FORT WORTH, TX ― The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are going to the Elite Eight for the first time under coach Niele Ivey after a 67-64 win over the No. 2 Vanderbilt.
“Let’s go!” Notre Dame alumna Skylar Diggins said from the stands after the win.
The Irish came out with a defensive game plan that was meant to slow down Mikyala Blakes and force Vanderbilt to beat them with anyone else. Aubrey Galvan tried to carry the torch, but her 24 points weren’t enough. Blakes eventually got up to 26 points, but a late turnover with 19 seconds remaining effectively sealed Vanderbilt’s fate.
What’s more, Vanderbilt had no answer for Hannah Hidalgo, who had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals, four of which came in the first quarter. Hidaglo was a force, causing disruption seemingly at every possible moment.
Notre Dame finished Friday’s matchup shooting 42% from the floor to Vanderbilt’s 35%, forcing 23 turnovers. The Fighting Irish also had 54 points in the paint.
Notre Dame advances to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 29, and will play the winner of North Carolina-UConn for the right to advance to the Final Four. The Irish have been to the Elite Eight 16 times in their history.
If you like offense, this is the quarter for you. The baskets seemed to be getting more impactful by the second. Notre Dame finally gets its first triple of the entire matchup at the 7:41 mark of the fourth. (Hello, Vanessa De Jesus.) However, Vanderbilt has been right there trading baskets with the Fighting Irish.
At the 5:52 mark of the fourth, Aubrey Galvan drained a 3-pointer to make it 57-all.
Notre Dame has maintained its narrow lead against Vanderbilt, but can it pull away in the fourth quarter? Winning the matchup would elevate the Fighting Irish to their first Elite Eight under head coach Niele Ivey.
To get there, Hannah Hidalgo and Cassandre Prosper need some help. Both are in double digits (23 points and 11 points, respectively), but no other Notre Dame player has more than eight points. That might be a problem considering Aubrey Galvan is determined to get Vanderbilt to the Elite Eight. She has 19 points, filling in where Mikayla Blakes, who typically leads the charge, can’t.
Despite leading the matchup against the Commodores by eight points with under 1:40 to play in the third quarter, Notre Dame hasn’t made a single triple. The Fighting Irish are 0-for-8 from the field. However, they do have 40 points in the paint.
WNBA stars Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper and Skylar Diggins are in the building at Dickies Arena. Young and Diggins are Notre Dame alumni.
Notre Dame still controls this matchup, but Vanderbilt came alive in the second quarter to cut into what was once a 12-point lead. Vanderbilt’s Aubrey Galavan has 13 points at halftime and is the team’s leading scorer. Mikayla Blakes has 10 points. It’s been a rough shooting day for the latter, Blakes is 1-of-13 from the floor.
Meanwhile, Hannah Hidalgo is nearing a double-double for Notre Dame. The junior has 16 points and seven steals to lead the Fighting Irish, who are shooting 43% from the field to Vanderbilt’s 23%.
The Commodores finally got some shots to fall, thanks to Aubrey Galvan making quick work of Notre Dame’s sagging defense. Galvan scored eight points from an acrobatic shot over Hannah Hidalgo and back-to-back 3-pointers that awakened the Vanderbilt fans in Dickies Arena.
Galvan’s points were part of a 12-2 run to close the game between Notre Dame and Vanderbilt to two points, 27-25.
There isn’t much going right for Vanderbilt. Just under the halfway point of the second quarter, Notre Dame leads 25-13 with 4:46 remaining in the period.
The Fighting Irish are riding the wave behind star Hannah Hidalgo, who is up to seven steals on the day. Hidalgo is doing a fantastic job of exploiting moments when Vanderbilt has brought the ball down very low ― close enough for her to steal and score on the other end. She’s also anticipating where the passing lanes are and cutting those off before Vanderbilt has a chance to run its sets.
It’s Hannah Hidlago’s world, and Vanderbilt is just living in it. Hidalgo has 12 points, seven steals and one block to lead all scorers.
Vanderbilt standout freshman Aubrey Galvan scored just before the first quarter buzzer to stop Notre Dame’s momentum. The Commodores are shooting 17% from the field and have 10 turnovers. Notre Dame has eight points off those giveaways.
For Notre Dame, Hanna Hidalgo has led the charge. Hidalgo has six points and four steals. Hildalgo also set the NCAA single-season steals record with 193 steals. The previous record belonged to Lamar University’s Chastadie Barrs. She had 192 steals during the 2018-19 season.
The Fighting Irish are shooting 43% from the floor as they go head-to-head against Vanderbilt. The team has also forced all of Mikaya Blakes’ points to come from the free throw line. Blakes, who averages 27.5 points a game, has yet to make a basket in the matchup.
The Commodores seem unsure of how to respond to Notre Dame’s early defensive pressure. Vanderbilt has just one field goal in the period at the two-minute mark and eight turnovers.
At the 4:29 mark of the first quarter, Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes has yet to score. Notre Dame has done a good job of sending multiple defensive looks at Blakes to disrupt her rhythm.
Notre Dame leads, 6-5, over Vanderbilt at the midway point. Hannah Hidalgo has four of the Fighting Irish’s six points.
At the 7:50 mark of the first quarter, Hidalgo, who leads the nation in steals with 5.5 per game, already has two steals.
The Vanderbilt Commodores will play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16 round of the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 27, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
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