SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In an impressive display, Hannah Hidalgo scored 19 points as the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils with a score of 64-49 on Monday evening.
With this victory, Notre Dame improved its record to 23-2 overall and maintained an undefeated streak of 14-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team celebrated their ascent to the No. 1 ranking for the first time in over six years earlier in the day and extended their winning streak to 18 games, including a 17-game streak in conference play.
Sonia Citron contributed significantly with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Maddy Westbeld added 11 points to the solid offensive performance.
On the other side, Taina Mair was a standout for Duke, scoring 15 points as the Blue Devils compiled a record of 20-6, with an 11-3 mark in the conference.
The game was tightly contested, with Notre Dame leading by just two points at halftime, 29-27. However, the Irish displayed a dominant defensive effort at the start of the third quarter, igniting a remarkable 17-1 run. During this stretch, they forced Duke into a woeful 0-for-6 shooting performance and caused four turnovers. By the end of the third quarter, Notre Dame had outscored Duke 21-8, giving them a comfortable 50-35 advantage.
Both teams faced challenges in the second quarter, resulting in combined shooting struggles as they converted only 27 percent (7-for-26) of their attempts and posted a total of 11 turnovers. Nevertheless, Notre Dame managed to close the half strong, securing a slim lead going into the locker room. Westbeld’s deep three-pointer just before the buzzer sparked a brief scoring run, pushing the Irish ahead.
In terms of game analysis, Duke’s bench players managed to outscore their Notre Dame counterparts with an 18-9 margin. Conversely, the Fighting Irish effectively limited Duke to just 22 points in the second half while forcing 11 turnovers.
A pivotal moment in the matchup occurred when Westbeld blocked a shot from Duke’s Reigan Richardson and immediately seized the rebound. She then launched a fast-break pass to Hidalgo, who subsequently sent the ball to Citron for an easy basket, increasing Notre Dame’s lead to 35-27.
Noteworthy statistics from the game revealed that after starting strong by making five of their first six shots, Duke struggled immensely, finishing the game shooting only 32% (15 for 47).
Looking ahead, Duke is set to face Louisville on Thursday, while Notre Dame will travel to take on Miami.
