Not very much went right for UConn as they suffered their first defeat of the season against a highly charged Notre Dame team in South Bend.
Notre Dame owned the first, second, and fourth quarters. UConn showed signs of life in the third, bringing what had been an 11-point lead at the half to a four-point Notre Dame lead after three. But Notre Dame, led by Hannah Hidalgo, opened the fourth with a six-point run, and UConn never got closer than 6 points.
Hidalgo, who was two assists shy of a triple-double, led the Irish with 29 points, 10 boards, and eight assists. Olivia Miles and Liatu King contributed 16 points each, which was the bulk of the scoring between these three players. Hidalgo went 6-11 from three, and the Irish totaled 10-18. UConn only went 3-16 from three.
Paige Bueckers, who was in better form than her previous few games, scored 25 points. Sarah Strong, who got in early foul trouble, scored 14, Kaitlyn Chen scored 11 and KK Arnold added 10.
The Irish and What’s Ahead After Defeating UConn
Notre Dame was able to get whatever they wanted, except in the third quarter, where it looked as though they might be tiring. UConn played more like UConn in the third, but the rest of the game was spotty defense and poor shooting.
Final@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ygSYD9BxfS
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) December 13, 2024
Seeing Notre Dame perform in this game, it is hard to imagine that they have lost twice this season, to TCU and Utah. However, they have now beaten three top-ten teams in USC, Texas, and now UConn. How Notre Dame will fare once conference play starts will determine quite a bit, as will conference play for UConn.
The Irish have a somewhat easier schedule for their next few games, all at home, against E. Michigan, Loyola MD, and Virginia. UConn however has a more difficult schedule, facing Georgetown, Iowa State, and USC, all at home.
UConn and its Defensive Struggles
Was the absence of Azzi Fudd a factor in this game? Perhaps, but there was more of a defensive inconsistency that kept the Huskies from making any significant run. Interestingly, each team had 13 turnovers and each team scored 15 points off of turnovers, so this was a non-factor. Giving up so many threes was UConn’s biggest problem along with poor scoring. Statistically, UConn shot 48.4% on 31-64, and Notre Dame shot 48.3% on 29-60.
Guarding the three is going to have to be a part of UConn’s prep from now on if they are going to make a serious run. But watching Hidalgo is a treat. The confidence and accuracy are outstanding. And even though Bueckers looked a little more like the Paige we wanted to see, she was 0-4 from three. Strong’s foul trouble certainly put a damper on her game as well, and as neither team went to the bench much, the starters are going to carry the bulk of the weight.
UConn has a deeper bench, but Notre Dame is also missing Maddy Westbeld, who will make a big difference when she returns. When UConn gets Fudd, Aubrey Griffin, and Caroline Ducharme back, they too will look like a different team. So far this season, we’ve seen that both of these teams can win and both now can be beaten. A misstep for UConn tonight and a quality win for the Irish. Let’s see what’s next.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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