"Don't let that pretty face fool you in the locker room": Hannah Hidalgo pokes fun at Notre Dame HC's "yelling" habit during halftime speeches

Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo poked fun at Fighting Irish coach Niele Ivey's habit of yelling during halftime speeches, a result of the bench tactician's intense desire to win every game possible.

Hidalgo talked about Ivey's habit during a post-game presser on Sunday after No. 3-ranked Notre Dame (19-2, 10-0 in ACC) pulled away in the second half and outclassed Louisville (15-7, 8-3) 89-71.

A reporter asked the Notre Dame guard how the coach conducts halftime speeches that cause the team to switch to serious mode in the third period.

Ivey replied she was only trying to encourage and motivate the team but Hidalgo had another take on the matter, poking fun at the coach's conduct during those long breaks.

"She comes in yelling. She just comes in all firepower — just yelling," Hidalgo said of Ivey (5:32). "We see our coach like just bringing that intensity. We know we have to match her intensity especially since Louisville is such an aggressive team."

"We knew that we needed to raise our intensity not only because they were being aggressive but because Coach Ivey. You know she got this pretty face but don't let that fool you in the locker room, she'd be all in," Hidalgo added. (5:45-onwards)

The motivation or words of encouragement worked for Notre Dame in the game against Louisville, scoring 50 points in the second half to run away with the win and remain unbeaten in the ACC.

---

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey gives an update on Liatu King after elbow to her face

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey also gave an update on the status of forward Liatu King who was hit by an inadvertent elbow to her face. Ivey told reporters that she hopes the Pitt transfer is fine although she smiled after the hit.

King played 20 minutes for the Fighting Irish as she was also hobbled by foul trouble. The six-foot forward still finished with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 12 rebounds, six on the offensive glass.

"That was a big piece of us struggling on the boards, Ivey said. (6:26) "Liatu does a lot. She's very undersized but she plays with a level of toughness. She's our best rebounder."

Olivia Miles added 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals for Notre Dame, which had a 44-29 advantage on rebounds against Louisville and shot 55% from the field.

Notre Dame will be back home after a three-game road trip and will face Stanford (11-10, 3-7) on Feb. 6. The Cardinal is coming off a 69-67 loss to No. 15 North Carolina on Sunday.