Niele Ivey’s Notre Dame women’s basketball team aimed to secure its second ACC regular season title and solidify its top seed for March Madness. However, their plans were derailed in a thrilling double-overtime clash against No. 12 NC State on Sunday at Reynolds Coliseum.
NC State’s Zoe Brooks shone with 33 points, leading her team to a hard-fought victory over top-ranked Notre Dame. The Wolfpack outscored the Irish 12-3 in the second overtime, holding them to 41% shooting from the field. This win marked NC State’s first triumph against an AP No. 1 team since 2021 and their first at home since 1978.
Before this defeat, Notre Dame had been riding a 19-game win streak and held the top projected seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. This loss, only their third of the season, places them with a narrow lead over NC State in the ACC standings.
Despite senior Sonia Citron’s heroics that forced overtime with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, Notre Dame couldn’t overcome NC State’s solid defense in the extra periods. NC State’s Brooks expressed joy over the victory, emphasizing her team’s unity and determination.
Hannah Hidalgo led Notre Dame with 26 points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the upset. The defeat serves as a reminder that in college basketball, anything can happen on any given day.
This season, Hidalgo, a contender for National Player of the Year, has consistently scored over 20 points in each game, marking the 46th game of her impressive two-year tenure at Notre Dame. “Playing alongside Hannah for all these years has been a true joy. I relish the challenge of competing against her. Whether it was in high school or now in college, facing off against her is always a thrill,” expressed Brooks about the friendly rivalry with Hidalgo, who resides approximately 71 miles away in New Jersey. Citron and the senior guard Olivia Miles also contributed significantly to Notre Dame’s latest game with 23 and 22 points, respectively. The team is now gearing up to conclude the regular season with matchups against Florida State and Louisville before making their way to Charlotte, North Carolina for the 2025 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. On the other hand, NC State is set to wrap up their season against Wake Forest and SMU as they embark on their quest to secure a spot in the Final Four for the second year in a row. The recent defeat against NC State snapped Notre Dame’s impressive 19-game winning streak as reported in a piece from USA TODAY.
