Damian Lillard makes glaring claim about Hannah Hidalgo after outplaying Paige Bueckers

Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard was in full praise of Hannah Hidalgo on Thursday as Notre Dame faced off against the UConn Huskies. The Division I game saw Paige Bueckers' team succumb to their first defeat of the season with Hidalgo stealing the show.

Damian Lillard took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his thoughts on the 'Fighting Irish's' young phenom as she outplayed Bueckers on the night. Posting a tweet, the former Portland star captioned it:

"Hannah Hidalgo really one of them"

The star's reaction was well justified as Hannah's performances led her team to victory over the second-seed Huskies, who were undefeated until this point. Hidalgo almost had a triple-double on the night and ended the match with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. The 19-year-old was also recognized in front of the home crowd before the game, becoming the fastest player to achieve 1,000 points in the Fighting Irish's history.

Notre Dame's 79-68 win on Thursday was their third win over top-five opponents this season. No other team in Division I has come close to achieving this feat, with the rest of the teams going 3-41 against the top five teams. Huskies, on the other hand, were short-handed as Paige Bueckers was left exposed with little support on the night.

'Doing it Right' Damian Lillard helps Bucks reach back-to-back NBA Cup Semi-Finals

The Milwaukee Bucks made their way into the NBA Cup semifinals for the second time in a row as they defeated the Orlando Magic at the Fiserv Forum. Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard led the charge on the night as they looked to avenge last season's disappointment.

Crashing out to the Indiana Pacers in last year's edition of the Cup. The Milwaukee Bucks will be facing the Atlanta Hawks at the same stage this season as they hope to go all the way. Giannis has been in great form this season, leading the NBA scoring charts and recording 37 points while Lillard had 29 points himself.

The former Portland man's drive-in layup sealed the 114-109 win for the Bucks. He spoke about last year's disappointment fueling their desire to win this season:

"We didn’t have the greatest of experience there last year, So, I think all of us are thinking, going back and finishing what we started last year and doing it right this time." he said after the game.

Losing to the Indiana Pacers by nine points last season, the pain seems to be lingering within the Bucks dressing room. Now facing the Atlanta Hawks, the winners will face either the Houston Rockets or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals on December 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.