The Notre Dame women’s basketball team secured a decisive victory over Ole Miss on Monday with a final score of 71-56 in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The win propelled the No. 2 seed Fighting Irish into the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 3 seed Oregon State in the Albany Regional, with freshman Hannah Hidalgo a key part of the win.
Maddy Westbeld and Hidalgo scored 20 and 19 points respectively. while Sonia Citron also made a significant contribution with 17 points. Hidalgo also notched four assists and four steals. The Fighting Irish, now holding a 28-6 record, showcased a powerful performance that has been a hallmark of their play this season.
The game began with Notre Dame asserting their dominance early on. They set a fast pace and displayed a controlled but aggressive defense that caught Ole Miss off guard.
“We came out with this mentality that we were going to go on a 10-0 run, and we were just going to stop them from the jump,” Hannah Hidalgo said, as reported by the Associated Press. “We knew that we needed to hit them before they kind of hit us, because they’re a great team and they’re really athletic. We were all just locked into the scout and everyone was locked in on defense, so I was able to be more aggressive.”
Notre Dame's strategy is high tempo
Coach Niele Ivey’s strategy to maintain a high tempo and exploit the transition game paid off as her team led 21-9 after the first quarter. The coach emphasized the team’s preference for a fast-paced game, aiming to challenge Ole Miss’s defense and maintain the upper hand.
“We’re a pace team,” Ivey said. “We’re better in transition. We like to run. We like to play fast. So did Ole Miss. That was the goal. Get out and run, make them defend us.
The Rebels, led by Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott who scored 15 points each, struggled to counter the Fighting Irish’s intensity. Ole Miss finished the game hitting 39% (22-of-57). Rebels coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin lamented her team's inability to match Notre Dame’s vigor from the beginning.
“The disappointing part was someone got beat up, and it wasn’t them. They beat us up,” McPhee-McCuin said. That’s what’s disappointing when your character and your reputation is to dictate and disrupt. I thought that they came prepared for a fight, and I don’t think we fought.”
Notre Dame widened their lead significantly in the first half, leading by 17 points at halftime. Despite a brief resurgence from Ole Miss, Notre Dame’s defense, which forced Ole Miss into 22 turnovers, the second-highest of their season, proved too much for the Rebels to overcome.
As the tournament progresses, the Fighting Irish look to continue their nine-game winning streak, drawing on the momentum from winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. With the return of Junior All-American Olivia Miles next season, Notre Dame’s prospects remain bright. On the other side, Ole Miss, despite the loss, is poised for future successes, banking on the growth under coach McPhee-McCuin, who has led them to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
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