"Looks like early exit from tournament" "Just awful": Notre Dame fans react as Duke stuns Hannah Hidalgo and co. in ACC tournament thriller

In an ACC tournament thriller, No. 11 Duke stunned Hannah Hidalgo and sixth-ranked Notre Dame with a 61-56 win in the semifinal at the First Horizon Coliseum on Saturday. The Fighting Irish, who had the best conference record, led by two points at the break. However, the momentum shifted when they were restricted to just 14 points in the third quarter.

The Blue Devils scored 18 points for a five-point lead. Oluchi Okananwa led the school with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench while Ashlon Jackson's 12 points were highest among starters. Hidalgo had 23 points and six steals while Olivia Miles added 10 points.

Fans reacted to Notre Dame's performance as the program updated the final score on its X handle:

"We could see this coming, too focused on flash and yelping every play - lost focus on team ball, out of sync. If this team played with the heart and tenacity that Duke plays with they would be u stoppable - OUT COACHED," a user wrote.

"Looks like early exit from tournament" a fan added.

"Disappointed in everyone but Hannah and Kate," another fan commented.

More fans joined in:

"Ivey coached way too passive in that 4th," an enthusiast added.

"Just awful," a fan wrote.

"Can’t win a game with two starters scoring 0 points and the whole team shooting 36%. Tough game. Get ready for the big dance.," another fan commented.

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Coach Niele Ivey outlines what went wrong for Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame

Notre Dame struggled on offense as two starters failed to make an impact on the scoreboard. The only constant offense came from Hannah Hidalgo, who attempted 22 shots to score 23 points.

However, Niele Ivey believes that the Fighting Irish's weakness was its defense in the post-game conference.

"I would start with our defense," she said. "I think there’s a lot of times with our defensive intensity is not where it needs to be - our offense gets stagnant."

Notre Dame thrives in transition when compared to half-court play. It acts like a major boost and brings the whole team together. However, the team needs to get stops on the opponents - steals, turnovers, blocks - to hit the open court.

"We have to rely on our defense and focus more on our defense in order for us to get going with our pace, the things that we do well at."

Hannah Hidalgo and Co. shot with less efficiency, got outrebounded 38-26 and had fewer points in the paint. The team is now eliminated from the conference tournament and will return to the court for the NCAA tournament later this month.