Hannah Hidalgo played her best game in the 2024-25 women's college basketball season, helping No. 6 Notre Dame defeat No. 3 USC 74-61 in front of 7,894 fans inside the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California on Saturday.
Hidalgo came up with 24 points, six rebounds, eight assists and five steals to lead the Fighting Irish to their fifth straight win and handed the Trojans their first loss after winning four consecutive games to start the season.
The 5-foot-6 Hidalgo came out guns blazing from tipoff, scoring 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting to give Notre Dame a 20-10 headway at the end of the first quarter.
Despite repeated rallies by USC, the Notre Dame guard would pick up five more points in the second period to keep the Fighting Irish in the driver's seat. Hidalgo sank two free throws to give the Niele Ivey-coached team a 24-19 lead.
She would make a free throw, a jumper and an assist to Cassandre Prosper in the closing seconds, giving Notre Dame a 35-28 edge at the break.
Hidalgo continued her all-around brilliance in the second half, making a jumper off a steal to put the Fighting Irish up 37-28. She kept USC at bay with two foul shots, giving Notre Dame a 44-36 advantage.
Her layup off a defensive board quelled another rally by the Trojans. Her jumper and a subsequent handoff to Olivia Miles kept Notre Dame ahead 51-43.
Hannah Hidalgo didn't score in the payoff period but her two steals and an assist to Sonia Citron gave the Fighting Irish a commanding 68-47 lead with 4:20 remaining.
Here are Hannah Hidalgo's stats in Notre Dame's win against USC.
Fighting Irish vs Trojans Game Recap: Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles overwhelm JuJu Watkins-Talia Von Oelhoffen combo
Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles combined for 44 points, leading Notre Dame to an impressive victory over USC and kept their unbeaten record intact at the Galen Center.
Hidalgo and Miles piled up 14 rebounds, 15 assists and eight steals to win the guards duel they had with JuJu Watkins and Talia Von Oelhoffen.
Watkins and Von Oelhoffen, as a pair, combined for 34 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block as they were outclassed by the Hidalgo-Miles tandem.
The Fighting Irish dominated the rebounding department (41-38) and had the edge in assists (16-14) and steals (17-9).
Notre Dame will troop to the Cayman Islands to meet TCU on Friday in the Cayman Islands Classic.
What do you think about Hannah Hidalgo's performance against USC? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
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