Dame after the game, and she shared a completely honest response.
“Oh yeah,” Hidalgo said, via espnW. “Oh absolutely, it's been a rivalry. This is bigger than us. It's deeper than us. Even with Skylar [Diggins-Smith], Arike [Ogunbowale], it's always been a rivalry… We're just kind of coming in and filling the shoes of that rivalry.”
Arike Ogunbowale and Skylar Diggins-Smith, who played their college basketball at Notre Dame, were in attendance on Thursday. It was surely a special moment as the Notre Dame women's basketball team upset UConn.
Notre Dame is now 8-2, while UConn fell to 8-1. Hidalgo revealed what led to the big victory on Thursday.
“Our defense,” Hidalgo said. “Our defense was the biggest thing. We've been locked in for weeks now… We knew what we had to do and that's what we did. We locked into our defense. And when we're all locked in on defense, our offense just comes.”
They entered the game ranked No. 8 overall, but they will surely continue to climb the rankings if they continue to upset top teams such as UConn. Their next matchup against a ranked team is not until January 5, when they go head-to-head with No. 14 North Carolina.
For now, Notre Dame women's basketball will focus on their upcoming opponents, though. They are set to play Eastern Michigan on Sunday. Although Notre Dame will be the favorite, they need to take each game seriously. Teams will be looking to pull off upsets when battling them.
With Hannah Hidalgo leading the way, though, Notre Dame will certainly remain confident.
